IBF Certification
Overview
CPF & ACPF
Institute of Business Forecasting
& Planning - IBF
Tel:
Email:
web:
+1.516.504.7576 (New York)
info@ibf.org
www.ibf.org
Why Get Certified?
How does it benefit the company
and the Demand Planning &
Business Forecasting Professional?
Benefits: For Employees
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Validate your experience, knowledge, and skill-sets
Enhance credentials, and advance your career
Set an example for others in your department
Become more recognized at your company, as well
as in the field
 Pre-qualify yourself for new positions in the field
 Improve your career opportunities
Benefits: For Employers
 Certified individuals are pre-qualified, allowing you
to identify the right person for a Demand Planning
& Forecasting position with ease
 Increase the value of your forecasting & planning
staff, department, and company
 More likely to improve company performance
 More likely to encourage internal collaboration/
consensus and build critical relationships
 Save time and resources in training! CPF or ACPF
professionals already have a verified body of
knowledge
IBF Certification Program
Board of Advisors
 Key Forecasting Management &
Professionals from:
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Nice Pak
Georgia Gulf Corporation
Bayer
Novartis
BASF
Boeing Company
Georgia Pacific
Lowe's Companies. Inc.
MIT
University of Notre Dame
Carter’s
Companies with
CPF or ACPF (Partial List)
Abbott
Acuity Brands Lighting
ADC Telecommunications
Alberto Culver
Alcatel-Lucent
American Italian Pasta Company
American Red Cross
American Textile Company
Amway
Anderson Windows
Andrew Corporation
Anteon Corp
AOL
AstraZeneca
Aveda
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
Baker Oil Tools
Barnes Distribution
BASF Corp
Baxter Healthcare
Bayer
Best Buy
Biomarin
Black & Decker
British Gypsum
Brown Forman
Capital One
Carhartt
Cartech
Caterpillar
Celgene
Char-broil
Chemtura
Chevron Texaco
Cisco Systems
Cleco, Inc.
CNH Global
Con Edison
Conros Corporation
Continental Tire
Cooper Lighting
Cordis
Corning Cable Systems
Coty Inc.
Cummins
Day Spring Cards
Dealer Tire
Delta
Delta Faucet
Deluxe Corporation
Depuy Orthopaedics
DePuy Spine
Discover Financial
Disney
Dorel Juvenile Group
Dorman Products
Dow Corning
Dupont
E & J Gallo Winery Canada
EAS
East Penn Manufacturing
Eaton Filtration GmbH
Edmund Optics
Eircom
Elkay
EMD Chemicals
Emerson Process
Emirates Telecommunication Cooperation
Emyco
ESAB
FedEx
Fisher Scientific
Fruit of the Loom
Fuji Photo Film USA
Gap
GE
General Mills
Georgia Pacific
GlaxoSmithKline
Globe Electric
Goodyear
Graco Children's Products
Grundfos Pump Corp.
Hanes Brands
Heineken
Heinz
Hewlett Packard
Hollister
Hypro Pumps
Infosys Technologies Ltd
Intuit
Invitrogen
Ipex Inc.
John Deere
Johnson & Johnson
Juno Lighting Group
Lafarge North America
Land O'Lakes
Lifescan
Lilly
Logitech
MAC
Manhattan Toy
Maple Leaf Foods
Mead Johnson
Melaleuca
Mepha Ltd.
Merrill Lynch
Michelin
Microsoft
Mine Safety Appliances
Monster Cable Products
Motorola Inc
Nature's Path Foods
Neiman Marcus
Nestle
Netjets
Nordstrom
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Noveon
Novozymes
Nuskin
Oberto
Ogio, Intl.
ON Semiconductor Corp.
OnStar
Oracle Corporation
Panasonic
Pepsico
Pfizer, Inc.
Pharmavite
Philip Morris
Prevost Parts
Primus Canada
Procter & Gamble
Quantum Corporation
Rand McNally
Research In Motion
Revlon
Rich-Sea Pak Corp
Roche Diagnostics
Rubbermaid
Sanford
Sappi Fine Paper
Sara Lee
Sartomer
Satyam
Saudi Aramco
SBC Communications
SC Johnson
SCA Tissue
Scholastic Book Fairs
Scunci International
Sealed Air
Sears
Shire Pharmaceuticals Inc
Sigma Aldrich
Smith & Nephew
Sony
Spring Industries
Standard Textile, Inc.
Sun Chemical
Syngenta
SYSCO Food Systems
TastyKake
Tektronix
Tennant Company Manufacturing
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA
Texas A&M University
The Boeing Company
The Hartz Mountain Corp
The Scotts Company
The Toro Company
Thermatru
Timberland
T-Mobile
Turtle Wax, Inc.
Tyson Foods
Under Armour
Unilever
UnitedHealthcare
University of Notre Dame
USAA
USG
Victoria's Secret Stores
Vi-Jon Laboratories
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
Walt Disney World
Welch's
Woodward
World Kitchen
Wrigley
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Xcel Energy
Yokohama Tire
Zytec
Levels of IBF Certification
Offered
 Certified Professional Forecaster
(CPF)
 Advanced Certified Professional
Forecaster (ACPF)
IBF CPF – The Exams
 3 Exams –100 to 150 questions
 Exams Taken Individually – Objective
Tests, Multiple Choice
 2 Hours per Exam
 CPF is earned when 70% or higher is
scored for each exam individually
IBF CPF Exam Content
Exam 1
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Role of Forecasting & Planning in Decision Making
Demand Planning (Demand Sensing, Shaping, & Creating)
Forecasting & Planning Process
Consumption (POS Data) Based Forecasting & Planning
Consensus Forecasting & Planning
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) Process
Collaborative, Planning, Forecasting, & Replenishment (CPFR)
Exam 2
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Data Analysis & Treatment
Fundamentals of Models & Modeling
Types of Models
Time Series Models
Model Selection
Metrics: Measuring Forecast Error and Performance
Exam 3
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Forecast Reporting & Presentation
Forecast Communication
Winning Support and Confidence of Management
Gaining Buy-in from Stakeholders
New Product Forecasting
IBF ACPF – The Exams
 2 Exams
 Exams Taken Individually – Objective
Tests (Multiple Choice)
 2 Hours per Exam
 Must be CPF
 ACPF is earned when 70% or higher is
scored for each exam individually
IBF ACPF Exam Content
Exam 4
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Regression/ Cause & Effect Models
Types of Regression Models
Assumptions of a Simple Regression Model
Steps to Build a Regression Model
Diagnostic Tools for Assessing Regression Models
Development and Application of Dummy Variables in Multiple Regression
Improving a Multiple Regression Model
ARIMA/Box-Jenkins Modeling
Assumptions of ARIMA Modeling
ARIMA Models vs. Regression Models
Types of ARIMA Models
Steps to Build an ARIMA Model
Improving ARIMA Models
Exam 5
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Forecasting & Planning Technology
Forecasting Package vs. Forecasting System
Selecting a Forecasting Package
Technology Capabilities
Scalability
Forecasting System Implementation
Worst Practices in Forecasting & Demand Planning
Study Materials Provided and
Preparation Related Events
 Study Materials
 CPF & ACPF
 Suggested Reading List
 Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting
 Preparation Related Events
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IBF Tutorials/ Forecasting Academy
IBF Statistical Workshops
IBF In-House Seminars
IBF Online Training
IBF Certification Review Course
Professional Experience
Certification Period &
Renewal Requirements
 Initial Certification Period = 4 Years
 Certification Renewals Every 4 Years
 Requirements for Renewal without
Reexamination
 CPF
 40 CE Points for Renewal
 ACPF
 50 CE Points for Renewal
How to Keep Certification
Current for Renewal
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IBF Conferences, Tutorials, and Workshops
IBF Chapter Meetings & Meet-Up’s
IBF In-House Training Program
IBF Webinars
IBF Membership
Other Forecasting Related Conferences
IBF Board or Committee Member
Publish Original Research on Forecasting or related
Publish an Article on Forecasting or related
Speak at a Forecasting or related Conference
Successful Completion of an Academic Course in Forecasting
Plus, we’re open to considering others means not listed above
Certification Examination
Locations
 Same Locations Globally as:
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IBF Conferences
IBF Tutorials/ Forecasting Academy
IBF In-House Training/ Your Company
IBF Workshops
Plus, we can come to you to administer the
exams onsite any where in the world.
Win-Win For Both
Employer & Employee
 Enhance Demand Planning & Business
Forecasting Skills & Knowledge
 Improve Business Decisions
 Increase Business Performance
 Build Staff with Relative Ease
 Increase Best-in-Class Recognition in the
Demand Planning & Forecasting Field
For More Information
 Visit the IBF Website
 www.ibf.org
 Call the IBF for more information
 +1.516.504.7576 (9am to 6pm EST, New York)
 Skype: IBF_NY
 Find IBF on Social Networks
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LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/4p52bV
Twitter.com/DemandPlanning
Facebook.com/DemandPlanning
IBF Blog: www.demand-planning.com