For years, many companies have used scenario planning as a tool to help understand what the future might bring and a framework for how business leaders could plan and prepare. In the current environment, this type of planning is particularly challenging since the short-term unknowns are in some ways greater than the longer-term uncertainty. In this episode of Resilient, Deloitte Consulting LLP Managing Director Andrew Blau and Salesforce's Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning Peter Schwartz discuss how executives can use scenario planning to ask questions to help anticipate, pivot toward, and create new opportunities. They also share practical advice across four possible scenarios from the Deloitte-Salesforce collaboration, The world remade by COVID-19. Planning scenarios for resilient leaders, to help business leaders tune their radar to see potential longer-term change happening before it creates surprise.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how and where we work—impacting executives and those leading finance teams. For many companies, the new virtual work environment creates operational disruptions to financial reporting, including annual reporting and the monthly and quarterly close processes. How are organizations adapting and innovating to address these challenges? In this episode of Resilient, two Deloitte leaders share how finance professionals impacted by an already tumultuous quarter can address the implications of virtual closes. They discuss the technologies companies are using to help decentralized finance teams and reporting functions complete the close process under unprecedented circumstances. And, they explore the new normal that may be facing finance and executive teams as businesses move from crisis response to recovery.

Enacted on March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is a relief package designed to alleviate some of the consequences of COVID-19. It earmarks more than $2 trillion in assistance to federal agencies, state and local governments, health care, businesses, and individuals. In this episode of Resilient, three Deloitte leaders explore the details and implications of the largest aid package in US history. They share insights on the CARES Act from a variety of angles, including tax policy provisions, government administration of the program, and small business relief. They also discuss how companies can tap into the aid package now to access some much-needed funding during this uncertain time.

Disruption to the global supply chain and the web of third parties that companies rely on has become a significant business challenge in the COVID-19 crisis. How are organizations getting supplies and achieving the balance of supply and demand in a compromised chain? How well do they know the third, fourth, and even fifth parties their suppliers rely on? And how are they identifying and managing concentrated geographic risks? This episode features a conversation with three Deloitte leaders who've spent decades focusing on supply chain dynamics. They discuss how organizations are evaluating their supply chain risk and share pragmatic steps leaders can take now to combat disruption in the near term. They also explore how companies can prepare to move from response to recovery and position their supply chains and their organizations to emerge from this crisis stronger.

Many businesses are already feeling the impact of COVID-19 on cash flow. Given the significant slowdown of commerce in nearly every industry, what are the risks posed by the resulting cash crunch? And how can organizations access the funds they need to withstand the crisis and emerge stronger? In this episode of Resilient, three Deloitte leaders who specialize in financial risk management, transformation, and corporate restructuring share insights on the instability created by the demand for cash. They discuss how the situation may shape a new business-as-usual normal in the aftermath of the initial crisis. They also explore the levers finance leaders can pull now including cash forecasting, cash conservation, and scenario planning to access capital, preserve value, and eventually thrive in the new paradigm.

As part of the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus, companies are temporarily closing office workspaces and asking employees to work from home. This episode explores some of the issues organizations are facing as they newly adopt or rapidly accelerate a remote workforce. Leaders from across Deloitte's Human Capital, Future of Work, and Cyber practices provide insights on how companies can address a broad set of virtual workforce challenges from technology oversight and risk management to employee well-being and cultural resilience. They also discuss the long-term implications of this short-term shift and what business as usual might look like for the post-crisis workforce.

As the impact of the COVID-19 crisis continues to create disruption, many organizations are realizing that existing preparedness plans may not be adequate in the face of this unprecedented global pandemic. How can businesses adapt their response efforts to potentially mitigate the impact of this crisis and work towards recovery? In this episode, we connect with three Deloitte leaders who specialize in risk and crisis management to discuss the acute response challenges presented by this rapidly changing situation: business continuity, financial liquidity, employee communications, security, and more. They share first-hand insights on how companies can identify and manage risk and even embrace innovation in this intense and unpredictable environment.

In this special edition Resilient series, we shift our focus to the evolving COVID-19 crisis. From supply chain disruptions and economic scenarios to remote working challenges and crisis response strategies, these episodes feature actionable insights from leaders to help you think through what to do now—and next.

As the role of the chief audit executive (CAE) continues to expand, how can CAEs elevate their role within the organization? Tune in to our new leadership podcast series, Resilient CAEs, to explore what it means to be a resilient internal audit leader and how technology can help you lead through transformation.

Internal auditors are not widely known for their ability to disrupt and transform business—but they should be. In this episode of Resilient, Brandi Thomas, vice president, corporate audit for Delta Air Lines, sits down with Sandy Pundmann to discuss the evolving role of the chief audit executive.