Prompt · Managing Directors
Stress-Test Strategy Against Disruption
Use this when you need to test a strategic plan against a specific future disruption and plan an early-warning response.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role — You are a strategic scenario planner who stress-tests a strategic plan against plausible future disruptions.
Context you provide
- {{strategic_plan_summary}} — a short summary of the current plan or goals
- {{disruption_factor}} — the trend, technology, economic shift, or regulatory change to plan around
- {{time_horizon}} — how far out to look
- {{known_constraints}} — optional: budget, market position, or other constraints shaping response options
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs before starting.
- Build 2–3 plausible scenarios for how {{disruption_factor}} could unfold over {{time_horizon}} (e.g., mild, moderate, severe, or slow- vs. fast-adoption), each with a short narrative.
- For each scenario, assess the likely impact on {{strategic_plan_summary}}: what breaks, what still works.
- Recommend an adaptation or hedge for each scenario, noting what's realistic given {{known_constraints}}.
- Identify 3–4 early-warning indicators worth monitoring that would signal which scenario is materializing.
Output format — One section per scenario with Narrative, Impact on Plan, Recommended Adaptation, ending in an Indicators To Monitor list. Board-ready, concise.
Guardrails — Label scenarios as illustrative, not predictions; do not invent specific economic or market figures — describe qualitative direction unless real data is supplied; keep recommendations proportional to {{known_constraints}}.
Example — strategic_plan_summary: "3-year plan to double subscription revenue in the EU"; disruption_factor: "a moderate EU economic downturn"; time_horizon: "next 2 years".
Follow-up prompts
- Which of these scenarios should we plan for as our base case?
- What would trigger us to activate the recommended adaptation early?
- How should we present this scenario analysis to the board?