Strategic Forecasting and Scenario Planning Training Course

On this Page

Introduction Key Learning Outcomes Training Methodology Organisational Impact Outline

Introduction

Organisations today operate in an increasingly uncertain environment shaped by geopolitical tensions, economic volatility, technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and evolving stakeholder expectations. Traditional planning methods often struggle to address the complexity and unpredictability of these forces, creating a need for more sophisticated approaches to strategic decision-making.

The Strategic Forecasting and Scenario Planning training course provides executives and strategic leaders with practical frameworks for anticipating future developments, assessing emerging risks, and evaluating alternative outcomes. Participants explore the methodologies used by governments, multinational corporations, policy institutions, and strategic planning functions to strengthen long-range thinking and organisational preparedness.

Through the application of foresight techniques, scenario development models, and structured analytical methods, this training course enables participants to challenge assumptions, identify strategic opportunities, and develop more resilient plans capable of withstanding uncertainty and disruption.

Key focus areas include:

Strategic foresight, forecasting, and scenario planning methodologies
Horizon scanning and identification of emerging trends and disruptions
Geopolitical, economic, technological, and societal driver analysis
Structured analytical techniques for reducing bias and improving judgment
Scenario construction, testing, and strategic application
Integration of foresight into strategy, risk management, and investment decisions

Key Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Strategic Forecasting and Scenario Planning training course, participants will be able to:

Differentiate between forecasting, foresight, and scenario planning approaches
Conduct horizon scanning to identify trends, drivers, and critical uncertainties
Construct and communicate plausible future scenarios using recognised methodologies
Apply structured analytical techniques to mitigate cognitive bias and improve decision quality
Translate scenario outputs into strategic options, contingency plans, and executive recommendations
Integrate foresight practices into enterprise risk management, resilience planning, and capital allocation processes

Training Methodology

This training course adopts a practical and analytical learning approach combining expert instruction, applied case studies, facilitated discussions, and scenario-based exercises. Participants work through realistic geopolitical and business challenges to develop foresight capability, strengthen strategic judgement, and apply forecasting tools within decision-making environments. The methodology emphasises practical application to ensure immediate relevance to organisational planning, governance, and risk management activities.

Strategic Forecasting and Scenario Planning

Who Should Attend?

This Strategic Forecasting and Scenario Planning training course is designed for:

Heads of Strategy, Corporate Planning, and Transformation
Senior Risk, Resilience, and Business Continuity Professionals
Geopolitical, Government Affairs, and Policy Analysts
Executives in Defence, Security, Energy, and Infrastructure Sectors
Sovereign Wealth Fund, Family Office, and Institutional Investment Professionals
Board Members and Senior Managers Responsible for Long-Range Planning

Course Outline

Day 1

Foundations of Strategic Foresight

Distinguishing forecasting, foresight, and scenario planning
The role of foresight in board governance and executive decision-making
Cognitive biases, mental models, and the limits of expert judgement
Frameworks: PESTLE, STEEP, the Cone of Plausibility, and the Three Horizons model
How leading institutions structure their foresight functions

Day 2

Horizon Scanning and Driver Analysis

Designing a horizon scanning programme: signals, trends, and discontinuities
Identifying drivers of change across geopolitical, economic, technological, and societal domains
Assessing impact, uncertainty, and interdependence
Structured analytical techniques: key assumptions check, analysis of competing hypotheses
Working with open source intelligence and expert elicitation

Day 3

Scenario Construction Methodologies

The intuitive logics, probabilistic, and morphological approaches
Two by two matrices and the GBN scenario method
Building internally consistent, plausible, and decision-relevant scenarios
Stress testing strategy against scenario sets
Constructing a scenario set for a contested geopolitical region

Day 4

Wargaming, Red Teaming, and Decision Support

Wargaming for strategic decisions: design, facilitation, and exploitation
Red teaming and alternative analysis
Pre-mortems, devil's advocacy, and structured challenge
Communicating uncertainty to boards and executive committees
Facilitating a strategic decision wargame

Day 5

Embedding Foresight in the Organisation

Linking foresight to strategy, ERM, capital planning, and resilience
Indicators, triggers, and early warning systems
Building an enduring foresight capability: governance, talent, and process
Reporting foresight outputs to senior stakeholders
Personal action planning: applying foresight in the participant's organisation

International Standards & Professional Alignment

Our training courses are aligned with internationally recognised professional standards and frameworks across leadership, strategy, finance, governance, risk, compliance, and audit. By integrating globally trusted models, we ensure learners develop practical, relevant, and industry-recognised capabilities.

Our trainings draw on leading international standards and professional frameworks, including ISO, ISACA, COSO, OECD, IIA, FATF, Basel, IFRS/ISSB, GRI, NIST, CPD, ILM and the OECD AI Principles. This alignment ensures consistency with global best practices across financial management, risk oversight, digital governance, sustainability, and strategic decision-making..

Designed in alignment with globally recognised professional bodies, our courses support continuous professional development, strengthen organisational capability, and provide clear pathways toward professional certifications valued worldwide.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Reserve your slot today and start your learning journey with us.

Got a Question?

Reach out to us anytime — we're here to help and guide you.

Related Courses

Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) & Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

31 Aug - 04 Sep 2026 , Amsterdam

Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) & Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

Building Organisational Resilience through Integrated Risk and Continuity

Leading with GRC

03 - 07 Aug 2026 , London

Leading with GRC

Align governance, risk, and compliance to strengthen strategy, performance, and resilience

Business Excellence Strategy Development and Implementation

21 - 25 Sep 2026 , London

Business Excellence Strategy Development and Implementation

Design and execute excellence-driven strategies for sustained performance and competitive strength.

Operational Process Design and Improvement

02 - 06 Nov 2026 , London

Operational Process Design and Improvement

Optimising Business Processes for Agility, Efficiency, and Sustainable Performance

Related Categories

Find Your Perfect Course in Related Categories

Strategy & Strategic Management
Training Courses

Geopolitics, Security & Resilience
Training Courses

Find the Right Professional Training Course

Use our course finder to explore training by capability area, role focus, location, or delivery format.

Search Courses