This topic explains how to enter the default percentages for the Percentages Forecast Method. For an overview of percentages forecasting and how it works, see Percentages Forecasting (for Table Select Environments).
- Entering Default Percentages for Percentages Forecast Method
- Applying Percentages Forecasting to Menus
- Tutorial Video - Configuring Percentage Forecast Method (2:37)
Entering Default Percentages for the Percentages Forecast Method
To enter the default percentages for the Percentages Forecast Method, complete the following steps:
- Select Production > Forecasting. The Forecasting screen appears.
- Click the Forecasting Settings button at the top right. The Production & Forecasting Settings screen appears. Note: Another means to access forecast settings is Tools & Setup > Manage Facility > Forecasting Settings tab.
- Click the Forecast Method button. The Forecast method section appears.
- From the Forecast Method field, select Percentages. The Percentages section appears.
- You can enter a percentage for each choice that applies across all menu categories or you can enter percentages for each choice of each menu category. Refer to the appropriate section below.
Entering Percentages for Each Choice
When entering percentages for each choice, the percentages are applied across all menu categories in the menu. To enter percentages for each choice, complete the following steps:
- Select the Choice button
- In each Choice [X] field, enter the percentage you anticipate your residents/patients will choose. For example, if you anticipate that 75% of your patients/residents would select choice 1, then enter 75 in Choice 1, and enter the remaining percentage (25%) in the remaining Choice [X] fields.
Note: You can enter percentage numbers that equal more than 100%, so as to “pad” or “buffer” your serving numbers accordingly.
- If you have more than two choices on a menu, then click the Add Choice link to add additional choice percentage fields (choice 3, choice 4, and choice 5) and enter the percentages in each.
- Click the Save button to apply your changes.
Note: If you want to remove a choice 3, 4 or 5 percentage field, then clear the percentage from the field (i.e., keep it blank), click Save, and then refresh the screen. - See the Setting the Production Cut-Off Times article to set the production cut-off times. Production cut-off times must be applied to each meal period/snack time to automatically stop the forecasting auto-calculation and lock the forecasting in place, and thereby giving production staff enough time to prepare the meals.
Entering Percentages for Each Choice of Each Menu Category
When forecasting by choice percentages for each menu category, you must enter separate percentages for each choice of each menu category. For example, an entrée is typically portioned out with 75% of people choosing choice 1 and 25% people choosing choice 2. However with dessert, assume choice 1 is a slice of cake and choice 2 is a bowl of fruit; therefore (as an example) you enter 90% for choice 1 and 10% for choice 2 because a higher percentage will choose the slice of cake.
Tip! Entering choice percentages for a menu category is also a means to generate no items on the forecasting worksheet and productions reports; this is accomplished by entering 0 for the choice percentage fields for the category. For example, condiments is a category that you may not want serving amounts to be generated for; therefore you would enter 0 in the choice percentage fields for the condiments category.
To enter percentages for each choice of each menu category, complete the following steps:
- Select the Menu Categories button
- In each Choice [X] field for each menu category, enter the percentage you anticipate your residents/patients will choose.
Note: You can enter percentage numbers that equal more than 100%, so as to “pad” or “buffer” your serving numbers accordingly.
- Click the Save button to apply your changes.
- See the Setting the Production Cut-Off Times article to set the production cut-off times. Production cut-off times must be applied to each meal period/snack time to automatically stop the forecasting auto-calculation and lock the forecasting in place, and thereby giving production staff enough time to prepare the meals.
Applying Percentages Forecasting to a Menu
See the following article to apply the percentages forecasting method to a menu: Applying Forecasting to Menus.
What Happens on the Menu after Percentages Forecasting is Applied?
After the percentages forecasting method is applied to a menu, the percentages are shown for each menu item on the Forecasting slide-out panel (screenshot below), which is available by clicking the Forecasting button when the menu is opened in the menu day view.
Adjusting Percentages for a Menu Item
For a menu item, you can adjust its default forecasting percentage with a custom percentage, which the forecasting uses to generate new serving amounts on the forecasting worksheet and the production reports. The ability to adjust your percentages allows you to make the forecasting more accurate as you learn the popularity of the menu items during your menu cycles.
For more information, see Adjusting Forecasting Percentages for a Menu Item.
Note: If custom percentages exist for menu items, and then the default percentages on the Percentages Forecast method are changed (as per above steps), then those default percentages overwrite any custom percentages set for the menu items and the forecasting worksheets.