Abstract: An improved resource need forecasting tool enables more accurate forecasts by leveraging models (e.g., machine learning models) of short-term phenomena such as rapid growth that, if not properly accounted for, can distort forecasts. Improved forecasting provides more reliable labor need projections, and includes receiving activity data for a facility; producing normalized activity data adjusted for the short-term phenomena; forecasting, based at least on the normalized activity data, predicted activity data; adjusting, based at least on an activity cannibalization index, the predicted activity data for the first facility to produce adjusted predicted activity data; adjusting, the adjusted predicted activity data based at least on the short-term phenomena; and generating a resource need report.