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Forecasting
Forecast accuracy
How close the forecast called at a point in the quarter came to what actually closed. Measured week by week so the process can improve.
Owned by: Senior sales analystTest band: Senior sales analyst
The formula
Accuracy % = 1 − |Actual − Forecast| ÷ Actual
In practice
Track it at the same point each quarter — week 6, say — and split error into slippage, lost deals, and upside that was not forecast. Each has a different fix.
The kind of thing the test asks
- The week-6 forecast has been 10–15% high for four quarters. Splitting the error, most of it is deals that slipped, not deals that were lost. The fix is…
- The company forecast has beaten the data-driven forecast for six straight quarters. The CRO should…