Forecast Horizons

How do you know how far in the future to forecast?
Written by Katherine Schraeder
Updated 3 months ago

Most relevant forecasting horizons in Dryrun

First, what is a forecasting horizon? 

Simply put, the forecast horizon is the length of time into the future for which forecasts are to be prepared. In other words, how far into the future do you need to see or is it feasible to see?

Problem: Longer term forecast horizons don't have shorter term forecasts to support them.

Dryrun's solution:

1) Shorter forecast horizons

2) Flexible event-based forecasts with a margin for imagination

Dryrun users tend to create forecasts along 3 horizons in our software

By the numbers, we see users create the following 3 types of forecasts:

Short-range: Less than 3 months into the future (ideal for managing payables and receivables)

Mid-range: 3 - 6 months into the future (ideal for modeling 'what if' scenarios based on current and likely realities)

Long-range: 1 year into the future (ideal for modeling sales and revenue to plan cash at that time)

Dryrun has intentionally set limits on our forecasting horizons to ensure that users stay focused on the here-and-now.

Want more info or need some help? Use our in-app chat to get in touch.

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