| Article ID: | iaor19911837 |
| Country: | United States |
| Volume: | 31 |
| Start Page Number: | 3 |
| End Page Number: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | Apr 1990 |
| Journal: | Production and Inventory Management Journal |
| Authors: | Theise Eric S. |
| Keywords: | spreadsheets |
Winters’ method, or triple exponential smoothing, gives admirable short-range forecasting when demand is under the influence of trend and seasonal factors, but is often ignored in introductory courses. Construction of a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet illustrates (1)the need for complex mathematical notation, (2)a linear-regression-based method for initial value specification, and (3)use of the spreadsheet’s rapid feedback capabilities to evaluate alternative sets of smoothing parameters.