Every problem has some path to a solution. But often, that path is not as evident as you would like it to be.
Improvisation is the skill you need when all alternative plans turn out to be useless, which will happen more often than you will be comfortable with.
Most people think of improvisation as the comedic acting skill that follows one simple rule: don’t say no to a request. The moment you say no to a request, the skit ends. Regardless of how insane the request given; you don’t say no to it. That is what makes the best improvisational actors and comedian so good. They except that the main rule of improvisation requires no boundaries to creativity, and just continue to go with it.
The same general attitude comes into play with improvisation regarding normal functions in life apply, with a change of the unbreakable rule from ‘don’t say no’ to ‘keep moving forward.’ The same spirit applies, but since you are not supposed to be making it up as you go along, the chaos at the final end of the skit is not the same expected result as the expected outcome of a plan that had to pivot more often than planned.
Improvisation means taking chances when they appear, especially when you have very few viable options to choose from and the chance that you are going to take might not work. It means experimentation to try to get an edge over the competition who are doing the standard fare. It means knowing what the result should be in the end but being okay with not knowing exactly how you will get there but having the faith that you will get there.