Quick Summary: The Projection tab shows how an item is expected to perform over the next 12 months by combining stock on hand, demand streams, receipts, projected orders, and future stock positions into a single view. It helps planners assess stock risks, align replenishment with upcoming demand, and validate whether stock levels support promotions or operational decisions.
Why the Projection Tab Matters
The Projection tab provides a forward looking view of how stock will behave over time. It brings together opening stock, forecast demand, firm receipts, projected receipts, and recommended orders to show whether an item will remain within its Minimum and Maximum levels.
This view enables you to:
Validate that the Recommended Order Quantities (ROQs) make sense.
Anticipate stockouts or excess inventory before they occur.
See the impact of future purchase orders on stock levels.
Explain the system logic to colleagues with confidence.
Understand how multiple demand streams interact with supply.
How to Read the Projection Tab
The Projection Tab appears on the Item Inquiry screen. It can be viewed either as a graph for a visual timeline or a table for detailed numerical values.
Navigate to the Item Inquiry screen > Projection tab.
Hover over a point in the graph or a cell in the table to see the projected values for that day.
Use the top-right buttons to switch between Graph and Table view, or download the report to a CSV or Excel file.
What the Projection Tab Shows
The Projection tab offers two views: Graphical and Tabular. Both represent the same data, but at different levels of detail.
You can toggle demand and supply elements on or off in the chart legend for a clearer view.
The Graphical View
The graph gives you an instant visual health check of the item.
Closing Stock (Purple Line): The projected inventory balance at the end of each day.
The Goal: Keep this line inside the Gray Area (between Min and Max levels).
Red Zone: If the line dips below zero, you are projected to stock out.
Orders (Blue Bars): Projected dates when you should place an order.
Receipts (Red Lines): Projected dates when those future orders will arrive (based on Lead Time).
Firm Receipts (Gold Lines): Confirmed Purchase Orders that are already in the system and due for delivery.
Demand Bars:
Green Bars (Sales Orders): Confirmed customer orders.
Gold Bars (BOM): Demand from BOM parent items requiring this item as a component.
Light Blue Bars (DC): Consolidated demand from dependent locations supplied by this location.
You can select or deselect any label in the chart legend to show or hide that data series. When labels appear gray, they have been deselected and are not displayed on the graph.
The Table View
The Table button switches to a detailed daily account of projected activity.
Each row represents a day and contains the following information:
Demand Columns:
FC (Forecast): The standard Sales Forecast demand, pro-rated into daily values.
BOM (Bill of Materials): Demand generated if this item is a raw material for another product.
DC (Distribution Center): Demand generated from other warehouses (if this location supplies them).
SO (Sales Orders): Demand from actual open sales orders.
Levels: Daily Minimum and Maximum stock levels.
Min: Safety Stock.
Max: Safety Stock plus Replenishment Cycle.
Open: The projected opening stock for the day (which is simply yesterday’s closing stock).
Back orders: Demand carried over due to insufficient stock.
FC / BOM / DC: If you stock out, these columns show how much unmet demand is carried forward. This is based on your Back Order Percentages (e.g., if set to 50%, only half of the unmet demand is carried over).
➜ For more on this topic, read: Policy - Projecting back orders
Firm rcpt: Existing purchase orders and their expected delivery dates.
Order: Projected order quantities and expected order dates.
Receipt: Delivery date and quantities of projected orders.
Closing: Projected closing stock.
Formula: Opening Stock - Total Demand + Receipts.
This table is the numerical source of the chart.
MTD Sales, Open Sales Orders, and Future Sales Orders
The Projection tab combines multiple sources of demand into a single daily view. To understand why projected stock rises or falls the way it does, it is essential to know how the system treats month-to-date sales, open sales orders, future sales orders, and overdue sales orders.
Month-to-date sales
Sales that have already been invoiced or closed earlier in the month do not consume the forecast.
Instead, the system adjusts the remaining monthly forecast pro rata, based on the number of days still left in the month.
This ensures the forecast continues to represent demand for the remainder of the month rather than repeating historical sales that have already happened.
Open sales orders due within the month
Only open sales orders with due dates in the current month reduce the remaining forecast, because these orders represent confirmed upcoming demand.
Subtracting them prevents double-counting and keeps the projection aligned with true expected consumption.
Overdue sales orders
Overdue sales orders are treated separately from both forecast and open orders.
The system classifies them as overdue demand and deducts them immediately from Stock on Hand at the start of the projection period.They do not reduce the forecast for the month, because they relate to demand that should already have been fulfilled.
This treatment ensures the projection does not artificially lower future expected demand when overdue obligations exist.
Example: How Remaining Forecast for the Month Is Calculated
On the Forecast tab for item 25002 (Central Warehouse), the August forecast is 2,496 units.
The Projection tab transforms this into a daily forecast for the remaining days of the month using the following calculation:
Convert the monthly forecast to a daily rate:
2,496 units ÷ 31 days = 80 units per dayCalculate the remaining forecast for the last 4 days of the month:
80 × 4 = 320 unitsSubtract open sales orders due before month end:
320 − 119 units (SO due 31 Aug) = 201 units remaining forecastConvert back to a daily rate for the remaining days:
201 ÷ 4 = 50 units per day
The Projection tab displays forecast values as integers. For this reason, the daily values you see may vary by one unit during the month as decimal values are rounded and carried over.
Example: Why Opening Stock Differs From Stock on Hand
On the Inventory Position panel of item 25002, the Stock on Hand is recorded as 707 units.
However, on the Projection tab, the opening stock shown for 28 August is 625 units.
The difference is caused by overdue sales orders:
Opening stock = Stock on Hand - Overdue demand
= 707 units − 82 units
= 625 units opening stock
The projection therefore begins with the true available stock after overdue customer commitments are deducted.
How LT, SS, and RC Convert to Units on the Projection Tab
➜ For an in-depth explanation of how policies convert from days to unit, read: Cover Forward Period Explained
⚠️ Watchouts
Data currency: The Projection tab reflects the most recent import. If your data has not refreshed, the numbers may be outdated.
Zero recommended orders: If you see a potential stockout but the ROQ is zero, check Firm Receipts. A purchase order may be arriving just in time, and the app will not duplicate the order.
Overdue demand impact: Overdue sales orders reduce opening stock immediately. This can make an item appear to be stocking out faster than expected if you only look at Stock on Hand.
💡 Tips
Investigate unexpected ROQs: When an ROQ surprises you, open the Projection tab first. It is the clearest place to see the driver behind the calculation.
Use both views: Toggle between Graph and Table for complementary insights. The graph shows patterns, while the table shows exact values.
Understand forecast consumption: Month-to-date sales do not reduce the forecast directly. The system adjusts the forecast pro-rata based on days remaining.
Check firm receipts before promotions: Timing of receipts is more important than the quantity when assessing promotion readiness.
Export for deeper analysis: The CSV export helps you build what-if scenarios or share insights with other teams.
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