Oxford Scenarios Programme | Saïd Business School

About the programme

In an uncertain world scenario planning equips you with the skills and tools to deal effectively with potential opportunities, threats and challenges.

On this programme, you will learn how to develop robust strategies in the face of numerous plausible futures.

You will cover a broad range of themes, including:

What can we influence in the context of our organisation and what will most influence success in the future?
What is the relationship between strategic planning and scenarios?
How do I design a fit-for-purpose scenario intervention?
How do scenarios and forecasting relate to each other?
Who does what in scenario practice?

Unique to the programme is the live client case study. You will work on a strategic issue as part of a group for a real world client. Through this work you gain hands-on experience and put your theoretical learning into practice, receiving real-time feedback.

Watch how the scenarios programme was designed

Oxford Scenarios Programme: Participant experience

Download video transcript

Benefits

To you

Understand complex scenario theories, methodologies, approaches and interventions
Identify how to deploy effective scenarios and learn why scenarios can fail
Opportunity for individual growth and reflection, and to question assumptions
Lifetime membership of the Oxford Business Alumni Network

To your business

Empowered scenario planners able to creatively drive strategic thinking and practice
Able to make key decisions in the context of turbulence, uncertainty, novelty and ambiguity (TUNA)
Knowledge of where scenario planning fits in the organisation and its relation to other processes

Class profile

10+ years professional experience
Senior leaders with decision-making responsibility for strategy and planning
Experience from private, public or not-for-profit organisations
Responsibility for strategic planning, risk assessment or issue management
Foundation understanding of scenario planning

Faculty

Our faculty are internationally recognised as world leaders in scenario planning and strategy, who teach and conduct research around the globe.

Trudi Lang

Co-Programme Director
Rafael Ramirez

Co-Programme Director
Cynthia Selin

Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Cho Khong

Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Participant experiences

Read how past participants have used the learning from the programme in their organisations.

Sebastian Petric

Deriving options through scenario planning
Colette Marshall

CEO, Diabetes UK
Andres Spokoiny

Director, American Joint Distribution Committee, France
Prashant Singh

Founder and CEO, Himalayan Climate Initiative, Nepal

Academic insights

The following articles apply Oxford research to real-world, business concepts to help you shape your strategy in the space of scenario planning.

Scenario planning thought leadership can be found on our business insights site, Oxford Answers.

Future Scenarios Project Report 2024

Planning for a new generation of internet standards and governance
The cost of taking strategy out of context

Understand the importance of context in strategy and tips for success
Using scenarios to understand the changing face of Europe’s cities and regions

Ways to reduce territorial inequality and geographic disparities
How scenario planning can inform the macro-economics of space

Using the Oxford planning approach to outline four possible scenarios

This programme was a carefully considered investment...we make back many times the cost every month on successful scenarios I have built for clients.

Ian Mann

Partner, Gateways Management Consulting, South Africa

Award-winning learning

The programme's teaching methodologies has been honoured by the British Academy of Management Education Practice Award since 2017, a perpetual mark of industry excellence.

Our in-person Open programmes have also been ranked 1st in the UK and 5th in the world in the Financial Times rankings 2023.