Demand forecasts - also termed sales forecasts - often provide a key element of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) game plans for stocked products.    Effective use of demand forecasts involves several interrelated issues, such as the relevant time increments and due dates, forecast consumption policies, and master scheduling logic.  These issues often include translating the sales department's version of monthly forecasts into a workable model of demand forecasts for S&OP purposes.  Many