IFO4
Loading...A best-estimate projection of revenue, expense, or other operational measures over a future period, based on current trend, known events, and explicit assumptions. Forecast differs from budget in that it is updated at a regular cadence and reflects the latest information rather than the originally approved plan. The federation requires forecasts to be timestamped, archived, and accompanied by an explicit assumption log. Material assumption changes are documented and the prior forecast is retained for accuracy attribution under UFMS-001:4.1.
From Middle English forcasten, to plan beforehand; the financial sense entered general usage in the early twentieth century with the rise of formal corporate planning functions.
Federation members publish forecasts on a documented cadence with assumption logs. Forecast accuracy is measured at period close and reported as a process maturity metric under MEV-Annex:5.1. Steward tier members maintain accuracy targets reviewed annually.
@misc{ifo4_glossary_forecast,
title = {{Forecast}},
author = {{IFO4 Federation Editorial Board}},
howpublished = {{IFO4 Federation Glossary, slug \texttt{forecast}}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://ifo4.org/glossary/forecast},
note = {Category: Budget & Forecast; key: Forecast}
}Federation members and accredited practitioners may challenge any entry under TGS-002:1.7. Filed challenges are routed to the editorial board, triaged into the revision register, and resolved in writing on the public docket. The slug remains stable through any revision.