"It is the job of combatant commanders to consider the what-ifs, to be prepared for contingency plans," he said.
However, being unable to predict and prepare for contingencies can undermine both.
"General managers are always playing the 'What if' game," Hart said, in terms of preparing for contingencies.
In times of uncertainty and with increased attacks against academics and activists, we need to prepare for contingencies.
To broaden your perspective on the future, the authors suggest, you can use proven tactics for improving the accuracy of estimates and preparing for contingencies.
There is no tactical advantage in rushing in: Mr Assad and his friends will have been preparing for contingencies, including ways to hide his offending chemical weapons, for many months.
Army generals warned that if the number of troops was further cut as called for in the original plan, they would be unable to engage with allies, in particular to conduct training exercises with foreign military partners, and to prepare for contingencies.
Some of the difficulties with the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund were to be expected in a war zone, but officials did not properly prepare for contingencies like the challenge and expense of running power lines through remote areas of southern Afghanistan where the Taliban is strong, the report said.
Volume one focused on building a bird; volume two covers the challenges a picosatellite faces in LEO, and how to prepare for contingencies using inexpensive off-the-shelf kit (such as a $20 automotive brake-bleeder hand pump to simulate a vacuum).
