This course will highlight:

• Learning how to apply leading-edge thinking in strategic analysis/planning
• Evaluating the choices faced by any organisation in developing the future
• Producing a strategic plan that serves as a road map for action
• Understanding best practice in implementation
• Designing an effective linkage between strategic management and operational management

By the end of this course, delegates will learn about:

• Understand the difference between a team and a work group
• List the benefits that teams have over individuals
• Determine wh Leverage the value of strategy and strategic planning
• Break the process down step-by-step, providing a toolkit for each stage
• Analyse options and synthesise information into an actionable strategic plan
• Take advantage of the opportunities of globalisation
• Lead effective change within your part of your organisation
• Organisational Impact
• In sending delegates to this course, the organisation will gain the following benefits:
• Better decision-making and time/resource allocation - leading to better organisational performance
• Introduction of strategic thinking into all levels of the organisation
• Top management having more confidence in the ability and judgement of its operating managers
• A better general appreciation of the rationale and content of forward planning
• Improved perspectives on the extent and direction of change required for success
• More effective programme and project implementation by managers
• Personal Impact
• In attending this course, delegates will acquire the following skills and competencies:
• Improved career flexibility and prospects
• Accelerated thinking speed and problem resolution for all difficult decisions
• Detailed understanding of the impact of operational specialisation on business strategy
• Improved team working capabilities in analysing and solving strategic problems
• Innovative approaches in ensuring the most effective impact of individual specialisations
• Greater team motivation and personal effectiveness in planning and implementation
• y teams fail and how to prevent your team from failing
• See how team members encourage each other to achieve high levels of performance
• Recognize how team members need to communicate interpersonally
• Learn the process for team conflict resolution
• See how successful teams manage the resistance to change
• Determine you team member style and how it impacts on your success and the success of your team
• Learn the different roles and responsibilities that team members have
• Describe how to run an effective team meetings
• See how highly effective team members build trust and believability
• Determine how to set and monitor team goals  

This course is designed for experienced professionals from any industry and any specialization who wish to develop a broader appreciation of business issues and their personal roles. The course is appropriate for participants from a wide background who wish to learn about strategy and strategic planning.

 In the past, our delegates have included the following:

• Specialists in marketing and business development
• Experienced managers/leaders in finance and accounting
• Specialists in production and operations management
• Scientists in research and development
• Logistics and distribution specialists

The training process is based on a carefully planned combination of highly focused tutor input, using a balanced set of state-of-the-art learning mechanisms. The emphasis will be on studying real organisations making major strategic decisions. Above all, the principles and approaches to strategy and strategic management will be illustrated by reference to real-life organisations in which the course leader has been personally involved.

We will use the following training methods:

• Presentations by the course leader, including case examples
• Group work on case studies based on analysis, interaction and discussion
• Presentations by subject experts on aspects of strategy, strategic planning and organizational change
• Highly focused problem-solving exercises, including “outside the box” thinking
• Creative sessions on specific topics selected by the delegates

DAY 1

Strategic Thinking and Business Analysis

• Definitions of strategy and strategic planning?
• Why are strategy and strategic planning important?
• Understanding the main frameworks for strategic analysis
• Strategic planning in public sector organisations
• External analysis - understanding and analysing business attractiveness
• Analysing customers and benchmarking your own strategic position
• How attractive is the game that we have chosen to play?

DAY 2

Internal Analysis and Fusion into Strategic Choice

• The interface and balance of external and internal analysis
• Internal analysis: financial
• Internal analysis: non-financial
• The concept and practicalities of the “balanced scorecard”
• Diagnosing and analysing strategic problems and opportunities
• Fusion of analysis into strategic choices - SWOT and the strategy matrix
• How well are we playing the game that we have chosen to play?

DAY 3

Strategic Plans and the Relevance of Alliances and Joint Ventures

• Review of the tools used so far
• The content of a strategy: avoiding “paralysis by analysis”
• Putting a strategic plan together – the 5-page framework
• A real-life example of a business strategy/strategic plan
• Strategies for alliances and joint ventures
• Management of alliances and joint ventures
• Examples of best practice in alliances and joint ventures

DAY 4

Global Strategy, Team building and the Management of Internal Communication

• The essence of globalisation and global strategy
• Globalisation – the strategic dimension
• Globalisation – the organisational dimension
• Globalisation – the human dimension
• How to build and manage a strategic planning team
• Communicating strategy through the organisation
• Gaining your team’s commitment and buy-in to the strategy

DAY 5

Strategic Implementation and Getting the Value out of Strategy

• Alignment of strategy, culture, structure and people
• Effective execution - converting strategic analysis and planning into action
• Aligning and linking strategy with operational objectives
• Implementation – getting practical things done
• Creating tomorrow’s organisation out of today’s organisation
• Strategic planning at a personal level
• Overview - the complete strategy process
• Summary and conclusions - the corporate and individual value of

National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA): CDGA Training & Consulting is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website www.learningmarket.org