--- sourceDocument: Zurich Strategic Portfolio Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/it-business-management Release : - zurich ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Zurich Strategic Portfolio Management ft:clusterId : - itbm bundleId : - itbm workflow : - Technology --- # Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning # Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Zurich Updated July 31, 2025 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning allows organizations to create, evaluate, and approve strategic scenarios that align with their goals and business outcomes. It provides a safe environment to simulate different planning approaches without impacting the live plan. This capability enables organizations to visualize options, anticipate challenges, assess impacts, and make informed decisions before finalizing their portfolio plans. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Scenario Definition:** A scenario is a simulated plan version where you can prioritize or de-prioritize items using the In Plan toggle, adjust timelines, and explore strategic alternatives safely. * **In Plan Toggle:** Automatically set based on item status (Prioritized or Done) and date ranges, this toggle helps control which planning items are considered active in the scenario. * **Date Fields:** Start and end dates for planning items are auto-populated from planned or actual dates and can be modified. Approved scenario dates become the official dates upon scenario approval, with out-of-range dates visually highlighted. * **Scenario Comparison:** Multiple scenarios can be compared side by side to evaluate their alignment with strategic goals and understand trade-offs, facilitating selection of the optimal scenario. * **Budgeting:** Set and evaluate target budgets against proposed budgets for In Plan items, helping to review monetary benefits from prioritized initiatives within each planning cycle. * **Workflow Roles:** Scenario planning involves an execution owner who creates and adjusts scenarios, and a portfolio owner who reviews and approves the scenarios. ## Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers Using scenario planning in Portfolio Planning empowers ServiceNow customers to: * Experiment with multiple strategic approaches without affecting live data. * Adjust priorities and timelines dynamically to reflect different business conditions. * Perform side-by-side comparisons to select scenarios that best meet organizational goals and budgets. * Approve and transition the optimal scenario into the live portfolio plan with updated timelines and priorities. * Enhance budgeting accuracy by evaluating proposed investments against financial targets. This approach leads to more informed, flexible, and goal-aligned portfolio planning, ultimately supporting better strategic decision-making. Create and evaluate strategic scenarios to explore different planning approaches. Approve the optimal scenario that aligns with the organizational goals and strategic priorities. ## Scenario planning overview {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__Overview} Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning enables organizations to create, evaluate, and approve the best strategic scenario that aligns with their strategic goals and intended business outcomes. This process helps in visualizing different approaches, assessing their impacts, and making informed decisions before implementing the live plan. By utilizing scenario planning, organizations can anticipate potential challenges. ## What is a scenario {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__Scenario} A scenario in Portfolio Planning is a simulated version of a plan that enables you to explore a strategic approach without affecting the live plan. It provides a safe environment to prioritize items, adjust timelines, and evaluate the potential impacts of each approach. As compared to a plan, a scenario additionally has the following: * In Plan toggle: The In Plan toggle enables you to prioritize or de-prioritize the planning items in the scenario you're creating. By default, when you create a scenario, the In Plan toggle is turned on for planning items that have all of the following field values: * Planning state as Prioritized or Done * Start and end dates within the portfolio plan dates. {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__ul_qmy_4pd_bcc} * Date fields: The Start date and End date fields for the scenario are automatically populated based on either the planned or actual start and end dates of the planning items. You can update these dates during the scenario planning process. Once the scenario is approved, the updated dates are recorded as the approved dates for the planning items. If the updated dates fall outside the acceptable range, they're highlighted in yellow. {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__ul_gzg_llz_zbc} For more information on portfolio plans, see [Portfolio plans in Portfolio Planning](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6SgOkHTB3QT~JounFmnCxA "Personalized portfolio plans help you align work with your company's objectives and roadmap the right work for the right time."). By comparing scenarios side by side, you can assess the differences in goal alignment and trade-offs between each scenario. This comparative analysis helps identify the scenario that best meets strategic objectives. For more information on comparing the scenarios, see [Compare scenarios](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/19rD7Nml2ACyW9eFVCMSNQ "Compare scenarios side by side to evaluate comprehensive planning, optimize resource usage, confirm feasibility, and financial information."). ## Scenario planning workflow in Portfolio Planning {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__section_d1x_z4t_dfc} Using the Scenario Planning feature in Portfolio Planning, you can perform the following activities: * Create a scenario to explore different strategic approaches and business outcomes. For more information, see [Create a scenario](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/G2WcZuMeMEq0Qh~QrFk10w "Create a scenario from a live plan or another scenario in a simulated environment to compare the scenario with the live plan and other scenarios."). * Adjust and compare multiple scenarios side by side to evaluate differences in goal alignment and trade-offs. For more information, see [Compare scenarios](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/19rD7Nml2ACyW9eFVCMSNQ "Compare scenarios side by side to evaluate comprehensive planning, optimize resource usage, confirm feasibility, and financial information."). * Approve the best scenario that aligns with the organizational goals. For more information, see [Approve a scenario](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/v9IBW1QK3b6vTXQGFwfbxA "Approve a scenario that aligns with your organizational goals and offers the best business outcomes to make the scenario your current plan."). * Set a target portfolio budget for each of your planning cycle, which can be for fiscal period, quarter, yearly, or portfolio timeline. * Evaluate the target vs proposed budget of In-plan items and review the monetary benefit from the prioritized items. {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__ul_k2s_f1q_dcc} ## Scenario Planning workflow overview {#scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning__scenario-planning-workflow} The scenario planning workflow involves an execution owner and a portfolio owner. The following illustration illustrates how scenario plans are created based on the planned or actual dates of planning items and how the In-plan toggle is adjusted based on the states of these planning items. Figure 1. User journey in Scenario planning For more detailed guidance on using scenario planning to enhance your Portfolio Planning process, see [Optimizing planning with scenario planning in Portfolio Planning](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Vm_f2UdkR6mxb340vhupOA "As a portfolio manager, optimize your portfolio planning by comparing potential outcomes, assessing their alignment with strategic goals, and approving the best scenario as your live plan.").