Four Views Scenario Planning Worksheet | Xplane

Many organizations increasingly recognize the importance of strategic scenario planning (SSP) in light of the pandemic. SSP is a tool that helps organizations envision, describe, and plan for possible–but alternative futures an organization may face. SSP enables firms to prepare for uncertainties, considering such factors as the amount of economic growth, labor market conditions, and the introduction of new technologies, to name a few. This one-page editable PDF helps organizations identify four “what-if” scenarios they may face in the future, define the “conditions” that would trigger each, and develop a response for each scenario. After establishing the base-case scenario (what is expected), firms can build out specific scenarios related to: 1) A “Go Faster” scenario for accelerated growth, 2) A “Pump the Brakes” scenario for responding to a foreseeable decline in revenue and a need to conserve resources, 3) A “Stop the Car” scenario where firms respond to significant shifts in strategy to ensure sustainability in the face of adversity, and 4) A “Break Glass” scenario in the face of a crisis that will require a major retooling for survival. Within the context of strategic workforce planning, firms can use these scenarios to determine each scenarios’ workforce implications and responses. This strategic exercise enables firms to be prepared and adjust more quickly when their context changes.