ennakoitavuus

Ennakoitavuus is a Finnish term referring to the quality or capacity of being anticipated or foreseen. It describes how predictable or foreseeable a future event, outcome, or development is given available information, patterns, or trends. In practice, ennakoitavuus denotes the degree to which stakeholders can reasonably anticipate what might happen and prepare accordingly.

The word is formed from the verb ennakoida, meaning to anticipate or foresee, with the abstract noun suffix -vuus. It is closely related to the concept of forecasting and is used across various domains to discuss predictability and planning.

In risk management and safety engineering, ennakoitavuus refers to the ability to foresee potential hazards and their consequences. Assessments of ennakoitavuus help determine what safeguards, controls, or mitigations are warranted. In legal contexts, foreseeability (ennakoitavuus) can play a normative role in assessing liability, particularly whether a defendant could reasonably anticipate possible harm or loss.

It is important to distinguish ennakoitavuus from certainty. A high level of ennakoitavuus does not guarantee outcomes; rather, it reflects reasonable predictability based on current knowledge, data quality, and analytical methods. Limitations arise from incomplete information, model uncertainty, and evolving conditions.

See also: ennuste (forecast), ennakointi (anticipation), risk assessment, foreseeability in law, safety management.