Scenario Planning for Strategic Foresight

Building Future-Proof Strategy in a Complex, Evolving Healthcare Landscape

With the healthcare environment evolving at pace, we worked with a global leadership team to build a robust strategy that could withstand a range of future scenarios. Using our structured scenario planning process, we helped them explore critical uncertainties, align cross-functional teams, and develop a strategic roadmap equipped with contingency plans, clear priorities, and early warning indicators. The result: long-term confidence in a short-term world.

This process was exceptional in helping us gain consensus on the things we must do now to anticipate the future — Global Strategy Lead, Healthcare Franchise

Client Challenge

The client was navigating a rapidly evolving landscape, with new competitors entering the market, shifting regulatory frameworks, and unpredictable customer behaviours. They recognised that historical data alone would not equip them to make sound decisions for the years ahead. Their key questions included:

• How do we build strategy when the future is uncertain?
  
• Which external trends should we act on, and which are distractions?
  
• How can we align teams around a plan that works, regardless of how the market evolves? 

Our Approach

Phase 1: Strategic Alignment
We began by identifying the core business questions that needed to be answered. Through stakeholder interviews and team workshops, we aligned internal teams on strategic priorities and what success should look like.

Phase 2: Trend Mapping and Insight Generation
We conducted desk research, reviewed internal data, and engaged with external experts to identify the most relevant trends and uncertainties. These insights were shaped into a stimulus pack designed to challenge conventional thinking.

Phase 3: Scenario Development Workshop
Over two intensive days, we facilitated a hands-on workshop to co-create four distinct, plausible future scenarios. These helped the team move beyond forecasting and begin thinking in terms of strategic agility.

Phase 4: Scenario Visualisation
We transformed each scenario into engaging and tangible formats—such as newspaper front pages or narrative video summaries—making each future world easy to understand and compelling to explore.

Phase 5: Strategy Design Across Futures
In a follow-up strategy workshop, we helped the team identify strategic choices that would succeed across all scenarios. This included priority actions, risk mitigation plans, and indicators that would help detect which future was unfolding.

Phase 6: Action Planning and Recommendations
We delivered clear, actionable guidance on what to implement immediately, what to track, and where to stay flexible. This included structured workstreams and defined roles across markets and functions.

Phase 7: Implementation and Monitoring
We set up a six-monthly review process to help the leadership team monitor market shifts, test original assumptions, and adjust course as needed. This included a custom tracker and structured executive checkpoints.

Impact

• Strategic alignment across global leadership
  
• A flexible plan designed to perform under multiple future conditions
  
• Clearly defined contingency triggers and early warning indicators
  
• Greater confidence in long-term planning and near-term decision-making
  
• A scalable scenario process that can be applied across franchises
  

Why It Worked

• Co-creation drove ownership and internal alignment
  
• Structured process converted ambiguity into practical action
  
• Creative storytelling brought complex scenarios to life
  
• Strategy was designed not just to survive change—but to adapt with it
  

What This Means for You

If your strategy needs to stand up to uncertainty, we can help you:

• Clarify your critical decision points
• Build strategic plans that succeed across multiple future outcomes
  
• Align your organisation with clarity and flexibility
• Monitor and adapt based on real-world developments

Is your current strategy built to withstand what’s coming next?

Let’s talk about how scenario planning can strengthen your future plans.