While prediction markets have attracted considerable attention as potential forecasting systems, very little has been written about the challenges of implementing them. Carol addresses this need here, making her case that successful implementation requires predictions worth making, an active...

Out with the beaded curtains, dripping candles, and crystal balls, says Roy Pearson in this, his first column as Foresight’s Forecasting Intelligence Editor. These days, trying to foretell the future has become a respected and respectable line of work. Roy writes that today’s futurists...

Jim Hoover, Foresight's Software Editor, also comments on the articles by Kolassa and Rieg on benchmarking (Foresight, issue 11). Copyright International Institute of Forecasters, 2008

While no one who has attempted to manage a new Operational Forecasting (OF) project will tell you it was a piece of cake, they probably never fully anticipated the breadth of issues that would have to be addressed or the sustained leadership requirements necessary for effecting change that...

With the November 2008 U.S. presidential election looming, Randall and Alfred describe the enduring forecasting models that have been created by economists and political scientists for predicting the results of this quadrennial ritual. The most stable models since 1996 have consistently forecast...

Antonio presents a contrasting pair of studies performed during his consulting career, illustrating the conditions that distinguish a successful project outcome from a failure. He offers provocative advice for implementation and management of forecasting projects. Copyright International...

Kesten and Len recently posed the question in the title to the membership of the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF), and they report on the responses and rationales received to date. Copyright International Institute of Forecasters, 2008

Batchelor writes, "Super Crunchers tells how simple statistical models applied to large data sets are increasingly being used to improve decision making in a wide range of business and professional applications. It highlights the fact that these models generally outperform the judgment of...

Retail supply chains are complex, with each company in the chain having multiple echelons of distribution. Forecasting and requirements planning are further challenged by managers’ reliance on “local” rather than chain-wide retail demand to make key operational decisions. A frequent...

The Delphi technique is better than traditional group meetings for forecasting and has some advantages over another promising alternative to meetings, prediction markets. In this article, Kesten, Scott, and Andreas observe the increasing popularity of Delphi, describe the benefits of using this...