Scenario Planning

What is scenario planning and why should you do it?

Scenario Planning helps multi-organization teams prepare for unexpected obstacles and opportunities and to stay focused on the primary goals and objectives as they work within complex and ever-changing healthcare and community environments. Scenario planning tools and resources help teams anticipate future implementation challenges and opportunities that they might otherwise overlook and create action plans to address them.

How to work through this component:

Review the Scenario Planning Facilitator Guide to learn how to lead a Scenario Planning exercise, whether in person or virtually. This in-depth resource walks facilitators through each step of the process to help teams engage effectively and prepare for future challenges and opportunities.

When does it make sense to work through this component? 

We recommend that teams conduct scenario planning after designing—and before implementing—their care delivery transformation and payment mechanisms. Designing care and payment models requires teams to forecast future operational environments. Scenario planning tools and resources help teams anticipate implementation challenges and opportunities they might otherwise overlook and develop action plans to address them proactively.

Curriculum to be completed for this component:

Recommended timeline/allotment for this component: 

Self-Assessment Topics and Questions:

Work through the following questions to determine if it would be beneficial to conduct or update the Scenario Planning exercise:

1. Has the team adequately anticipated initiative disruption of their care transformation?
   1. If yes:
      1. How  (e.g.,  via scenario planning or a similar exercise)?
      2. What are the most likely types of disruption?
         1. Are there response measures in place and ready to be implemented should the disruption(s) occur?
   2. If not, consider conducting scenario planning for implementation and maintenance of the care transformation.

2. Has the team adequately anticipated potential facilitators or opportunities that could enhance, strengthen, expand or help sustain their care transformation?
   1. If yes, how  (e.g.,  via scenario planning or a similar exercise)?
   2. What are the most likely types of facilitators or opportunities that might occur?
      1. Are there response measures in place and ready to be implemented should the facilitators or opportunities occur?

3. Has the team adequately anticipated initiative disruption of their payment model?
   1. If yes:
      1. How  (e.g.,  via scenario planning or a similar exercise)?
      2. What are the most likely types of disruption?
         1. Are there response measures in place and ready to be implemented should the disruption(s) occur?
   2. If not, consider conducting scenario planning for implementation and maintenance of the payment model.

4. Has the team adequately anticipated potential facilitators or opportunities that could enhance, strengthen, expand, or sustain their payment model?
   1. If yes, how  (e.g.,  via scenario planning or a similar exercise)?
   2. What are the most likely types of facilitators or opportunities that might occur?
      1. Are there response measures in place and ready to be implemented should the facilitators or opportunities occur?

Goal and Objective Setting Tool:

About the Roadmap Goal and Objective Setting Tool

This tool is designed to facilitate goal setting and completion for your team. The tool will allow your team to:

1) Record goals that align with the various Roadmap components; 

2) Record objectives, time frames, and target completion dates, among other important items for each goal; and 

3) Monitor progress of goals per Roadmap component

Your team is welcome to engage with this tool as much or as little as it would like, and it is helpful in the development, implementation, and evaluation of your health equity initiative. We encourage you to use this tool to ensure clear goal setting and promote consistent communication, accountability, and progress within your team. This tool is designed to be used over time as your team progresses through the Roadmap and your initiative. This is in no way intended to be used one way by all teams. This is meant to help you progress through the Roadmap component(s) on which you are working at a given time and you may reach your goals in any order.

Each Roadmap component is listed as a separate tab. Navigate to the desired Roadmap component via the taskbar at the bottom of the spreadsheet to add, edit, or view goals. Hide certain tabs as needed to narrow your view to specific Roadmap components or the snapshot. Changing the status of a goal will automatically shift the Snapshot view for the specific Roadmap component.