External Factors are not actions — they are assumptions.
They should reflect what will happen regardless of your plan.
Key considerations:
Is this truly outside your control?
If you can influence it, it should not be an external factor
What is the direction of impact?
Will it increase or decrease base volume?
What is the scale of impact?
How significant is the effect on volume?
Timing and duration
When will the factor take effect, and for how long?
Consistency across SKUs
Does this apply to all products or only specific ones?
External Factors directly affect:
Base volume (unpromoted)
They do not represent investment or commercial activity, but they materially impact:
All downstream components (e.g. promotions, funding, pricing)