Tool

Future Boundary Conditions

The future is shaped by today’s actions and decisions, but future building is also constrained by certain boundaries. These boundary conditions define what is actually possible. This tool helps participants identify and understand how such conditions shape the construction of the future. 

Tool

Type

operating environment analysis, trends

Future Boundary Conditions worksheet
Future Boundary Conditions worksheet

Time: 1 hour or more 

Participants:  Individual work or small groups of 2–4 people 

Level of facilitation: Easy / Medium / Challenging  

Materials: Future Boundary Conditions worksheet 

Developed by: Lilli Poussa & Terhi Ylikoski, Sitra 

In futures work, attention is often focused on uncertainties and change. However, it is equally important to understand what limits future options, in other words, what kinds of boundary conditions shape the future. They define what is actually possible. Boundary conditions may be related to the physical environment, such as geographical or environmental constraints, but also to social, technological and economic structures, as well as values. This tool can be used to explore any boundary condition that is relevant to an individual, a community or an organisation when building the future.  

What users say about the tool

“This is a useful tool for assessing the impacts of boundary conditions in my own organisation. Take immigration as an example: we are all aware of it, but little work has been done to understand its implications – how immigration affects our organisation and our customers.” 

Preparation 

Decide which boundary condition you want to explore. You can use the PESTE framework to identify relevant boundary conditions in each category included in the framework. It is also possible to identify and select boundary conditions in advance of the joint working session.  

Alternatively, you can select boundary conditions from the themes of Sitra’s Megatrends 2026 report: 

  • Nature: 
    • biodiversity loss
    • climate change
    • resource availability  
  •  Power
    • geography
    • geopolitical position
    • EU membership
    • NATO membership
  • Population
    • demographics 
    • immigration
    • educational and skill
    • health and well-being
  • Technology
    • technological development and availability 

If you have a larger group, you can divide participants into smaller groups and assign a different boundary condition to each group. 

Working process 

  1. Divide into groups and distribute the worksheet. In each group, agree on the boundary condition you want to explore.  
  1. Go through the worksheet questions in numerical order. The process moves from present-day analysis into the future and back to the present. Write your observations directly onto the worksheet or use sticky notes. 
  1. If you are working in groups, share your observations with the other groups at the end. Finally, reflect on how you might act on the choices identified during the exercise. 

Materials

Future Boundary Conditions worksheet 

See also