Delphi Futures Sprints & Expert Forecasting

When Delphi Is Useful

Delphi Futures Sprints are for associations, governments, and senior leaders facing "future of…" questions where data is incomplete and opinions are all over the place.

Use a Delphi Futures Sprint when you need to:

• Make big, long-range decisions with real consequences for members, citizens, or customers.

• Understand how experts see the future of a sector, policy area, or category over the next 3–10 years.

• Move beyond loud voices and hidden politics to a shared, well-reasoned view of what's likely, what's uncertain, and what to watch.

What a Delphi Futures Sprint Delivers

Instead of another round of circular debate, you get:

• A small set of plausible future scenarios, grounded in expert judgment rather than guesswork.

• Clear statements of where experts agree, where they disagree, and why that matters for your decisions.

• A prioritized list of actions, experiments, and watchpoints matched to your time horizon and risk appetite.

How a Delphi Futures Sprint Works

A Delphi Futures Sprint brings a carefully selected panel of internal and external experts through structured, anonymous rounds.

Typical elements include:

Round 1 – Explore and map: Experts share individual views on key trends, risks, opportunities, and assumptions.

Round 2 – Challenge and refine: Experts see anonymized patterns and are invited to update, explain, or sharpen their views.

Round 3 – Focus and converge (optional): The panel converges on scenarios, likelihoods, and priority actions.

Throughout, anonymity reduces groupthink and politics, and structured feedback builds deeper, more honest thinking than a single workshop or survey.

Timelines and Commitment

Most Delphi Futures Sprints run over 4–8 weeks, depending on the number of rounds and the complexity of your question.

Expert participation is designed to be respectful of time - typically a series of focused online rounds rather than long meetings.

Is Delphi Right for Your Question?

Delphi is especially helpful when:

• You can't "test and learn" easily in the real world (for example, regulation, public policy, or sector-level shifts).

• The topic is uncertain, political, or uncomfortable to tackle in open meetings.

• You want structured input from people who rarely get in the same room, or who might not speak freely if they did.

If your challenge is more about understanding everyday behavior or testing near-term ideas, one of Idea Lodge's qualitative or innovation offers may be a better fit.

Next Steps

Book a short call to explore whether Delphi is the right tool for your "future of…" question and what a tailored Sprint could look like for your board, members, or leadership team.