Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- items:item_basics:tab_usage [2024/11/01 13:35] – Gary Willetts
+++ items:item_basics:tab_usage [2025/02/05 15:15] (current) – [Projections] Gary Willetts
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 ==== 4.01.04. Items - Usage tab ====
 //Back to [[items:item_basics#tabs_on_the_item_details_window|Item Details window]]//
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+**BEWARE!**  Once set, the options on this page will continue to govern every forecast generated by mSupply for this item in this store until you change it! It can be easy to forget that a particular item has been given different settings for calculationg its AMC.</WRAP>
 The Usage tab allows you to view the historic item usage per month in the store that you are logged in to. This information is very useful for quickly spotting a trend in usage for a particular item. You can also change how mSupply makes forecasting calculations about this item when [[tender_management:introduction#creating_a_new_tender|creating automatic tenders]], [[purchasing:ordering_from_suppliers#creating_a_new_calculated_purchase_order|calculated purchase orders]] or [[reports:purchasing#suggested_order_quantities|suggested ordering reports]].
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 {{ :items:item_dtls_usage_2.png?550 }}
-The horizontal (X) axis is the period selected on the **Months** drop down list, the vertical (Y) axis shows the value of the property slected in the drop down list next to the **Show/Hide** graph button for each month.
+The horizontal (X) axis is the period selected on the **Months** drop down list, the vertical (Y) axis shows the value of the property slected in the drop down list next to the **Show/Hide graph** button for each month.
 You can show consumption, mean stock, days out of stock, projection A and projection B on this graph.
 === Forecasting ===
-This section allows you to set how mSupply calculates future usage of this item when automatically [[tender_management:introduction#creating_a_new_tender|generating tenders]], [[purchasing:ordering_from_suppliers#creating_a_new_calculated_purchase_order|calculating purchase orders]] or [[reports:purchasing#suggested_order_quantities|creating a suggested order report]]. Refer to the section on [[items:forecasting#forecasting|Forecasting]] to see how the lower part of the Usage tab can be used.
+This section allows you to set how mSupply calculates future usage of this item when automatically [[tender_management:introduction#creating_a_new_tender|generating tenders]], [[purchasing:ordering_from_suppliers#creating_a_new_calculated_purchase_order|calculating purchase orders]] or [[reports:purchasing#suggested_order_quantities|creating a suggested order report]]. For a more general discussion on forecasting in mSupply, see the [[items:forecasting|]] page.
+  * **Use historical Average Monthly Consumption (AMC):** This is the default option, and is the recommended method. This option tells mSupply to just use the calculated current average monthly consumption for future consumption. Whenever this method is used, there is usually a place to tell mSupply how many months of usage data to use when calculating the current AMC. AMC = sum of consumption over X months divided by X.
+  * **Use historical AMC increased by a factor of X %:** When this option is selected mSupply will still calculate requirements based on the historical AMC calculation above, but the value will be increased by the percentage you enter.  For example, you may know that the population increases by 2% per year, and so you can enter 2% here to account for the probable increase in demand this represents.
+  * **Use a fixed, estimated AMC of X items/month:** This option allows you to specify a particular, fixed amount that will be consumed in all future months. For example, you might have calculated a target consumption for an oral contraceptive based on fixed population and coverage targets.
+  * **Use projection (A or B):** This option tells mSupply to use one of the projections you can enter in the projection section (see below). A projection can have different, fixed values for each month and will be useful if you have calculated the future consumption pattern in other software. If you select this option make sure you enter the projection values! If your use of the consumption figures goes beyond the month you have entered the projection values for then 0 consumption will be used for those months.
+With this option, mSupply allows you to maintain an **A** and a **B** projection, and easily swap between them.  Of course you must enter projections for this to be of any use!
+<WRAP center round tip 60%>
+You can imagine that setting these options for many items could be time-consuming. Hoever, mSupply has a function for setting them for many items, see the [[items:item_basics#set_values|4.01. About items]] page for details.
+</WRAP>
+=== Projections ===
+Projections are used when you want to use a fixed, varying AMC that has typically been calculated outside mSupply. You can enter two projections, which are useful, for example, for capturing minimum and maximum predictions of usage. To view or edit projections, click on the **Show projections** button on the right hand side. The table changes and the //Projections// section of the window is enabled:
+{{ :items:item_basics:pasted:20250205-145500.png?650 |}}
+You can enter projections in a number of ways:
+  * **Manually entering projections:** Click //once// on a cell that contains a projection (these are cells in the columns with a blue rather than grey background) and edit the cell's value. Don't double-click!
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+Press the //Tab// key on the keyboard to move from editing once cell to immediately editing another without having to click again.
+</WRAP>
+  * **Copying a projection:** You might want to copy historical data as a starting point for your projection. You can do this by choosing a column in the **from column** and **to column** drop down lists in the //Projections// section, then clicking the **Copy values** button. This will copy the values in the **from column** to the **to column**.
+  * **Modifying an existing projection:** You can use the **Modify selected cell** button to increase or decrease a column or some cells in a column by a certain percentage. For example, you might have entered values for 2025, and then decide your 2026 values should be the 2025 values plus 8%. To do this:
+    * Fill in your 2025 column values
+    * Add a column for 2026 if one doesn't already exist (click on the **Add year button**)
+    * Use the **Copy values** button to copy 2025 to 2026
+    * Click on the top row of the Shift click the bottom row to highlight all rows in the 2026 column
+    * Enter ''8'' in the percentage field, then click on the **Modify selected cell** button to increase the 2026 values by 8%.
+**Good things to remember when you're using projections:**
+  - Use the **Add year** button to add another year (for both projection A and projection B).
+  - Click the **Save projection** button when you want to save any projections (they will all be saved when you click this button). IF YOU DON'T CLICK THIS BUTTON YOUR PROJECTION WILL NOT BE SAVED! There is no auto-save of projections when you leave this window. So, if you want to undo any projection changes leave this window without clicking on the **Save projection** button.
+  - If you have added extra years, they will not be shown when you first open the Projections window. Just click on the **Add year** button to show the years you want to see.
+  - If you want to go back to the usage view click on the **Hide Projection** button.
+<WRAP center round alert 60%>
+If you are using projections for a particular order, you only need to fill in future values for the period to be covered by your ordering. **BUT** leaving future projections at zero could have serious consequences when you come to ordering later... :-/
+</WRAP>
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