Backcasting
A strategic planning technique that begins with a vivid description of a desired future state, then works backwards to the present to identify the sequence of events, decisions, and milestones that would need to occur to reach it. Unlike forecasting (projecting current trends forward), backcasting is normative — it starts with where you want to be, not where you're heading.
How to run it
- 1
Define and describe the desired future state vividly and specifically (e.g. 'In 3 years, we have 500 enterprise customers, a thriving community of 10,000 practitioners, and market leadership in facilitation software').
- 2
Draw a timeline from the future state backwards to today.
- 3
Ask: 'What would have to be true 6 months before this state?' Add milestones.
- 4
Continue backwards: 'And 6 months before that?' Keep working back to the present.
- 5
At each point, identify: what decisions, investments, or changes were required?
- 6
Look at the near-term steps (next 3–6 months): do they follow from this backcast? If not, what needs to change now?
- 7
Identify the critical path and potential blockers on the way to the future state.
Tips
The future description must be specific enough to constrain the backcast — 'success' is not specific enough.
The most useful output is usually the identification of one or two near-term decisions that have outsized impact on the trajectory.
Variations
Combine with Scenario Planning by backcasting from multiple future scenarios. Run a 'Personal Backcasting' as a life design exercise.
Where it fits
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