anticipatory

An anticipatory feeling or action is one that happens before something else occurs. You might feel an anticipatory sense of excitement when waiting for your favorite holiday to arrive.

When we talk about being anticipatory, it's often in a business or planning context. For example, you might see a job posting with the requirement "anticipatory skills essential." This means the employer wants someone who can prepare and adapt quickly to changing situations before they happen. Anticipatory is also used to describe someone who thinks ahead and plans carefully for potential problems or opportunities. A company might have an anticipatory team that tries to prevent accidents by anticipating what could go wrong in a factory.