When the future is looking more uncertain than ever it may be useful to think about preparedness more than prediction. To enhance preparedness we need to be thinking about mutliple versions of the future, not just one, and these versions need to be sufficiently diverse. Having generated those futures how can we then evaluate them? I would be interested to hear from others what they think might be relevant criteria to apply. To kick off, I suggest the criteria may fall into two broad categories: 1. Cognitive: Criteria relating to how we are thinking about the future, 2: Behavioral: Criteria relating to how repond to those futures before and after they are realised
RE: From Hindsight to Foresight: How Evaluation Can Become Future-Informed
United Kingdom
Rick Davies
Evaluation Consultant
Posted on 30/03/2026
When the future is looking more uncertain than ever it may be useful to think about preparedness more than prediction. To enhance preparedness we need to be thinking about mutliple versions of the future, not just one, and these versions need to be sufficiently diverse. Having generated those futures how can we then evaluate them? I would be interested to hear from others what they think might be relevant criteria to apply. To kick off, I suggest the criteria may fall into two broad categories: 1. Cognitive: Criteria relating to how we are thinking about the future, 2: Behavioral: Criteria relating to how repond to those futures before and after they are realised