Most organizations have a strategy document. Far fewer have a strategy that anyone actually executes. Research from Harvard Business School found that roughly 90% of organizations fail to execute their strategies successfully. The gap between a well-written strategy and organizational performance is almost always a leadership and execution problem, not a strategy problem. This program closes that gap.

Course Overview

The Strategic Planning and Execution program equips senior managers, directors, and leadership teams with the frameworks and practical tools to develop clear organizational strategies and, critically, to build the execution systems that turn strategy into measurable results. The program covers environmental analysis, strategic choice, objective setting, execution architecture, performance tracking, and the leadership behaviors that determine whether strategy succeeds or stalls.

It is equally relevant for leaders building organizational strategy from scratch and those who have inherited a strategy that is not being executed effectively. Every module is grounded in real organizational scenarios, not textbook frameworks applied in a vacuum.

Available as an instructor-led classroom course at scheduled venues worldwide, as a fully live online program, and as a customized in-house program. Every format is live and interactive. There are no pre-recorded sessions.

Who Delivers This Program

Every session is facilitated by a practitioner who has led or directly supported strategic planning processes in real organizations. Our facilitators have developed and executed strategies across corporate, government, and family business environments in the Gulf, Africa, and internationally. They bring the lived experience of what strategy looks like when it works and what causes it to fail in practice.

How We Make This Relevant to You Specifically

Before every cohort, each participant completes a pre-course profile covering their organization’s current strategic situation, the planning challenges they face, and what they need most from this program. Facilitators review every profile before the first session. Case studies and planning exercises throughout the program are drawn from the strategic contexts of the people in the room.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

Conduct a rigorous strategic analysis
Apply PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces, and internal capability analysis to develop a clear picture of your strategic position.

Define strategic direction with clarity
Develop a compelling vision, mission, and set of strategic priorities that your organization can actually rally behind.

Build an execution architecture
Translate strategy into operational plans, initiatives, resource allocation, and accountability structures that drive delivery.

Set and cascade strategic objectives
Use OKRs and balanced scorecard frameworks to connect organizational strategy to team and individual action.

Monitor and adapt strategy in real time
Design performance tracking systems that surface problems early and enable rapid strategic adjustment.

Lead strategy execution as a senior leader
Build the leadership behaviors, communication practices, and governance structures that make execution a cultural reality.

Manage strategic risk and uncertainty
Identify the assumptions your strategy depends on, stress-test them, and build contingency into your planning process.

Communicate strategy compellingly
Present strategic direction to boards, senior leadership, and frontline teams in a way that builds understanding and commitment.

Course Outline

The program is structured across nine modules covering the full strategic planning and execution lifecycle.

Module 1: What Strategy Is and Why It Fails

The difference between strategy and planning, the most common reasons well-written strategies fail to deliver results, the role of leadership in execution success, and an honest assessment of your organization’s current strategic clarity and execution capability.

Module 2: Strategic Analysis and Environmental Scanning

PESTLE analysis applied to Gulf, African, and international operating environments. Porter’s Five Forces for competitive positioning. Internal capability assessment using VRIO and the value chain. Synthesizing analysis into a clear strategic picture using SWOT and TOWS frameworks.

Module 3: Defining Strategic Direction

Crafting a compelling vision and mission that people can connect to. Identifying and evaluating strategic options. Making strategic choices under uncertainty. The Ansoff matrix, blue ocean thinking, and competitive positioning. Aligning strategic direction to ownership and stakeholder expectations.

Module 4: Strategic Objectives and the Balanced Scorecard

Translating strategic direction into measurable objectives. The Balanced Scorecard: financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives. OKRs as an execution framework. Setting objectives that are ambitious enough to matter and clear enough to measure. Strategy maps and the causal logic of organizational performance.

Module 5: Building the Execution Architecture

Translating objectives into strategic initiatives and operational plans. Resource allocation: aligning budget and headcount to strategic priorities. Governance structures for strategy execution. Portfolio management of strategic initiatives. The role of the PMO in strategy execution.

Module 6: Cascading Strategy Through the Organization

Connecting organizational strategy to divisional, departmental, and individual goals. The strategy cascade: alignment without micromanagement. Communicating strategy to different audiences with different levels of detail. Building line-of-sight from individual work to organizational direction.

Module 7: Performance Tracking and Strategic Reviews

Designing a performance tracking system that surfaces problems before they become crises. Leading vs lagging indicators. Running effective strategic review meetings. Distinguishing between execution problems and strategy problems. When to stay the course and when to adapt.

Module 8: Strategic Risk and Scenario Planning

Identifying the assumptions your strategy depends on. Scenario planning for uncertain environments. Geopolitical, economic, and market risks in Gulf and African contexts. Building strategic resilience without paralysis. The role of strategic agility in long-term organizational survival.

Module 9: Your Strategic Plan and Execution Roadmap

Consolidating all program learning into a structured strategic plan and 90-day execution roadmap for your organization or function. Peer review and coaching. Certificate of completion.

What This Investment Returns to Your Organization

The cost of poor strategy execution is not just missed targets. It is wasted investment, disengaged teams, and competitive ground that is difficult to recover.

90%

of organizations fail to execute their strategies successfully, making strategy execution capability one of the most valuable and least common organizational competencies.
Source: Harvard Business School research

95%

of employees are unaware of or do not understand their organization’s strategy, meaning even well-designed strategies fail at the point of individual action.
Source: Palladium Group / Balanced Scorecard research

60%

of organizations do not link their budgets to their strategy, resulting in resource allocation that actively works against strategic priorities.
Source: Kaplan and Norton, Balanced Scorecard research

3.5x

greater revenue growth in organizations with strong strategy execution capability compared to those with weak execution, according to McKinsey organizational health research.
Source: McKinsey Organizational Health Index

Beyond the numbers: Organizations that build genuine strategy execution capability create alignment across functions, direct resources where they create most value, and build the organizational discipline that compounds over time into sustainable competitive advantage. Participants return with a concrete strategic plan and execution roadmap they implement immediately.

Who Should Attend

Senior managers, directors, and department heads responsible for strategic planning and delivery
Leadership teams preparing or refreshing organizational strategy
Strategy, planning, and business development professionals
Government and public sector leaders navigating national transformation agendas
Business owners and entrepreneurs building their first formal strategic plan

Participants from all industries and regions welcome. Particularly relevant for organizations navigating Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia, national development agendas across the Gulf, and growth strategies across African markets. Delivered in English. Arabic delivery available for in-house programs on request.

How We Customize This Program for Your Organization

Your actual strategic situationFor in-house delivery, participants work on your organization’s real strategic challenges throughout the program, leaving with a draft strategic plan rather than a training exercise.

National transformation alignmentFor organizations operating within Vision 2030 or similar national agendas, we align strategic planning frameworks to the specific objectives and reporting requirements of those programs.

Senior leadership team formatThe program can be delivered as a facilitated strategy workshop for an entire leadership team, combining training with actual strategic decision-making in a structured format.

Sector-specific contextAll strategic analysis tools and case studies are applied to the competitive and regulatory environment of your specific industry.

What Past Participants Say

“We have had strategy consultants come and go for years. This program gave my leadership team the capability to do it ourselves. The execution architecture module alone changed how we govern our strategic priorities entirely.”

CEO, Diversified Conglomerate, Saudi Arabia

“I finally understand why our previous strategies never stuck. The cascade module was eye-opening. We spent three days writing strategy and never once thought about whether anyone two levels down could explain what it meant for their work.”

Director of Strategy, Government Entity, UAE

Delivery Format

In-Person Classroom

Full days, 9am to 5pm
Maximum 15 participants per cohort
Scheduled venues globally
Materials and workbook included

Live Online

Live instructor-led, never pre-recorded
Flexible time-zone scheduling
Fully interactive with breakout groups
Same outcomes and certificate as classroom

In-House / Corporate: Delivered for your leadership team anywhere in the world, with your real strategic situation as the working material. Request a proposal.

Pricing

The following fees apply to the standard 5-day public course delivered in Saudi Arabia and the GCC.

$3,950

Per delegate
Individual booking

$3,555

Per delegate
Groups of 3 to 5 (10% off)

$2,963

Per delegate
Groups of 6 to 10 (25% off)

Fees include all materials, workbook, and certificate. For venues outside the GCC, see the Training Calendar. For in-house delivery, contact us for a proposal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this program suitable for organizations that already have a strategy in place?

Yes. Many participants attend with an existing strategy that is not being executed effectively. The program is equally valuable for building strategy from scratch and for diagnosing and fixing execution failures in an existing strategy.

Is this relevant for government and public sector organizations?

Absolutely. The program has been delivered to government ministries, regulatory authorities, and quasi-governmental organizations across the Gulf. The frameworks are adapted to public sector governance structures and, where relevant, to Vision 2030 and national transformation agenda requirements.

What certificate do participants receive?

Every participant receives a TheSkillGrid Certificate of Completion in Strategic Planning and Execution, which can be added to LinkedIn and is recognized by employers internationally.

Research sources cited on this page:
Harvard Business School. Why CEOs Fail. hbs.edu
Palladium Group. Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame research.
Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. The Strategy-Focused Organization. Harvard Business Review Press.
McKinsey. Organizational Health Index research. mckinsey.com

Upcoming Dates & Venues

No sessions currently scheduled.
Contact us to register your interest — we'll notify you when new dates are confirmed, or arrange a private cohort for your team.

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Strategic Planning and Execution