Building an Effective Strategy
info_mark_grey In-person
$2,390 + tax (5%)
Course Start Date
-
Jan 29 - 30, 2026
IF810 W26 A -
Mar 19 - 20, 2026
IF810 W26 B -
Sep 10 - 11, 2026
IF810 F26 A -
Jan 28 - 29, 2027
IF810 W27 A
2 days
2 days
2 days
2 days
Building an Effective Strategy
Develop a game plan for success
No matter what your business situation—from private firms looking to generate shareholder value; to public sector agencies facing a multitude of program options; to not-for-profits needing to do more with less—strategic planning is essential to improving your organization’s long-term chances of success.
This introductory course will immerse you in the world of business strategy. Learn basic frameworks for designing a winning strategy in public, private and not-for-profit settings. Practice techniques to analyze your organization as it is, and imagine how it could be better. Map out a mission, vision and priorities for strategic action. Brainstorm possibilities to generate strategic options. Increase your personal capacity to see around corners, create opportunities and drive innovation and growth.
Note: Building an Effective Strategy covers the fundamental concepts, tools and practices of strategy, while Strategy Implementation that Works looks at strategy execution. There is no overlap between them, but together they form a natural progression of learning.
See the bigger picture
Develop a more strategic mindset. Understand your company's competitive context and get a higher-level perspective on where the company needs to go.
Move from problems to possibilities
Approach strategy as a creative act. Diagnose your challenges and frame incisive questions around them to generate new options for strategic solutions.
Create a strategic game plan
Get strategic direction off the ground by crafting a strategy statement from scratch. Map out a vision for growth and how you're going to get there.
Establish winning conditions for success
Analyze the root cause of performance and opportunity gaps. Set realistic targets and test ideas for barriers. Choose what to do - and what not to do.
Strategic Understanding and Analysis
- How do different companies compete, and what are the options for strategy?
- Traditional vs. modern strategy
- Analyzing your company’s activities at the highest level
- Developing corporate vision/mission/goals/strategies and tactics in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations
- Key tools and concepts for framing strategy (PEST Analysis, Strategic Group Mapping, Industry Life-Cycles, Key Success Factors, Forecasting, etc.)
- Segmenting your customers and products/services to describe what business you are really in and how you align with the rest of the industry
- Applying the 5-Forces Analysis to understand industry trends and competitiveness
- Using the 7-step Strategic Analysis framework to garner a comprehensive overview of the industry
Strategic Application
- Building a Strategy Canvas to understand how you and others are differentiated, and to explore future options and their implications on the industry
- Identifying any company’s true competitive advantage and how this is used in a variety of circumstances
- Developing a strategy statement that includes the logic, scope and long-term goals to succeed
- Applying frameworks to foster tangible solutions to strategic challenges
Strategic Understanding and Analysis
- How do different companies compete, and what are the options for strategy?
- Traditional vs. modern strategy
- Analyzing your company’s activities at the highest level
- Developing corporate vision/mission/goals/strategies and tactics in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations
- Key tools and concepts for framing strategy (PEST Analysis, Strategic Group Mapping, Industry Life-Cycles, Key Success Factors, Forecasting, etc.)
- Segmenting your customers and products/services to describe what business you are really in and how you align with the rest of the industry
- Applying the 5-Forces Analysis to understand industry trends and competitiveness
- Using the 7-step Strategic Analysis framework to garner a comprehensive overview of the industry
Strategic Application
- Building a Strategy Canvas to understand how you and others are differentiated, and to explore future options and their implications on the industry
- Identifying any company’s true competitive advantage and how this is used in a variety of circumstances
- Developing a strategy statement that includes the logic, scope and long-term goals to succeed
- Applying frameworks to foster tangible solutions to strategic challenges
Profile
Perry Atwal
Contact us
Evan Lloyd
Client Development Specialist, Professional GrowthWhat other professionals think
Before this course, I had no knowledge about business strategy (beyond the intuitive knowledge of running my own professional practice and being told about the strategy of my current large employer). In a few hours of pre-course preparation and two days in class, I now have a very concrete base of knowledge about strategy that I can apply to my work. I have several tools that I can easily apply to understand the 'why' behind my employer's strategy and how I might advance that strategy within my own role. I have a set of written ideas developed in class that I can build on. Perry was an excellent instructor!