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ASCM CSCP · 8 Essential Terms
CSCP demand-planning desk covering the bullwhip effect, S&OP, dependent demand, forecast error, CPFR, postponement, and push versus pull.
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Small changes in end-customer demand that get amplified into larger swings in orders as you move upstream.
Flip cards, the timed match, and the quiz open in this panel. The full glossary below is ready either way.
Every term, pronunciation, definition, memory hook, and exam trap is written out here so you can review the whole set or print it.
BUL-wip ih-FEKT
Small changes in end-customer demand that get amplified into larger swings in orders as you move upstream.
Mnemonic. The tip of the whip barely moves; the handle cracks. Downstream demand is the tip.
Exam trap. The bullwhip is an information and batching problem, not proof that customers are irrational. Sharing sell-through data and cutting order batches are the usual remedies.
es and oh pee
Sales and operations planning: a cross-functional, usually monthly, process that reconciles demand, supply, and the financial plan into one set of decisions.
Mnemonic. S&OP is one conversation for demand, supply, and money, not a forecast emailed in isolation.
Exam trap. S&OP is a decision meeting, not a new statistical model. If the stem describes siloed forecasts and no capacity check, the missing process is S&OP.
dih-PEN-dunt dih-MAND
Demand for a component that is calculated from the plan for its parent item, typically with a bill of materials, rather than forecast on its own.
Mnemonic. Dependent demand is derived. Independent demand is forecast.
Exam trap. The trap is forecasting every bolt as if it were a finished good. If a parent schedule exists, component demand should be calculated.
mayp
Mean absolute percent error: the average, across periods, of the absolute forecast error divided by actual demand, expressed as a percent.
Mnemonic. MAPE is the average miss, written as a percent of what actually happened.
Exam trap. MAPE hides bias because the absolute value removes the sign. A forecast that is always high can share a MAPE with one that is always low. Pair it with a bias check.
see pee ef ar
Collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment: trading partners share plans and exceptions so replenishment is based on a joint view of demand.
Mnemonic. CPFR is the forecast you build with the other company, not a forecast you throw over the wall.
Exam trap. Internal S&OP is not CPFR. CPFR requires a trading partner. The exam trap is calling an internal consensus meeting CPFR.
pohst-POHN-munt
Delaying final configuration, labeling, or location commitment until a better demand signal arrives.
Mnemonic. Postpone the decision that is expensive to undo.
Exam trap. Postponement is not procrastination of purchasing. It is a designed delay of the differentiating step, often supported by a modular product.
pul ree-PLEH-nish-munt
Replenishment triggered by actual consumption, as in a kanban signal, rather than by a forecast that pushes product forward.
Mnemonic. Pull replaces what was used. Push sends what you hope will be used.
Exam trap. A kanban card upstream is still pull if it is released by downstream consumption. The trap is seeing any warehouse and calling the system push.
in-dih-PEN-dunt dih-MAND
Demand for an item that must be forecast because it is not derived from the plan of a parent item. Finished goods sold to customers are the usual case.
Mnemonic. Independent demand stands alone, so you forecast it.
Exam trap. Do not run MRP logic on a finished good that has no parent. If the customer buys it directly, treat it as independent demand.