The human factor in supply chain forecasting: A systematic review

Abstract Demand forecasts are the lifeblood of supply chains. Academic literature and common industry practices indicate that demand forecasts are often subject to human interventions. Judgmental forecasting or judgmental forecast adjustments can cause both positive and negative repercussions to the rest of the supply chain. This paper provides the first systematic literature review of judgmental forecasting and adjustments focusing on key features that impact various decisions in supply chains. A carefully assembled and shortlisted literature pool is analyzed for systematic mapping of the published works using bibliometric tools. The primary sub streams of research within the broader scope of the field are synthesized from a rigorous keyword cluster analysis and a thorough discussion is presented. Our review concludes by encapsulating the key learnings from four decades of academic research in judgmental forecasting and suggests future research avenues to expand our understanding of the role of humans in demand forecasting and supply chain decision-making.