Scenario Planning Services

Planning and Phasing: Customizing the Process

I commonly work directly with organizations in planning and structuring the scenario-planning process to ensure that it serves their needs in a timely manner. This includes defining the scope of the effort and addressing the many scenario-planning preliminaries that provide the structural basis for the facilitated workshops and the future-mapping processes to follow. A key objective is working with the client to articulate its primary strategic focal question or issue in a form that can be productively addressed through the process.

Workshop Design, Facilitation, and Scenario Development

I also provide direct services by designing scenario workshops, facilitating participants through the workshop process, and working with clients to develop credible and challenging planning scenarios. The scenarios, or “futures,” are tools used to identify emerging organizational challenges and opportunities and to develop a wide range of potential adaptive actions and options with which to mitigate or leverage them.

Future Mapping: Identifying the Strategic Options

I also help organizations identify key tipping points, where still-emerging future outcomes and events could preferentially favor one set of possible scenario futures over others. We identify highly robust and “low-regret” actions, options, and initiatives that are applicable to most futures and strategically preposition them for possible implementation in the near term. More contingent adaptive actions and options would also be put in place for later consideration and possible implementation in the mid or longer term as the direction of emerging trends and outcomes becomes more clear. Future mapping gives an organization a strategic plan for the future. It produces a forward-looking guide that not only improves the ability of professionals to anticipate what may lie ahead but also provides them with the actionable means to prepare for it.

Communications and Outreach

In addition to documenting scenario planning processes, I also work with client organizations to prepare presentations that can be used to communicate results to target audiences such as decision makers, community leaders, and stakeholders. I am frequently asked to deliver presentations in partnership with the client to governing boards, mayors and councils, advisory boards, media outlets, and other stakeholder organizations.

Strategic Orientations for Management Teams in Transition

I provide new or transitioning management teams with strategic orientations using scenario planning methods. The deliberative method provides a powerful vehicle to familiarize managers with their planning environment by identifying critical uncertainties that could promote or inhibit the future ability of an organization to provide services that meet stakeholder expectations. One or more workshop sessions would focus on learning about the key drivers in the planning environment, potential risks and vulnerabilities, stakeholder alignments, and both imminent and emerging issues. The overall purpose is to develop consensus among the management team about the potential opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Scenario Training: Teaching Others

I teach other professionals how to apply the method themselves within their own organizations through training sessions. The teaching can take several forms. Scenario coaching is the most intensive offering, since it entails demonstrating how to conduct a scenario assessment through an actual hands-on application in close partnership with professionals who want to both learn and apply the skills while working within their organization. Scenario training provides professionals and students with an understanding of the rationale underlying the approach and the practical lessons learned through lecture and webinar formats. More intensive workshops and short courses provide opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding and develop process skills. I also provide scenario advisory services with those who want to apply the method themselves but who would also benefit from the guidance of a highly experienced scenario-planning professional to help structure the process and give advice along the way.