Strategic Planning and Management Course

Business strategy. Plan and secure success.

COVID-19 update: arrangement of our courses

We are now delivering courses online and in-person. Please check the delivery format of each class before enrolling.

Please note that course materials (excluding prescribed texts) are shared electronically within 48 hours of course commencement. Printing is not available.

In this strategic planning course, you will learn the strategic thinking concepts, skills and knowledge required to define the vision and mission for an organisation. You will learn how to make the critical decisions required to establish the strategic objectives and set the strategic direction for your organisation.

This course looks at the analytical skills required and the various tools available to design the most appropriate strategy. We will show you how to structure strategy so that managers can turn the strategy into operational and project plans that can be implemented within the budgetary and resource limitations of the organisation. Additionally, you will gain an insight into how an innovation strategy may be required to bring about the required future direction.

We will use a systematic approach to understand where the organisation is now, where the organisation wants to be and why, and how to successfully get from the present to the future.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• create an effective vision and mission statement
• design appropriate values to support the mission and vision
• follow a structured process to create an effective strategy
• analyse the environment your organisation operates in
• exercise critical decision making
• develop sound strategic goals
• develop a clear, implementable strategy
• develop a strategy that challenges assumptions.

Content

Strategic thinking and planning

• What is strategic planning
• The importance of strategic planning
• The benefits
• Good and bad strategy

The strategic planning process

• The steps involved in creating an effective strategy

Mission, vision and values

• Creating a mission
• Creating a vision
• The importance of organisational values
• Developing appropriate values

The environment

• Competitive lifecycle
• Stakeholder analysis
• SWOT analysis
• PESTEL analysis
• Porters five competitive forces
• Strategic issues
• Internationalisation

Developing the strategy

• Effective decision making
• Balancing capability and resources
• Establishing strategic goals
• Developing supporting strategies
• The balanced scorecard
• Evaluating strategies

Innovation and strategy

• Redefining the organisation
• Challenging assumptions
• Innovation regarding the customer, product and business model
• Creating an innovative culture to create strategy

Intended audience

Designed to suit those who are moving into, or relatively new to the ‘strategic planning’ arena. It will also benefit anyone who is involved with strategic planning, and are after some clarification and direction to improve their strategic thinking and planning skills.

Prerequisites

None

Delivery modes

• Face-to-face, presenter-taught workshop
• Online workshop via the platform Zoom

Delivery style

The Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) states that one of the most valuable resources in adult education is the learner themselves. This course has been designed to actively involve the learner throughout the day. It includes:

• interactive presentations
• group work and discussion
• structured strategy development activities
• strategy based case studies.

Recommended reading

Bryson, JM and Farnum, KA 2011, Creating Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Third Edition, Wiley.

Porter, ME 2008, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors, Free Press.

Rumelt, R 2011, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, Profile Books.