Scanning is the process of building the ability to see the future by broadening your visionary abilities. The
payoff for scanning is increasing your ability to map the system (identifying the key components) and
explore unfamiliar territory. The process of scanning includes:
1. Map the system (see diagram on page 4) and adopt a global perspective. Then, map the system
under consideration, and check it against a STEEP framework (Social, Technological, Economic,
Environmental, and Political forces). Take an integral view of the issue and conduct a
stakeholder analysis.
2. Study the history. Start by looking backward so that you don’t reinvent the wheel. Be wary of
past success that leads to thinking in a rut.
3. Scan the environment for awareness of how the context is changing. Integrate the internal with
the external and be willing to explore unfamiliar and uninteresting areas. Don’t try to win with
research because not all of the data exists.
4. Include colleagues and outsiders, the “remarkable people,” who may give you insights including
outliers, complainers and troublemakers.
Be sure to allocate sufficient time for scanning. This can take weeks, months or even years for major
strategic foresight initiatives. Ideally, scanning is an ongoing, integral process, constantly on the lookout
for greater understanding and new perspectives