Forecasting is a discipline that reduces companies' exposure to risk. The process of forecasting alerts us to upcoming shortages in supply or demand, allowing us to take precautionary measures before we find ourselves in a negative cash-flow scenario. Forecasting is truly a critical business function within any organization. Automating your forecasting process can help you maximize efficiency while reducing costs and improving accuracy. This article will outline how you can use a variety of tools and approaches to automate various aspects of your forecasting process.