It's easier to interpolate than extrapolate

Most leaders try to visualize the future by examining the present and asking themselves, “What’s next?” That’s a tough proposition, because these leaders are trying to extrapolate. Where you go next depends on your future challenges.

It’s often much easier to interpolate, to imagine an end goal, and then fill in the gaps from your current location to your destination. Try this 3-step exercise instead:

1. Where are we now?

You should know your current state, so this step is basically an exercise. What challenges do you face today? What are the short-term plans for the next six months? Identify your current state and document it. 

2. Envision the future

Once you’ve imagined that vision, take a step back. You know where you’re going to end up in five years. What’s your next step? Where do you go from here? What are the major milestones you need to reach over the next year, and over the next five years, to reach your target?

For example: What do you want your IT organization to do five years from now? What does that IT team look like? What is it focused on? What are its priorities? How is it shaped?

3. What milestones will you pass?

Looking ahead into that future state, what milestones will you pass in the next year? Set the clock ahead by another year and identify what the landscape will look like. For example: What advantages will AI have brought to the market? How will your stakeholders embrace AI? 

Imagining the future milestones is the most crucial step. This allows you to interpolate the future, based on where you started and where you'll end up. By imagining the future and your place in it, you put yourself in the driver's seat.

In shaping the future of technology, we can imagine what promise the future might hold, then work to achieve it. In technology, we are the drivers of future progress. As leaders of IT organizations, we help shape what is to come. Our job as technology drivers, therefore, is to find the new technology that can best benefit our organizations and work to integrate the technology into our plans.

Interested in bringing Strategic Planning to your organization? Contact us at Hallmentum to schedule a half-day workshop. We'll work with you to develop your strategic plan so you can lead your organization towards strategic outcomes.