Exploring client scenarios associated with scenario planning

Abstract

All scenario planning projects have a ‘client’ and one of the most challenging tasks facing a scenario planner is the client's role or position in the way projects are conceptualized, delivered and received. The scenario planner has to establish and manage a ‘successful client relationship’—but what actually constitutes that for a scenario planning project? The client acts as the conduit between the scenario planner and the organization for which the scenario planning project is being undertaken. The ‘client as conduit’ implies several challenges for the scenario planner including: • The client's awareness and understanding of scenario planning as a method for their organization to learn from the future [1]. • The client's level of commitment to learning from the future. • The size and context of the scenario planning project. • The position of the client within a network of people and/or resources required to run a scenario planning project. • The client's involvement or position within the scenario building team created in the project. • The benefits and risks accruing to the client through the execution of the scenario planning project. • The client organization's capacity to act strategically; its power to perform. This paper will explore, through storytelling, different pictures of client relationships associated with scenario planning. The stories are developed from a deep and extensive well of scenario practitioner and consulting experience over the last 15 years to explore and discuss these client issues, and how clients for scenario planning projects have evolved, and how they may enhance or restrict scenario planning projects in the future.