Event: June 24, 2025

By: Architecting for Innovation and The Bridge Search

This week, I had the privilege of hosting a fantastic session that brought together architects, strategists, and systems thinkers from across time zones to explore a big, timely question:

How do we design for uncertainty, not just survive it?

On June 24, we welcomed Julio Graham — UK-based systems thinker, strategist, and creator of The Future Matrix — for a session that gave us practical tools to do exactly that.

It was early for Julio (6:00 AM his time!), but he showed up with clarity, generosity, and a depth of experience that really resonated with our audience.

Why This Session Mattered

As architects and innovators, we’re often expected to “know the future” — to make decisions today that will hold up under tomorrow’s pressures. But the truth is, we don’t know exactly what’s coming. What we can do is build readiness.

That’s exactly what this session was about.

Introducing “I CAN SEE”: Julio’s Framework for Strategic Readiness

Julio walked us through his seven-phase approach to scenario planning — a method he’s developed over 25 years of helping organizations think clearly in chaos.

I CAN SEE

Identify → Classify → Articulate → Numbers → Systems → Implement → Evaluate

It’s a systems-based method, but one that feels refreshingly human. It’s not about prediction or perfection — it’s about surfacing assumptions, asking better questions, and moving forward with purpose.

A Few Personal Highlights from the Talk

🧠 The control vs. impact matrix really stuck with me. It’s a simple tool, but powerful. You quickly see what’s in your hands — and what’s not — and that’s where the good conversations start.

🗺 Scenario mapping as storytelling. Julio showed us how combining two key uncertainties can generate four scenarios that tell very different stories about the future. It was like opening a window — not to what will happen — but to what could happen, and what we’d do about it.

🔁 Strategy as a cycle, not a one-off. This approach encourages ongoing evaluation, iteration, and collaboration. Strategy becomes a living, breathing part of the business.

The Conversation Was the Real Value

The Q&A was one of my favorite parts of the session. We had thoughtful questions and contributions from Roger , Huw Griffiths, Gregory and others.

Some of the questions we explored:

• How do we pick the right factors to focus on?
• Can we use AI to support early brainstorming?
• What does success in scenario planning actually look like?

Julio’s answer to that last one was gold:

“If a client puts real budget behind a scenario-informed idea — that’s success.”

It reminded me that readiness isn’t just a mindset. It’s a muscle — one we can build together.

Julio’s session reminded me that great architecture isn’t just about technical diagrams or future-state blueprints — it’s about designing conditions for resilience. That means knowing how to operate when the path ahead is foggy, and still making strong, shared decisions.

If you’re leading digital transformation, strategy, or innovation — I highly recommend checking out Julio’s work at juliograham.com. His “lighter” approach to scenario planning makes it easy to integrate into fast-paced environments without needing months of research or workshops.

Want to Join Our Next Session?

At Architecting for Innovation, we’re building a community for forward-thinking architects, strategists, and changemakers.

If that sounds like you — or who you’re becoming — we’d love to have you at our next event.

Reach out or connect with Andrew Blades at The Bridge Search to stay in the loop.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us. And huge thanks to Julio for making the future just a little more navigable.