Making Sense of a
Fast-Moving World
Awash in Information
with STEEP Analysis
August Jackson

View the interplay of complex
forces in the broader world over
which we have no control
• Identify the factors that begin to
explain events
• Identify trends, uncertainties, and
inflection points that will influence the
future
• Reduces the risk of missing important
details
• Rethink problems or issues based on a
broad understanding of the big picture
• Get beyond normative analysis
• Make sense of the overwhelming
amount of information and data
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Society
• Demographics
• Family life
• Public health
• Religion
• Social norms
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Technology
• Information Technology
• Communications
• Biotechnology
• Manufacturing
• Materials science
• New methods
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Economy
• GDP
• Interest rates
• Inflation
• Commerce
• Labor
• Income distribution
• Equality
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Environment
• Climate
• Weather
• Resource availability
• Agricultural systems
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Politics
• Elections
• Regulation
• International bodies
• Conflict
• Legislation
• Legal systems
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STEEP is interchangeable with
other outside-in analytical
frameworks
• PEST
• PESTLE (Law)
• STEEPLED (Law, Ethics,
Demographic)
• STEEP + 2 (Military, Psychology)
• STEMPLE (Military)
• PMESII (Military, Information,
Infrastructure)
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Hold yourself to high
standards
• Question assumptions, generalizations,
and stereotypes
• Validate qualitative trends with
quantitative measures
• Get as close as possible to primary
sources
• Evaluate sources’ reliability and credibility
• Insist on sources that reveal methodology
and assumptions
• Read for nuance
• Triangulate trends and uncertainties from
multiple independent sources
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STEEP is a jumping off point for
other powerful analysis
• Implications wheels
• ”What if?” analysis
• Scenario analysis
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STEEP is the macro layer of my analytical operating system
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STEEP to understand the macro-environment
Porter’s Five Forces to understand the industry
SWOT to evaluate the players

Let’s look at a STEEP
analysis of Covid-19
• You can download an
example STEEP reflecting
some issues related to Covid-
19 here:
https://8of12.com/3akLNWv
• Feel free to sse this as a
template for your own STEEP
projects
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Thank you!
august@augustjackson.net
https://augustjackson.net
@8of12
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