Light-touch approaches

Method

Light-touch approach

• Consider “foothold” activities that open up potential to develop a new line of strategy in the future
• Explicitly consider trade-offs between “all-in” strategies and strategies that preserve the capacity to make choices in the future
• Use decision-tree structures to think through a dynamic decision-problem qualitatively
• Trace out possible outcomes and decision points to assist in making dynamic choices

• Identify near-term actions and future contingencies
• Prioritize options on the basis of timing and phasing
• Understand failure points (tipping points) and identify watchpoints that indicate failure points are nearing

• Apply “robustness” as a criterion for assessing options
• Use expert judgment to stress-test strategies and identify the boundaries of underlying uncertainties that determine a strategy’s success or failure.