From data analysis to storytelling in scenario building. A semiotic approach to purpose-dependent writing of stories

Scenario building is one of the activities that companies frequently carry out in order to understand and communicate aspects or strategies about the future. Methodologies related to scenario building include, in one way or another, two phases, one oriented to the research of data and analysis, and the storytelling focused on communication. This paper identifies the transition from one phase to the other as a cause of loss of consistency and information that can jeopardize the whole process. It also develops a framework to build narratives or stories from the data obtained in the first phase, turning to diverse semiotic concepts in order to bridge this transition. This methodology is illustrated with an example obtained from Telefonica technology scenarios. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.