The future, they say, holds infinite potential. Unfortunately, that does not particularly help us plan ahead. The Best Case / Worst Case model can assist us by creating an "envelope of possibility" for the future of a condition, project or venture. By envisioning the complete range of possible outcomes (and the paths to reach those outcomes), we can more readily understand the implications of our decisions and the value of our current resources. The basic model, as always, seems fairly straightforward. We stand at the mouth of the "Trunk", at the moment when the future branches out in front of us in all of its unpredictability. The Trunk behind us represents the past, including all of the experiences that we have had and all of the resources currently at our disposal. From this vantage point, we can now set some limits on our future.

The Best Case Here we carefully define the conditions we would find ourselves in if everything went exactly as planned. Notice that this in NOT a utopia! This is a "best case" only in that our plans went well-we did not solve all of the world's problems here.

The Worst Case Now we get to play "Devil's Advocate." What happens if things go badly? What are the disaster scenarios? What are the grim possibilities? Again, the universe does not end in this scenario-it is only the "worst case" in that our plans go wickedly awry.

Most Probable Case With our "practical hats" firmly in place, we can now look at what the mostly likely results will be and at the path by which we can achieve them.

What lies between the Best Case and Worst Case paths is the field of opportunity. Between Best Case and Most Probable Case lies the Profit Range. Between Most Probable and Worst Case is the Survival Range (albeit not necessarily a pleasant survival). Outside this envelope (either better than best or worse than worst) lies the Collapse and Death options from Stages of an Enterprise.

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