In July, Charles Thomas and Peter Kennedy conducted an introductory scenario-planning workshop for the executive leadership of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Actually, for some of the Canal executives, this was more like a refresher course. In 1997, FSG principals facilitated a scenario planning exercise for the US government’s Panama Canal Commission, which was preparing to hand the Canal over to Panama. A number of the Panamanian PCC executives who participated in that exercise now hold senior leadership positions in the Panama Canal Authority. The 1997 scenario planning exercise, among other strategic insights, shed critical light on a proposed third set of Canal locks. After all four scenario groups wrestled with the proposal, the Canal expansion project emerged as a robust strategic initiative. Eleven years later, the expansion project is finally going forward; it will allow the Panama Canal to handle the large ships that increasingly dominate global trade. .

 Anticipating strategic impacts of change in the Arctic region…

FSG, in partnership with Rhumb Line LLC, has been working hard over the last few months in developing a set of Arctic scenarios, to help executives and planners understand and anticipate the environmental, political, economic and regulatory implications of changes in the Arctic region. Rhumb Line is a consultancy specializing in maritime transportation and Arctic region issues. In September this “Arctic Futures Initiative” will be formally launched. To find out more about the AFI and Arctic scenarios, please follow this link.

On September 12, 2008 FSG partnered with Collective Intelligence and Board Advisory Services in conducting a one-day scenario planning seminar hosted by the Institute for Internal Auditors (IIA) in New York. Building on the introductory session for the IIA in January, the three organizations facilitated a multi-scenario business case analysis to help IIA participants assess risks and devise mitigations measures that are common or “robust” across a range of scenario-defined operating environments.

The latest chapter in the US Coast Guard’s Project Evergreen strategic planning process will unfold in Washington DC from September 29 to October 1, 2008. An estimated 50 representatives of port facilities, marine passenger companies, port authorities, energy & pipeline companies, retailers, shippers and environmental groups will join senior USCG leaders in thinking about the future of the maritime industry. The three-day event will be facilitated by FSG, using the 2030 scenarios developed for Project Evergreen. The objective of the workshop is to gain participant insights into the opportunities and challenges the maritime industry will face in the future and the subsequent roles and responsibilities implied for the Coast Guard.

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