If you know what to expect, you can prepare for it, whether it's a successful exam, contract, trip, scientific experiment, performance, job interview or competition. Obviously, at a certain level, all participants are prepared; preparation itself becomes a factor in staying in the race: in sports, of course, but also in businesses, organizations and institutions. It's all about being ready to respond to every conceivable eventuality, especially the most likely.
Organizing and training a competent team requires a minimum of faith in a project. An unenthusiastic goal will suffer from a lack of investment in its preparation, and an overconfidence based on nothing concrete will have the same result. Some investors don't look so much at the project as at the promoters' ability to mobilize and their level of preparation for the hazards that are bound to arise.
As long as a project involves large numbers, statistics provide a good indication of what to expect. The probability of certain random events is almost 100% when it comes to crowds or long duration, such as during an expedition. Toilets, first aid, flow management, breakdowns, weather... it's best to have an answer for every scenario, before, during and after the event. The "after" is often neglected: What happens after you get your doctorate? After the show, who picks up? After winning the prize, who takes the winner home? What have we learned from what happened?
In the heat of the moment, you can only rely on what you've got. You can improvise on the details, but not on the essentials. Having confronted the technical, psychological, social, financial, physical and administrative aspects in advance avoids stress and costly mistakes. When all that's left to do is apply the appropriate answers, true professionals are hard to catch off guard; they rely on solid preparation. How do you know if you're sufficiently prepared? Some say, "When you don't have to think about it anymore, when worry has given way to confidence".
There will be surprise questions on the exam; the competition won't sleep; A.I. will upset plans... how can we plan better? How can planning be taught and assessed? This issue tackles the question from a number of angles.
Enjoy your reading
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: Shutterstock - 2702026655
