Types of scenario
Scenarios may be described and represented in different ways (see Table below). Which is used depends on the type of issue being considered (e.g. how complex it is), the needs and skills of the stakeholders involved in scenario development, and the type of assessment (i.e. diagnostic, summative or prognostic). Follow the links below to find more information on each type.
| Characteristic of approach | Prescriptive | Descriptive | Predictive | Probabilistic |
| Defined in terms of: | Outcomes | Contexts | Trends | Processes |
| Approach to system specification | Normative | Qualitative | Quantitative | Quantitative |
| Method of formulation | Expert judgement | Stakeholder consultation | Deterministic models or extrapolation | Stochastic models |
| Form of information produced | Assumptions (fixed states) | Narratives, pictures | Predictions of future states | Predictions of system behaviour |
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