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Creating a Global Forecast Series

The global forecast allows a user to take a snapshot of the corporate revenues that qualify for forecasting. Organizations using the global forecasting approach place a high level of emphasis on the Revenues screen, and a low level of emphasis on the Forecasting views. The global forecast is an example of a corporate snapshot type of forecast.

The global forecast:

• Allows an individual user to take a snapshot of corporate revenues
• Does not require user or management intervention
• Captures the revenue that meets the forecast series criteria, including partner and third-party related revenues
• Avoids a lengthy and involved adjustment process as forecasts are rolled from manager to manager to executive

Sales managers and executives review revenues in real time using queries in the My Team's Revenues view. Using this view, sales managers conduct their weekly or monthly one-on-one meetings with their account managers or sales representatives, before the global forecast.

The sales manager, along with the sales representative, adjusts the revenues, close dates, win probabilities, and commit statuses in the Revenues view so that the sales representative and the manager have a single consensus opinion on the revenue items that end up in the forecast. They finish this process before the deadline of the corporate forecast.

As administrator, you create the forecast and make it available to high-level managers and executives from the All Forecasts view.

Use global forecasts if:

• Your sales representative is likely to have the most accurate perspective on the value of an opportunity, account, partner, project, or product line over time
• The manager is unlikely to adjust the sales representative's forecast, or if the manager is able to adjust the sales representative's projected revenues before the creation of the corporate forecast
• You want to reduce the amount of overhead and time spent in forecasting

Do not use global forecasts if:

• The manager wants the opportunity to adjust revenues without the sales representative's knowledge
• It is important for sales representatives to actually visit the forecast form and submit their forecasts to a manager
• Sales representatives must make a revenue commitment that is different from the sum of the revenue line items they are tracking in the Siebel product

To create a global forecast series

1. Navigate to the Administration - Forecast screen > Forecast Administration view.
2. Create a forecast series.

   For information, see Creating a Forecast Series.

3. From the Visibility drop-down list, select All or All Across Organizations.

   This causes the manager's view to include each of the subordinates' revenue records.

4. Click the Forecast Series Dates view tab and add forecast dates.

   For information about adding dates, see Defining Forecast Series Dates.

5. Click the Forecast Series Participants view tab and add one or more forecast series participants, such as yourself or another administrator who will run the forecast for the company.

   For information about adding participants, see Adding Forecast Series Participants.