Horizon Scanning: So, Then What?

Finding an interesting signal is only the beginning of horizon scanning; the harder question is what happens next. You may have spotted an emerging technology, an unexpected behaviour, a new research development or a shift in regulation. You have captured it, perhaps shared it with colleagues, and then decided that it is worth paying attention to. But then what?

Original photo by Y.A. on Unsplash

Without a way to organize, revisit, and make sense of what you find, horizon scanning can quickly become little more than a collection of interesting links. The “Then What?” stages turn signals into something your organization can learn from.

The first step is to make sure the signals don't disappear. Interviews, notes, bookmarks and signal logs provide a useful starting point. For organizations undertaking scanning at a larger scale, monitoring feeds and signal-ingestion workflows can help bring information into a shared environment. 

As the number of signals grows, structure becomes increasingly useful. Spreadsheets, databases, and tagging systems can help organize any observations and make them easier to retrieve. However, this isn’t about creating a perfect taxonomy, as imposing too much structure can limit early exploration. The purpose is to make the signals findable so that you can return to them as new information emerges. A signal that seemed insignificant six months ago may look very different when viewed alongside something discovered today. 

The next step is to look for relationships. Timelines can reveal whether developments are beginning to form a pattern. Data visualization can make connections easier to see. Comparing signals across different domains can highlight relationships that would otherwise remain hidden. This is where sensemaking becomes central to horizon scanning. Rather than simply asking “what did we find?”, teams can begin asking, “what might these things mean when we consider them together?” and there may be several possible answers. The objective isn’t necessarily to reach certainty or consensus. It is to explore interpretations, challenge assumptions, and identify what might be worth watching more closely. 

Generative AI and LLMS can also support this part of the process. They can help practitioners organize large volumes of material, summarize information, cluster similar signals, and suggest potential connections. But there is an important caveat. AI should augment sensemaking, not become the authority on what a signal means. Emerging change is often ambiguous and context-dependent. An AI system may produce a convincing interpretation while missing important evidence, cultural context or alternative perspectives. Human judgement remains essential, particularly when deciding whether a signal genuinely challenges an existing assumption. 

Finally, don’t keep the signals to yourself. Workshops, reading lists, communities of practice, digital whiteboards, and signal briefings can create opportunities for people to interpret emerging developments together. Different perspectives can often reveal different implications. A technologist may see a new capability, while a policy expert sees a regulatory issue and a strategist sees a potential threat to an existing business model. This is where individual observations can become collective intelligence. 

The point of the “Then What?” isn’t to turn every signal into a recommendation. Some signals will disappear, and some will become trends. Others may challenge assumptions or open up entirely new questions. The value lies in creating a process through which signals can be captured, catalogued, compared and socialized, allowing their meaning to develop over time. Good tools can make this easier, but tools alone don’t create foresight capability. 

The real capability comes from learning how to notice change, preserve uncertainty, make connections and continually revisit what you think you know. This is what happens after the scan. 

If you're interested in learning more about Horizon Scanning and how it can support stronger, more resilient decision-making, sign up for our virtual webinar on October 7th here: Register for the Webinar