We live in a time some analysts have labeled the perma-crisis era. “This is the world we live in,” says Christopher McCarney, a Supply Chain and Procurement leader at KPMG U.S. “And I don’t see it settling down anytime soon. There’s always going to be another event, and the best time to modernize is right now.”[1] As I wrote a couple of years ago, “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ another major disruption will occur — it’s when. … With uncertainty a constant, it is important to consider the consequences associated with lack of preparedness.”[2] Supply chain resilience has become a top priority for most organizations. McCarney believes, “Corporate priorities have changed to incorporate a growing need to build in buffers, which can drive up costs, into supply chains to guard against unforeseen supply-chain shocks.”

A 2024 survey conducted by Bain & Company found that supply chain resilience now sits on the throne and that cost is no longer king. The survey found, “Reducing costs is no longer paramount in supply chain management, according to executives surveyed for a report by management consulting firm, Bain & Co. Instead, increased flexibility and resilience trump cost and improved customer service.”[3]

The Urgent Need for Contingency Planning

I stand by what I wrote a few years ago: “Effective contingency planning is worth its weight in gold for managing uncertainty. The ability to pivot swiftly and decisively has become a critical differentiator for leading CPG brands. … Leveraging advanced analytics and automated decision-making systems allows CPGs to conduct predictive, scenario-based modeling relative to the degree of probability that certain events will unfold, further enabling them to optimize, restructure, and rebalance their portfolios for foundational resilience to disruption.” John Jullens, the Automotive Global Practice Leader at Arthur D. Little, and Marc Robinson, Managing Partner at Arbalète LLC, agree that scenario planning is critical in today’s perma-crisis environment. They explain, “The uncertainty surrounding trade policies calls for rigorous scenario planning. By exploring a range of potential outcomes, companies can stress-test their strategies and develop contingency plans for the most likely scenarios. This exercise should not be a one-time effort. As new information emerges and the geopolitical landscape evolves, wargaming sessions should be revisited to refine strategies and ensure readiness.”[4]

At Enterra Solutions®, we developed the Enterra Business WarGaming™ solution to help companies deal with the perma-crisis landscape. Business WarGaming enables organizations to leverage their data to make strategic decisions by anticipating the moves of their competitors and taking direct action to beat the competition, mitigate risk, navigate uncertainty, and maximize market opportunity. Part of Enterra Business WarGaming is the Enterra Global Insights and Decision Superiority System™ (EGIDS™) — powered by Enterra’s Autonomous Decision Science™ platform — which can help business leaders rapidly explore a multitude of options and scenarios. Companies should certainly do all they can to prepare for the most likely future; however, in world in which there is more uncertainty than certainty, scenario planning positions companies to respond better when the unexpected occurs. As Holly Clarke, Senior Product Manager at UiPath, explains, “Whilst preparation is crucial, it often matters more how you respond when faced with the unexpected.”[5] She adds, “Above all, it’s about asking an important question: are we in the best position to respond effectively and efficiently to the unexpected?”

Dig into the Data to Achieve Supply Chain Resilience

Steve Sensing, President of Global Supply Chain Solutions at Ryder System, Inc., agrees that positioning businesses to survive the unknown is essential. He explains, “It is imperative to have strategies and contingency plans in place that safeguard your supply chain, creating flexibility and putting your business in the best possible position to weather any storm.”[6] One way to do that, he suggests, is to “dig into the data.” He explains, “Data is fuel for supply chains. Fortunately, today’s supply chain management platforms provide end-to-end visibility, offering ample data at every point throughout the supply chain that enables organizations to make informed decisions and anticipate potential issues proactively. Technology-powered algorithms and predictive methods, for example, can provide foresight that helps facilitate informed, quick decision-making that allows companies to get ahead of disruptions.”

I couldn’t agree more. That’s why Enterra® introduced the Enterra Dynamic Enterprise Resiliency System™ (EDERS™). The System was designed to enable enterprises to convert macroeconomic and geopolitical trends into a powerful competitive advantage. EDERS enables organizations to autonomously analyze data, predict outcomes, and execute optimized decisions with high accuracy across complex business operations. It anticipates market shifts and recommends optimal actions and makes decisions with up to 90% accuracy, even in the most volatile economic and political environments. As Clarke observes, “Data is crucial for building a more accurate picture of the future. For AI models, even small amounts of data can start to generate significantly valuable insights. As organizations gather more detailed and vast data over time, the more each model learns and the better the outputs become.”

One thing you don’t want to do, according to Julie Arington, Valerie Hart, and Maria Llamas, analysts with Ankura, is “optimize your ‘gut’.”[7] They explain, “Adaptive supply chains are built on end-to-end visibility — from raw materials to doorstep delivery. … Regular analysis of end-to-end data is not only helpful to stay ahead of system disruptions, but commercial and retail consumers are increasingly asking for this information.”

Concluding Thoughts

Mike Mullen, Chief Operating Officer at Bear Cognition, writes, “It is time to retire from the idea that supply chain disruptions are merely temporary headaches.”[8] He adds, “To survive this new normal, businesses must pivot from reactive firefighting to proactive resilience, powered by real-time AI intelligence that unifies data and closes the gap between insight and execution.” He is spot on when he underscores the link between insight and execution. If they are not linked, then resilience simply becomes a slogan. Jorge Duarte, Vice President of Sales at Fountain City Logistics, worries that people believe talking about resilience somehow helps them become resilient. He explains, “What changes in 2026 is not the need for resilience. It is the cost of stopping there. Resilience is increasingly being used as a substitute for strategy. Not because resilience is wrong, but because the way we commonly use it has shrunk into something passive. It can become a polite way to say, ‘We are waiting.’ … But if ‘hang in there’ becomes the strategy, you have quietly accepted that the environment controls you and your best move is to tolerate it. Within the supply chain, tolerance is not leadership.”[9]

I couldn’t agree more. Companies need the ability to move forward and grow, even in a perma-crisis environment. Artificial intelligence solutions can help companies make the best possible choices when confronted with a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.

Footnotes

[1] Stephen Joyce, “Supply chain resiliency increasingly trumps cost in perma-crisis era,” 18 May 2026.

[2] Stephen DeAngelis, “Why U.S. Port Strike Situation Highlighted Need for Systematic Resiliency Across CPG Sector,” Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 3 December 2024.

[3] Staff, “Supply Chain Resilience More Important Than Cost Savings: Bain & Co. Survey,” SupplyChainBrain, 26 February 2024.

[4] John Jullens and Marc Robinson, “Trade Disruption Ahead: 5 Actions to Take Now,” Industry Week, 13 December 2024.

[5] Holly Clarke, “Supply Chain Skills to Help You Navigate the Unexpected,” Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 30 November 2024.

[6] Steve Sensing, “5 Ways to Set Up a Resilient Supply Chain,” Inc., 30 November 2024.

[7] Julie Arington, Valerie Hart, and Maria Llamas, analysts with Ankura, “From Pandemics to Protectionism: Resilient Supply Chains Are the Answer,” JD Supra, 20 October 2025.

[8] Mike Mullen, “Why the Future of Supply Chain Resilience Depends on Real-Time Execution,” Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 12 April 2026.

[9] Jorge Duarte, “Resilience Is a Slogan. It Should Not Be a Strategy,” Mexico Business, 2 February 2026.