Flevy Management Insights Q&A
What impact will generative AI have on the future of Wargaming in strategic planning?
     David Tang    |    Wargaming


This article provides a detailed response to: What impact will generative AI have on the future of Wargaming in strategic planning? For a comprehensive understanding of Wargaming, we also include relevant case studies for further reading and links to Wargaming best practice resources.

TLDR Generative AI will transform Wargaming in Strategic Planning by offering dynamic, data-driven insights for more informed decision-making, improving Scenario Planning, Strategy Formulation, and operationalizing insights for improved agility and market responsiveness.

Reading time: 4 minutes

Before we begin, let's review some important management concepts, as they related to this question.

What does Generative AI in Strategic Planning mean?
What does Scenario Planning and Simulation mean?
What does Data-Driven Decision Making mean?
What does Operationalizing Insights mean?


Generative AI is poised to revolutionize the way organizations approach Wargaming in Strategic Planning. Traditionally, Wargaming has been a manual and time-consuming process, relying heavily on human expertise and intuition to simulate competitive scenarios and outcomes. However, the advent of generative AI technologies promises to enhance this process by providing more dynamic, comprehensive, and data-driven insights, ultimately leading to more informed decision-making.

Enhancing Scenario Planning and Simulation

Generative AI can significantly improve the depth and breadth of scenario planning and simulation in Strategic Planning. By leveraging vast amounts of data, generative AI can create highly detailed and varied scenarios that can mimic a wide range of competitive dynamics and market conditions. This allows organizations to explore and prepare for a broader spectrum of potential future states, making Strategic Planning more robust and resilient to unexpected changes. For example, AI can generate scenarios that account for sudden shifts in consumer behavior, new regulatory environments, or disruptions in supply chains, providing leaders with a comprehensive view of potential risks and opportunities.

Moreover, generative AI can simulate the outcomes of different strategic moves in these generated scenarios, offering insights into potential competitive reactions and market dynamics. This level of analysis was previously unattainable at scale due to the limitations of human bandwidth and computational power. By automating the generation and simulation of multiple scenarios, organizations can rapidly iterate through strategic options, significantly enhancing their agility and responsiveness to market changes.

Real-world applications of AI in scenario planning are already emerging. For instance, leading consulting firms like McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have developed AI-driven tools that help clients simulate market dynamics and test strategic hypotheses in virtual environments. These tools allow for a more data-driven approach to Strategic Planning, reducing reliance on intuition and enabling a more analytical assessment of potential strategies.

Are you familiar with Flevy? We are you shortcut to immediate value.
Flevy provides business best practices—the same as those produced by top-tier consulting firms and used by Fortune 100 companies. Our best practice business frameworks, financial models, and templates are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with 20+ years of experience.

Trusted by over 10,000+ Client Organizations
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes, from startups and small businesses to the Fortune 100, in over 130 countries.
AT&T GE Cisco Intel IBM Coke Dell Toyota HP Nike Samsung Microsoft Astrazeneca JP Morgan KPMG Walgreens Walmart 3M Kaiser Oracle SAP Google E&Y Volvo Bosch Merck Fedex Shell Amgen Eli Lilly Roche AIG Abbott Amazon PwC T-Mobile Broadcom Bayer Pearson Titleist ConEd Pfizer NTT Data Schwab

Improving Decision Making and Strategy Formulation

The application of generative AI in Wargaming directly impacts the quality of decision-making and strategy formulation. By providing a more nuanced and comprehensive analysis of potential outcomes, AI enables leaders to make more informed decisions. This is particularly valuable in today’s fast-paced and uncertain business environment, where the cost of strategic missteps can be high. Generative AI helps in identifying not only the most likely outcomes but also in uncovering hidden risks and opportunities that traditional analysis might overlook.

Furthermore, generative AI facilitates a more dynamic approach to Strategic Planning. It allows organizations to continuously update their strategies based on new data and insights, moving away from the static, annual planning cycles that dominate many industries. This shift towards a more iterative and adaptive Strategic Planning process is crucial for maintaining competitive advantage in rapidly evolving markets.

Accenture's research on digital transformation emphasizes the importance of leveraging advanced technologies, including AI, for enhancing strategic decision-making processes. By integrating generative AI into Wargaming, organizations can achieve a level of insight and foresight that is critical for navigating the complexities of the modern business landscape.

Operationalizing Insights for Competitive Advantage

The ultimate value of generative AI in Wargaming lies in its ability to operationalize insights for competitive advantage. This involves translating the outcomes of AI-driven scenario planning and simulations into actionable strategies that can be implemented across the organization. It requires a seamless integration of AI insights with the organization's strategic goals, operational capabilities, and execution mechanisms.

To effectively leverage generative AI, organizations must also focus on building the necessary skills and culture to interpret and act on AI-generated insights. This includes investing in training for key decision-makers and fostering a culture that values data-driven decision-making. For instance, Google and Amazon have long championed the use of AI and data analytics in strategic planning, embedding these technologies into the fabric of their decision-making processes.

In conclusion, the impact of generative AI on the future of Wargaming in Strategic Planning cannot be overstated. By enhancing scenario planning, improving decision-making, and operationalizing insights for competitive advantage, generative AI represents a transformative force for organizations. However, to fully realize its potential, organizations must embrace a strategic approach to AI integration, focusing on technology, people, and processes.

Best Practices in Wargaming

Here are best practices relevant to Wargaming from the Flevy Marketplace. View all our Wargaming materials here.

Did you know?
The average daily rate of a McKinsey consultant is $6,625 (not including expenses). The average price of a Flevy document is $65.

Explore all of our best practices in: Wargaming

Wargaming Case Studies

For a practical understanding of Wargaming, take a look at these case studies.

Strategic Wargaming Initiative in Agritech Sector

Scenario: The organization is a leading player in the agritech industry, grappling with strategic decisions under uncertain market conditions.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Wargaming Initiative for D2C Beverage Brand in Specialty Market

Scenario: A firm in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) specialty beverage sector is facing a plateau in market share growth and challenges in strategic decision-making under uncertainty.

Read Full Case Study

Game Theory Strategic Initiative in Luxury Retail

Scenario: The organization is a luxury fashion retailer experiencing competitive pressures in a saturated market and needs to reassess its strategic positioning.

Read Full Case Study

Customer Experience Enhancement in Luxury Retail

Scenario: The organization is a high-end luxury retailer specializing in personalized shopping experiences.

Read Full Case Study

Dynamic Pricing Strategy for Global Ecommerce Platform

Scenario: The organization operates a leading ecommerce platform with a diversified global market presence.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Wargaming for Luxury Brands Expansion

Scenario: The organization is a high-end luxury goods company facing competitive pressures and market saturation in established markets.

Read Full Case Study




Flevy is the world's largest knowledge base of best practices.


Leverage the Experience of Experts.

Find documents of the same caliber as those used by top-tier consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture.

Download Immediately and Use.

Our PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, and Word documents are completely customizable, including rebrandable.

Save Time, Effort, and Money.

Save yourself and your employees countless hours. Use that time to work on more value-added and fulfilling activities.




Read Customer Testimonials

  •  
    "I have used Flevy services for a number of years and have never, ever been disappointed. As a matter of fact, David and his team continue, time after time, to impress me with their willingness to assist and in the real sense of the word. I have concluded in fact "

    – Roberto Pelliccia, Senior Executive in International Hospitality
  •  
    "As a young consulting firm, requests for input from clients vary and it's sometimes impossible to provide expert solutions across a broad spectrum of requirements. That was before I discovered Flevy.com.

    Through subscription to this invaluable site of a plethora of topics that are key and crucial to consulting, I "

    – Nishi Singh, Strategist and MD at NSP Consultants
  •  
    "Last Sunday morning, I was diligently working on an important presentation for a client and found myself in need of additional content and suitable templates for various types of graphics. Flevy.com proved to be a treasure trove for both content and design at a reasonable price, considering the time I "

    – M. E., Chief Commercial Officer, International Logistics Service Provider
  •  
    "As a consultant requiring up to date and professional material that will be of value and use to my clients, I find Flevy a very reliable resource.

    The variety and quality of material available through Flevy offers a very useful and commanding source for information. Using Flevy saves me time, enhances my expertise and ends up being a good decision."

    – Dennis Gershowitz, Principal at DG Associates
  •  
    "The wide selection of frameworks is very useful to me as an independent consultant. In fact, it rivals what I had at my disposal at Big 4 Consulting firms in terms of efficacy and organization."

    – Julia T., Consulting Firm Owner (Former Manager at Deloitte and Capgemini)
  •  
    "FlevyPro provides business frameworks from many of the global giants in management consulting that allow you to provide best in class solutions for your clients."

    – David Harris, Managing Director at Futures Strategy
  •  
    "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 "

    – Michael Duff, Managing Director at Change Strategy (UK)
  •  
    "Flevy.com has proven to be an invaluable resource library to our Independent Management Consultancy, supporting and enabling us to better serve our enterprise clients.

    The value derived from our [FlevyPro] subscription in terms of the business it has helped to gain far exceeds the investment made, making a subscription a no-brainer for any growing consultancy – or in-house strategy team."

    – Dean Carlton, Chief Transformation Officer, Global Village Transformations Pty Ltd.



Download our FREE Strategy & Transformation Framework Templates

Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.