Forecasting planning and analysis

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Forecasting planning and analysis

    The Forecast planning and analysis feature in ServiceNow enables customers to simulate various future scenarios for better planning and decision-making. After installing the application from the ServiceNow Store, users can create, save, visualize, and compare multiple forecast analyses to understand potential outcomes and impacts.

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    Key Features

    • Analysis Contexts: These group related analyses for a specific use case, organizing multiple simulations under one structure. When creating an analysis context, you select a metric or metric definition, specify forecast periods, and define historical data ranges (minimum 12 periods required).
    • Analysis Creation: Within an analysis context, users create analyses by choosing forecast methods and adjusting formula parameters. Each analysis simulates outcomes based on different interventions or changes.
    • Forecasting: Each analysis generates a standard forecast graph with adjustable parameters, serving as a baseline projection if no changes occur. Users can create forecast interventions by modifying input parameters to explore alternate outcomes, generating adjusted forecast graphs.
    • Comparison of Analyses: After publishing analyses, users can compare up to five forecasts side-by-side in a comparison graph. Adjusted values are plotted if available; otherwise, the standard forecast values are shown. This comparison supports strategic and informed planning by highlighting differences between scenarios.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    This feature helps ServiceNow customers systematically organize forecasting efforts, simulate multiple scenarios based on historical data, and make data-driven decisions by comparing potential outcomes. It is especially useful for planning resource allocation, budgeting, or performance metrics where anticipating future trends is critical.

    Once analyses and forecasts are published, their parameters cannot be changed, ensuring that decision-makers work with finalized data sets during comparison and review.

    You can use the forecast planning and analysis feature to simulate various scenarios. The forecast planning and analysis tools enable for the creation, saving, visualization, and comparison of multiple analyses, enabling better planning.

    You can install Forecast planning analysis from the ServiceNow Store. After installation, you can navigate to Forecast planning analysis by selecting the list icon List icon..

    Analysis contexts

    An analysis context is used to group different analyses for a specific use case. This context enables you to organize and manage multiple analyses within a single, cohesive structure. Creating an analysis context involves selecting a metric definition or a metric that you want to simulate and specifying the number of periods to forecast and the number of previous periods of data to use. By setting up an analysis context, you can help confirm that all relevant analyses are considered and compared systematically, providing a comprehensive view of potential outcomes.
    Note:
    You can choose a manual, automated, or calculated metric definition when creating analysis contexts. You must have at least 12 periods of historical data for forecast planning analysis. This provides the necessary foundation for simulating different analyses.

    Analysis creations

    An analysis is a simulation that models different outcomes based on specific interventions or changes. After creating an analysis context record, you can create different analyses. You can create the analysis by selecting the forecast method and adjusting the formula parameters. These analyses can be used to compare the outcomes with other analyses and make informed decisions for future planning.

    Forecasts

    After creating an analysis record, a standard forecast graph and adjustable parameters are generated. This standard forecast acts as a baseline, showing how the metric would likely perform if no external changes were made. The original values used for the forecast are displayed for each of the parameter fields. In the following example a calculated metric definition is used to display the forecast model.

    The following example shows a generated standard forecast.
    Figure 1. Example of importing a template
    IStandard forecast. For the text description, refer to the text that preceded this example.

    You can create forecast interventions, to explore different possible outcomes by updating input parameters. A graph is generated showing the standard forecast and the new adjusted forecast.

    The following example shows a generated standard and adjusted forecast.
    Figure 2. Example of importing a template
    Adjusted forecast. For the text description, refer to the text that preceded this example.
    After creating and publishing multiple analyses and forecasts, you can compare the analyses and view a graph that captures the data for each analysis you select.
    Note:
    After publishing an analysis and forecast, you can't change the parameters.

    By comparing these analyses, you can better understand the potential impacts of your decisions, aiding in more strategic and informed planning.

    The following example shows a generated comparison graph for two different analyses.
    Figure 3. Example of a Comparison
    Comparison of two analysis as a forecast graph. For the text description, refer to the text that preceded this example.
    Note:
    You can select up to five analysis records for comparison. If the selected analysis have adjusted values, those are plotted in the comparison. Otherwise, the standard forecast values are plotted.