Scenario Planning envisions the future

Scenarios are alternate futures in which today’s decisions may play out. Scenario Planning is a strategic planning method that combines known facts about the future (such as demographics, geography, cultural, infrastructural information, etc.) as well as key driving forces (identified by considering social, technical, economic, environmental, and political trends) to imagine unwelcomed surprises that may disrupt the status quo, as well as identify new opportunities.

Sources:

• The Economist. “Scenario Planning,” September 1, 2008. https://www.economist.com/news/2008/09/01/scenario-planning.
• Ogilvy, Jay. “Scenario Planning and Strategic Forecasting.” Forbes, January 8, 2015. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stratfor/2015/01/08/scenario-planning-and-strategic-forecasting/.

#strategic

See also:

• Premortem works backward from an undesirable outcome in order to prevent it
• Backcasting works backward from a desired outcome
• Strategic forecasting guides decision-making and catalyzes innovation