--- title: Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning description: Create and evaluate strategic scenarios to explore different planning approaches. Approve the optimal scenario that aligns with the organizational goals and strategic priorities. locale: en-US canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/scenario-planning-in-portfolio-planning.html release: australia product: Portfolio Planning classification: portfolio-planning topic_type: concept last_updated: "2026-03-12" reading_time_minutes: 3 breadcrumb: [Explore, Portfolio Planning, Strategic Portfolio Management] --- # Scenario planning in Portfolio Planning 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 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 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: \[Omitted image "scenario-inplan-dates-ppw.png"\] Alt text: Compared to a plan, a scenario additionally has the In Plan toggle, Start dates, and End dates - **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. - **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. For more information on portfolio plans, see [Portfolio plans in Portfolio Planning](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/portfolio-plans-in-portfolio-planning-ppw.md). 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://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/compare-scenarios-in-portfolio-planning.md). ## Scenario planning workflow in Portfolio Planning 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://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/create-a-scenario-in-portfolio-planning.md). - Adjust and compare multiple scenarios side by side to evaluate differences in goal alignment and trade-offs. For more information, see [Compare scenarios](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/compare-scenarios-in-portfolio-planning.md). - Approve the best scenario that aligns with the organizational goals. For more information, see [Approve a scenario](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/approve-a-scenario-in-portfolio-planning.md). - 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. \[Omitted image "create-scenario-in-strategic-planning.gif"\] Alt text: Prioritization tab: Adjust dates of the planning items and mark them in plan \[Omitted image "roadmap-create-scenario-in-strategic-planning.gif"\] Alt text: Roadmap tab: Adjust schedule of planning items \[Omitted image "create-financial-scenario-planning.gif"\] Alt text: Financials tab: Set targets and adjust the budget of planning items. ## Scenario Planning workflow overview 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. \[Omitted image "scenario-planning-user-journey.png"\] Alt text: Flowchart explaining the flow of user journey in scenario planning from creating to approving a scenario. For more detailed guidance on using scenario planning to enhance your Portfolio Planning process, see [Optimizing planning with scenario planning in Portfolio Planning](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/optimizing-scenarios-in-portfolio-planning.md). **Parent Topic:**[Exploring Portfolio Planning](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/portfolio-planning/exploring-portfolio-planning.md)