Study Guide

Objective

Planning and horizons of the digital economy provides students with knowledge and skills to understand how complex business environment evolves and how to stay competitive in the future. The students are able to perceive what is happening in the global business and are able to develop digital business in turbulent business environment. The students understand the basics of interative planning and the different levels of planning in a large organization and how they are linked together. The students understand the different horizons of planning and understand how companies should conduct foresight. The students are able to apply different foresight tools in an organization or in a business contex and are able to analyse which forecasting tools should be used for which purpose. The students are able assess when plans should be changed and know how to analyze what kind of forecasting tools should be used for what purpose.

The objective is that after completing the course, the student is future oriented and capable of understating the different horizons and levels of planning and using different foresight tools in order to analyze global and regional trends influencing the business context. He/she is also able to retrieve, analyze and produce foresight information and evaluate it critically.

Main competences on the course: proactive development, operating in a workplace, learning to learn

Content

- Organizational planning practices
- Agile and iterative planning
- Foresigh tools e.g. roadmapping and horizon model

Location and time

Wed 22.1.2025 17:30 - 20:30
Wed 5.2.2025 17:30 - 20:30
Wed 19.3.2025 17:30 - 20:30
Wed 26.3.2025 17:30 - 20:30

Materials

- Saari, Leila; Suomalainen, Tanja; Kuusela, Raija. Foresight process in software businesses. International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, Vol. 20 No. 2, (2019), p. 195-220.

- Saari, Leila; Suomalainen, Tanja; Kuusela, Raija; Juntunen, Marko, Moqaddamerad, Sara. A Cookbook for Predicting the Future – Introduction of Foresight Tools. DIMECC Publications, Series no 13, Dimecc result publications 2/2017 (online), p. 79.

- Suomalainen, Tanja; Xu, Yueqiang. Continuous planning through the three horizons of growth. International Journal of Agile Systems and Management (IJASM), Vol. 9, No. 4, (2016), pp. 269-291.

- Ph.D. Dissertation: Suomalainen, Tanja. Changing the planning for agile and lean software development: From roadmapping to continuous planning. 2016, VTT, Espoo, 108 p. + app. 126 p. VTT Science: 132. ISBN 978-951-38-8446-8; 978-951-38-8445-1.



Additionally, literature consist of relevant research articles as well as case studies recommend by the teachers or uploaded by students.

Teaching methods

Online contact sessions, discussion, individual and group learning.

The teaching method will be a combination of online contact sessions and discussions, as well as individual and group learning. The learning process will be student driven. The critical thinking skills are encouraged and nurtured as a core part of the outcome. The students are encouraged to demonstrate active involvement and meaningful contributions to class discussions and during the learning process. The practical orientation is accomplished through group assignment to a selected business topic. In the group assignment, teams use Miro board and Lean Futures Creation toolkit for the team for working.

Further information

Planning and horizons of the digital economy course provides students with knowledge and skills to understand and apply knowledge relating to organisational planning practices from strategy and business planning to product and service development planning. The course provides knowledge from various foresight tools such as roadmapping and horizon model that the students can use to create and develop plans and alternative scenarios for the future in order to succeed in the future business endeavors.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student
- understands the principles of agile and iterative planning as well as the main tools to be used for foresight
- understands the importance and the role of using foresight tools in turbulent business environment.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student
- is able to analyze and evaluate different foresight tools
- understands the different horizons of planning and understands the value of the foresight tools and is able to ably them correctly.
- is able to apply the acquired knowledge of planning and foresight tools in decision making.
- is able to give useful development recommendations in relation to organisational planning and foresight tools utilising their knowledge and skills.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student
- is able to independently evaluate and manage different foresight tools
- is able to analyse critically different foresight tools to be used in the area of digital business.
- is able to provide useful and relevant development recommendations relating to foresight with proper argumentation considering the context of the company.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student
- understands the principles of agile and iterative planning as well as the main tools to be used for foresight
- understands the importance and the role of using foresight tools in turbulent business environment.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student
- is able to analyze and evaluate different foresight tools
- understands the different horizons of planning and understands the value of the foresight tools and is able to ably them correctly.
- is able to apply the acquired knowledge of planning and foresight tools in decision making.
- is able to give useful development recommendations in relation to organisational planning and foresight tools utilising their knowledge and skills.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student
- is able to independently evaluate and manage different foresight tools
- is able to analyse critically different foresight tools to be used in the area of digital business.
- is able to provide useful and relevant development recommendations relating to foresight with proper argumentation considering the context of the company.