Summarizes and analyzes external direction and trends; addresses how these trends are influencing internal direction setting and decision making. A typical environmental scan for planning purposes can review trends in areas such as: demographics, social, environmental, economic, political and technological developments.
An environmental scan involves an analysis of both the external and internal issues that are likely to affect resources for an organization, agency, or program.
The systematic, ongoing and collaborative effort to search for important cues about how the world or one's sector is changing and how these changes can affect the future of things, including one's business, mission, competitiveness, etc. A broad range of issues should be examined with information gathered from a variety of sources and perspectives.
The process of taking stock and involves thorough examination of both the internal status of the organization and the external context in which it is situated