The client was one of the world’s largest corporations and a full-range global manufacturer of automobiles and trucks. It was also one of the world’s largest financial services organizations. The firm’s mission was to provide vehicle transportation for businesses and consumers worldwide. We worked with the client for more than a decade through two distinct scenario projects that were part of one long-running engagement. The first scenario planning exercise was a test by the firm of the approach, tightly focused on new products in the North American market. The second was global in outlook, and explored the full range of possible transportation environments over the next ten to fifteen years.
The second set of global scenarios was adopted for strategy and training use throughout the client’s organization. Among other things, they were used for general business portfolio planning (including the balance between developed and developing market investment priorities); new product and service ideas; “stress testing” of ideas already in the pipeline (for potential modifications); new technology investment for the client’s power train division; and as multi-year senior executive training within the firm’s executive development center.