Survey results show that best-in-class firms shared several common characteristics with regard to various aspects of process, reporting, data, technology, and more. Results show that best-in-class companies are:
- 3x more likely than all other companies to have a single view of demand
- 2.5x more likely to integrate order management tightly with the demand planning process
- 2x more likely to segment demand forecasts based on key product-customer characteristics
- 3x more likely to allocate forecasts down to the SKU level
- 3x more likely to create attach rate forecasts for configured products
- 2.5x more likely to have a clear owner of the consensus forecast.
- 4x more likely to be able to measure forecast accuracy at the SKU level

To improve performance, companies must take steps including:
Expand demand collaboration to key customers (collaborative single demand forecast)
Capture the order-to-delivery process using a process mapping tool and capture the actual lead-times associated with the process from order taking to inspection, and finally delivery to the dealer / distributor / reseller.
Institute a sales forecasting process that ties the sales organization's opportunity forecasting to the supply chain organization's build forecast.