Forecast Home

How to use Forecast Home.

Forecast Home shows a graphical view of the Volume data. It shows weekly volume in a bar graph for a single location. The graph is read-only and you cannot edit the volume.

Forecast Home shows a graphical view of the Volume data. It shows weekly volume in a bar graph for a single location. The graph is read-only and you cannot edit the volume.

Forecast Home shows a graphical view of the Volume or Labor data for a single location. The graph is read-only, and you cannot edit the data from the graph.

Forecast Home shows each day in the forecast week for a location and driver. Bars show values for each selected forecast factor as follows:

  • Each bar has a different color, and the legend shows which color is assigned to which factor.
  • To remove the bar for a factor, click tap the factor in the legend. The color is grayed out. To show the bar again, click tap the grayed out factor in the legend.
Note: To view forecast data, your function access profile (FAP) must allow access to the Volume Forecast or Labor Forecast.
  1. On the Main Menu , select Workforce Planning.
  2. If Forecast Home does not open by default , select Forecast Home in the Forecast Planner.
  3. Select the forecast week from the time-period selector .
  4. To update the graph, click tap Refresh .
    Note: To make sure that the graph shows the most recent updated data, wait a few seconds between making changes and refreshing.
  5. Customize the chart as follows:
    • In Chart Type, select Single Location(default). Click Tap Apply to Chart.
    • In Location, select a site, department, or category. Click Tap Apply to Chart.
      Note: Alternatively, you can select locations in a business structure by selecting a level in the breadcrumb path that is below the buttons.
    • Select a forecast volume Driver. Click Tap Apply to Chart.
    • Select a forecast volume Driver. Click Tap Apply to Chart.
    • In Chart Category, select one of the following and click tap Apply to Chart:

      A volume driver

      Labor data

  6. Messages may be displayed below the breadcrumb path. To close a message, click tap the X button.
  7. (Optional) Forecast Factor
    1. In Manage Factors , only Volume Driver is available.
      Note: Although you can select other factors - such as Special Events or Hours of Operation - these do not appear in Forecast Home.
    2. In Manage Factors , only Volume Driver is available.
      Note: Although you can select other factors - such as Special Events or Hours of Operation - these do not appear in Forecast Home.
    3. In Manage Factors , select volume or labor factors. Examples: Volume Drivers, Hours of Operation, Special Events, Jobs, Labor Hours, Labor Budget, Custom Labor Driver, Adjustment Labor Driver.
    4. From Favorite Factors, select any of the following:
      • Save your current factors as favorites.
      • Edit to delete, rename, or make a default set of favorite factors.
      • Display a list of your favorite factors.
      • Display a list of standard factors that are favorites including: Forecast Only, Forecast and Last Week, or Forecast and Last Year.
  8. (Optional) Diagnostic tools Click Tap Tools to select and run diagnostic tools. You must be assigned access to the specific tools.

    Examples:

    • Import Traffic Pattern: For detailed information and instructions, see the Export and Import Traffic Patterns topic. Your function access profile (FAP) must allow access to Traffic Pattern.
    • Export Traffic Pattern: Your FAP must allow access to Traffic Pattern.
    • Engine Status: Check the progress of volume runs.

      Submitted at and Completed at reflect the timezone of the current user account; to show the date-times in UTC, click tap the Information icon. To update the engine status, click tap Refresh .

    • Change Currency: Change the displayed currency between the location-specific currency or the user's preferred currency which is the default currency for all locations.
    • Export Volume Data: For detailed information and instructions, see the The Volume Workspace topic. Your FAP must allow access to Export Forecast Planner Data.
    • Machine Learning Daily Explorer:

      The Machine Learning Daily Explorer (MLDE) allows you to see how specific features impact a predicted forecast volume value for a selected location, volume driver, and date combination (values are calculated for a specific driver on a specific day).

      For more information, go to Machine Learning Daily Explorer
    • Machine Learning Model Explorer:

      The Machine Learning Model Explorer shows a graphical break down of how different Machine Learning configurations generate a forecast, specifically the way in which specific features impact the final calculation.

      For detailed information and instructions, go to the Machine Learning Model Explorer topic. Your FAP must allow access to Machine Learning.
  9. Volume
    1. (Optional and only if your FAP includes access to Run Volume) Select Run Volume to update the forecast volume. Click Tap Refresh .
    2. (Optional) Select Restore Volume to delete the edited forecast and display the last generated forecast. All edited volume forecast data for the category, sub-categories, and time period are deleted.
  10. (Optional) Daily details To see a line graph that shows the selected forecast, and system-generated or actual factors throughout one day, do the following:
    1. Click Tap on a day in the graph to open the Daily Details.
    2. (Optional) Change the Date, Start Time, End Time, or Interval. Click Tap Apply to Chart.
      Note: The grid or table view of Actual Volume always shows only 15-minute intervals. However in Forecast Home, you can show any configured interval in the Daily Details.
    3. Click Tap Done.