{"id":4312,"date":"2018-12-21T07:59:32","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T12:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/?p=4312"},"modified":"2020-12-21T20:20:56","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T01:20:56","slug":"scenario-planning-for-consultants-strategizing-the-uncertainties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-strategizing-the-uncertainties\/","title":{"rendered":"Scenario Planning for Consultants \u2013 Strategizing The Uncertainties"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Major, uncertain shifts in the organization\u2019s environment call for a resilient strategy that will keep the organization <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4320\" src=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/scenario-planning-pic1-300x237.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/scenario-planning-pic1-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/scenario-planning-pic1.jpg 734w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>either afloat or, better still, ahead of the game. We need a tool that will test the flexibility of our existing strategy against various possible future alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>It should be that powerful that it can allow us to think about how changes can impact business and determine what is required to succeed and develop a resilient and effective strategy.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Scenario Planning<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/business-toolkit\/scenario-planning\">Scenario Planning<\/a> is a powerful tool that allows organizations to identify and understand the underlying drivers of significant change. It is a planning tool to make flexible long-term plans that will help us deal with major, uncertain shifts in the organization\u2019s environment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is a structured way for an organization to identify and gain a deeper understanding of the underlying major drivers of change.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0It can help us think about how those potential changes may impact the organization.<\/li>\n<li>It determines what is required for the organization to succeed if potential changes occur.<\/li>\n<li>It helps develop the strategy accordingly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In fact, Scenario Planning, also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/business-toolkit\/scenario-analysis\">Scenario Analysis<\/a>, can be one of the most sophisticated and elegant techniques in <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/business-toolkit\/corporate-strategy\">Corporate Strategy<\/a> when done the right way.\u00a0 That is why it&#8217;s such a common tool used by management consultants.\u00a0 In this article, we will describe a 6-phase process used by <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-3498\">Consultants for Scenario Planning<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>The 6-Phase Approach to Scenario Planning<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-3498\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4321\" src=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Scenario-Planning-for-Consultants.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Scenario-Planning-for-Consultants.png 1024w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Scenario-Planning-for-Consultants-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Scenario-Planning-for-Consultants-768x563.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Following the <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-3498\">approach\u00a0to Scenario Planning for consultants<\/a> can help identify a specific set of uncertainties as well as different realities. By brainstorming, we get to identify major issues that can impact on the sector or our organization. By clustering, we get to prioritize and select the top 2 drivers of change.<\/p>\n<p>By defining scenarios, we get to explore uncertainties correlation and illuminate \u201cwhat might be\u201d to better understand associated risks with any path forward.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Scenario Planning is Essential<\/h2>\n<p>Creating and understanding scenarios can help us better adjust our strategy to better thrive and succeed in uncertainty. More importantly, Scenario Planning is essential as no consulting firm can ever predict the evolution of the market. There are just too many uncertainties that we cannot just predict the future.\u00a0 But, we can still strategize uncertainties.\u00a0 We just need to master Scenario Planning as a major planning tool in our strategist\u2019s armory.<\/p>\n<p>Interested in gaining more understanding of the <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-3498\">Scenario Planning for Consultants<\/a>? You can learn more and download<a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-3498\"> an editable PowerPoint about <strong>Scenario Planning for Consultants<\/strong> here<\/a> on the Flevy documents marketplace.<\/p>\n<h2>Do You Find Value in This Framework?<\/h2>\n<p>You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/pro\/library\">FlevyPro Library<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/pro\">FlevyPro<\/a> is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here&#8217;s what some have to say:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today\u2019s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;As a small business owner, the resource material available from FlevyPro has proven to be invaluable. The ability to search for material on demand based our project events and client requirements was great for me and proved very beneficial to my clients. Importantly, being able to easily edit and tailor the material for specific purposes helped us to make presentations, knowledge sharing, and toolkit development, which formed part of the overall program collateral. While FlevyPro contains resource material that any consultancy, project or delivery firm must have, it is an essential part of a small firm or independent consultant&#8217;s toolbox.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Michael Duff, Managing Director at Change Strategy (UK)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight \u2013 it&#8217;s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Several times a month, I browse FlevyPro for presentations relevant to the job challenge I have (I am a consultant). When the subject requires it, I explore further and buy from the Flevy Marketplace. On all occasions, I read them, analyze them. I take the most relevant and applicable ideas for my work; and, of course, all this translates to my and my clients&#8217; benefits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Omar Hern\u00e1n Montes Parra, CEO at Quantum SFE<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Major, uncertain shifts in the organization\u2019s environment call for a resilient strategy that will keep the organization either afloat or, better still, ahead of the game. We need a tool that will test the flexibility of our existing strategy against various possible future alternatives. It should be that powerful that it can allow us to&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/scenario-planning-for-consultants-strategizing-the-uncertainties\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Scenario Planning for Consultants \u2013 Strategizing The Uncertainties<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":4320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[1429,60],"class_list":["post-4312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy","tag-6-phase-approach-to-scenario-planning","tag-scenario-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4312"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8221,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4312\/revisions\/8221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}