Planning beyond the uncertainties

“The rest of this year (2021) will be full of uncertainties.”

Was my response to the following conversation. I was discussing with a CEO of a tech start-up during the half-yearly review. We were looking at last year’s numbers and comparing them with now.

“Well, this year looks much better than the last one.”

“No doubt last year was bad, but we could see the disaster coming in. Almost everyone was struggling to stay afloat. And we were convinced that the year is going to be bad.”

“This year, we have no clue. Anything can happen. Third wave? No wave?”

“How do we plan in such a situation?”

“Consider, all possibilities, the worst and the best-case scenarios. Look for alternatives that are flexible. And chose only those paths which can be changed at very short notice.”

“Yes, makes sense. Let me go back to the drawing board and redesign.”

It is comparatively easy to plan when we have clarity about where we are going.

It takes a lot more effort to plan when you don’t know; really where you are going.

How are you planning for the rest of the year?