Strategic Management (5 days)

From Strategic Planning to Implementation

Next course

• 7 - 11 October 2013, Geneva, Switzerland

Registration and course fees

Registration and payment deadline: 30 September 2013. Early bird fee available for payments until 7 August 2013.

Early bird fee /Full fee:

• Non-OECD: CHF 1220/1420
• OECD: CHF 1510 / 1760

Above fees are in Swiss francs (CHF) and include tuition, training materials and handouts, lunch and coffee breaks, and a course certificate.

Online currency converter: CHF to USD, CHF to EUR, CHF to GBP. These are indicative rates, provided by XE Currency Converter.

10% discount for returning students (within 12 months since the last course) or additional course participants from same organisation.

To register, please fill in the online registration form, or download the form and send it to us by email. For further inquiries, please contact us.

Course overview

Click here to download the course leaflet (PDF format).

Strategic management is a process of making and implementing strategic decisions concerning how to continuously improve organisational performance and impact in an ever changing environment. A coherent strategy provides an organisation with clear direction as a basis for important ongoing decision-making concerning the use of available resources. Strategic and implementation planning helps an organisation to formulate its strategy for how best to achieve its aims and the steps necessary to get there.

This introductory course focuses on the strategic management of non-profit organisations and its importance to the success of an organisation. It provides you with core knowledge, practical skills and tools to encourage strategic management and to prepare you to undertake strategic and implementation planning in your organisation. Emphasis is placed on "action learning" and the course features presentations, structured learning experiences, facilitated discussions, individual and group activities.

Who should attend

All managers and leaders involved in the development of an organisation's strategic management and strategic and implementation planning activities, in particular:

• Executive Directors
• Senior Managers
• Department Directors
• Programme Coordinators and Managers
• Directors of Administrations or Operations
• Senior Project Managers
• Board members

How you and your organisation will benefit - Learning Objectives

On this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand why strategic management is important to the success of an NGO
• Identify the main strategic challenges facing NGOs
• Identify the key elements of a strategic plan and learn what is involved in strategic planning
• Practice using different strategic planning frameworks and tools
• Understand how to translate strategy into an implementation plan
• Recognise and address the potential challenges and risks associated with translating a strategic plan into action
• Practice formulating an annual operating plan
• Monitor and evaluate implementation of strategic and implementation plans

Course programme

DAY 1

Introduction to Strategic NGO Management

Identifying strategic challenges facing NGOs:

• Introduction to the international development system
• Accountability, performance, impact, relevance and value
• Strategic management in context: growth, retrenchment or stability in a changing environment

Using strategy and strategic thinking for NGO management:

• Introduction to strategy and strategic thinking
• Characteristics of good strategy: such as "positioning", "synergy" and "fit"
• Key principles and common pitfalls, distortions and deceptions of strategic thinking

Strategic Planning: Achieving your Vision

Identifying the key elements of a strategic plan:

• Understanding the importance of strategic planning
• Key stages of strategic planning: 1. Where are you now? (Analysis) 2. Where do you want to go? (Choice or appraisal) 3. How do you get there? (Implementation or action)
• Essential components of a strategic plan: vision, mission, values, aims, objectives, strategies, performance indicators, and action plans
• Characteristics of a good strategic plan

Prerequisites for successful strategic planning:

• Dimensions of "Analysis": a) investigation of your mandate, b) identification of stakeholder requirements, c) internal (7S) and external (PEST) environmental analysis d) SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), and e) identification of strategic issues
• Practicalities of strategic planning: Who should be involved? How long will it take? How to structure the process? What will it cost?
• Strategic planning readiness assessment

DAY 2

Strategic Planning: Achieving your Vision (continued)

Prerequisites for successful strategic planning: (continued)

• Dimensions of "Choice or appraisal": a) identification of options, b) establishment of decision-making criteria, and c) decision-making

Selecting appropriate strategy frameworks and formulating a strategic plan:

• Introduction to different strategic planning tools: Bridgespan's Theory of Change, Porter's Competitive Forces, Moore' Public Value Strategic Triangle, MacMillan's Matrix, and Kaplan's Balanced Scorecard

DAY 3

Selecting appropriate strategy frameworks and formulating a strategic plan: (continued)

• ==== An experience in formulating a strategic plan

• ==== Comparing and contrasting the application and limitations of different strategic planning tools

Implementation Planning: Translating Strategy into Action

Identifying the key elements of an implementation plan: programmatic and institutional dimensions:

• ==== Understanding the importance of implementation planning

• ==== Key stage of implementation planning: How do you get there? (Implementation or action)

• ==== Essential components of an implementation plan: from desired impact to key result areas, organisational milestones, programmes and projects (action plans), results based management, organizational structure resource implications (physical, human, financial and systems and procedures), and resource mobilisation

• ==== Characteristics of a good implementation plan

DAY 4

Selecting appropriate implementation planning tools:

• ==== Introduction to different implementation planning tools for the effective operationalisation and rapid deployment of an organisation's strategy

• ==== Comparing and contrasting the application and limitations of different implementation planning tools

Addressing the challenges associated with translating strategy into action:

• ==== Potential challenges and risks associated with translating strategy into action at the programmatic and organisational levels

• ==== Strategies for mitigating these risks: communications and managing change

DAY 5

Developing an implementation plan based on your strategy:

• ==== An experience in formulating an annual implementation plan

Defining success: Monitoring and evaluation:

• ==== Measuring progress towards the achievement of your strategic plan

• ==== Monitoring the implementation of your operation plan

• ==== Managing uncertainty and adjusting to change

Wrap-up:

Lessons learned

Individual consultation

Participants can obtain an individual consultation from the trainer during or the course.