Decision Velocity: Strategic Foresight & Scenario Planning

Overview

UVM’s Decision Velocity: Strategic Foresight & Scenario Planning certificate is a four-week online course for professionals across sectors who want to think long term, spot emerging change, and lead with foresight. It introduces strategic foresight frameworks, weak-signal identification, and scenario planning, with an emphasis on applying futures thinking to an organization or professional context. The coursework is available on a rolling, on-demand basis and can be taken individually within UVM’s Strategic Leadership and AI Transformation collection of certificates.

Build the mindset and capabilities to guide organizations through uncertainty and set a clear direction for growth.

What Is Strategic Foresight?

Strategic foresight is the practice of exploring trends, emerging signals, and uncertainties to consider multiple plausible futures and inform decisions today. Scenario planning organizes those possibilities into distinct scenarios that people and organizations can use to examine how plans may work under different conditions.

“Strategic foresight isn’t just about predicting the future—it’s about building the capacity to adapt, innovate, and lead through uncertainty. By integrating futures thinking into decision-making, leaders empower their organizations to thrive in dynamic and complex environments.”

— Dr. Maricel Lawrence, Ed.D., Instructor

What You’ll Learn

• Understand core concepts and frameworks of strategic foresight.
• Identify weak signals and drivers of change.
• Construct and use scenarios to explore possible futures.
• Apply futures thinking to your own organization or context.

What Sets This Certificate Apart

The coursework connects strategic foresight frameworks with practical application. Learners identify signals of change, build scenarios, and apply futures thinking to their own context. It is taught by Dr. Maricel Lawrence, Ed.D., Futures Consultant & Practitioner.

This Decision Velocity certificate is one of many UVM business and workforce innovation certificates offered on-demand, 100% online, and backed by expert instructors from key regional industries and across UVM’s academic units.

Read our Blog: Future-Proof Your Organization with UVM’s Strategic Leadership and AI Transformation Certificates

Admissions

Who Should Take This Course?

This strategic foresight course is for professionals across sectors who want to think long term, recognize emerging change, and plan for uncertainty. It is relevant to people whose work involves strategic planning, scenario analysis, or decisions that must account for changing conditions.

Admissions Made Simple

We’ve designed our admissions process to be as straightforward and seamless as possible. Decision Velocity is an online, on-demand course that runs for four weeks, with rolling enrollment. It is available as an individual course in the collection. No associate or bachelor’s degree is required to enroll in an individual course. Here’s what to expect:

• No complex requirements: There are no lengthy application processes or lengthy waiting periods to navigate.
• Rolling enrollment: Start when the time is right for you — enrollment is ongoing, so you’re never locked out by a fixed deadline.
• Fully on-demand: Complete coursework at your own pace, fitting your learning around your professional commitments and personal responsibilities.
• Built around your schedule: Whether you’re a C-suite executive or an project manager, this program is designed to work around your life — not the other way around.

Certificate Developer

• 

  Maricel Lawrence, Ed.D.

  Futures Consultant & Practitioner

  More Info

“Our mission is to empower you to develop strategic leadership within your organization. It’s about taking control of the future, not just reacting to it, but proactively shaping and influencing it through visionary decision-making.”

— Dr. Maricel Lawrence, Ed.D., Certificate Coursework Developer

Career Outlook

Put Foresight to Work

Scenario planning helps professionals consider how plans may perform under different plausible conditions. In Decision Velocity, learners apply futures thinking to their own organization or professional context and connect it to real planning and decision-making.

This coursework offers transformative value for both leaders and project managers by equipping them with the tools to anticipate challenges and confidently guide their teams through them.

• For leaders, scenario planning sharpens strategic foresight, enabling them to align organizational goals with dynamic market conditions and long-term trends. It fosters an ability to make informed, resilient decisions that inspire trust and drive innovation.
• For project managers, the skills gained help mitigate risks, manage uncertainties, and devise flexible strategies that keep projects on track, even when unexpected challenges arise.

By integrating futures thinking into their skillset, both leaders and project managers can elevate their career trajectories, making themselves indispensable in environments that demand agility and forward-thinking.

Career Application

Strategic foresight and scenario-planning skills can support work involving long-range planning, policy, risk, resilience, and organizational strategy. Here’s how that looks in practice:

• Prioritizing tasks and resources by understanding their potential future value and impact.
• Identifying emerging trends that may impact projects or teams, ensuring proactive adjustments.
• Anticipating potential risks or disruptions and developing contingency plans to minimize impacts.
• Enhancing decision-making by evaluating multiple future scenarios and their implications.
• Guiding teams to align daily tasks with long-term goals and organizational strategies.
• Strengthening communication by translating complex future possibilities into actionable insights for stakeholders.
• Regularly assessing projects and assumptions to ensure they remain valid in a changing environment.

FAQ