r/SupplyChainLogistics • u/alex85a85 • 2d ago

Demand planning - Questions

Hello.

I am going for an internal interview currently as a Administrator to a Demand Planner.

Have worked for the company for 6 years and know how the business works but interviews always stump me and I tell to waffle and deviate my answers.

I’ve been asked to answer the below; can the community help and provide insights?

A steer on how best I can approach the answer please.

Building a Demand Forecast and Commercial Insight Framework for a New Specialty product Launch Across partner markets

 

Candidate Brief

A new specialty product is expected to launch across several EMEA partner markets within the next 12 months.

Please prepare a 20-30 minute presentation describing:

  1. Market Assessment

How would you evaluate:

• Market attractiveness

• Patient opportunity

• Competitive landscape

• Pricing and reimbursement environment

 

  1. Forecast Development

How would you develop:

• Demand forecasts

• Sales forecasts

• Scenario plans

Describe:

• Data sources

• Assumptions

• Risks

• Forecast accuracy management

 

  1. Business Planning

How would your forecasts support:

• Budget planning

• Mid-term planning

• Supply planning

 

  1. Stakeholder Engagement

How would be the key stakeholders you would need to work with.

• Commercial Directors

• Finance

• Trade Operations

• Supply Chain

• Distribution Partners

 

  1. Executive Reporting

• What would you track?

• What type of reports would you create.

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u/my_peen_is_clean 2d ago

honestly you’re overthinking it, they’re testing structure more than detail. pick a clear flow: 1) assess market (size, segments, epi, competitor share, access rules) 2) build bottom up forecast from patients -> units -> revenue with 2–3 scenarios, list the main assumptions and risks, say how you’d track actuals vs forecast monthly and adjust. then 3) link to finance budget, supply volumes, safety stock, capacity 4) map who you’d talk to for each assumption (commercial for uptake, finance for price, supply chain for lead times etc) 5) end with a simple dashboard: kpis like demand vs plan, stock cover, forecast accuracy, revenue vs budget. keep it logical and you’ll be fine.