Doing a value chain analysis. In a predictable  industry, you are aware of the cost of goods you need to reach as well as the maximum retail price you need to reach in order to stay the game.

Writing a business plan. In predictable environments, one can calculate with some precision how actions lead to operational and financial results. Business plans then offer managers and their constituencies a powerful method to assess risks and returns of their decisions.

Set your goals with your own means.

Doing a competitor analysis. In the automotive industry, for example, one can estimate with some accuracy when new competing models and technologies will come to the market. In order to ensure that sufficient attention is paid to one’s own products, it is important to position them relative to competitor products.