We begin by agreeing a suitable timeframe (typically the next 6 to 12 months) and start mapping what’s likely to unfold. This could include known milestones, market cycles, upcoming product launches, contract renewals, stakeholder moves, regulatory changes, or broader trends likely to affect the team.

Participants are encouraged to think ahead with realism and intent. What do we know will probably happen, and what’s likely to catch us off guard? This isn’t about predicting the future perfectly - it’s about surfacing known unknowns, stress-testing our assumptions, and preparing in advance for inflection points.

In doing so, we apply a principle from pre-mortem analysis - a tool often used in high-stakes planning. Unlike a post-mortem, which investigates why a project failed after the fact, a pre-mortem asks you to imagine that things did go wrong, and work backwards to identify what caused it. By combining this mindset with our forward-looking view, we can spot risks early and develop contingencies before they become urgent.

Sometimes this process reveals opportunities to steal a march on the competition or act early to secure a strategic advantage. Other times it helps flag interpersonal tensions, delivery risks or operational hurdles that - if unaddressed - could derail the plan later. Either way, the team leaves with more clarity, more confidence, and a shared sense of what’s coming.