HR Strategy Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends HR Directors, HR Business Partners and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-HM-089

Before you join: Participants should have working experience in HR, people management or organisational planning, and understand common HR processes such as recruitment, performance management, learning, reward or employee relations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Organisations need HR strategies that turn business priorities into clear workforce decisions: which capabilities to build, which roles to protect, how to attract and retain scarce talent, and how to measure whether people investment is producing results. HR leaders must also balance service delivery, employee expectations, labour-market constraints, regulatory duties and financial pressure. Without a structured approach, HR plans often become disconnected lists of initiatives with unclear ownership, weak evidence and limited executive support.

This course shows participants how to formulate, test and implement an HR strategy linked to organisational direction. Participants assess strategic context, define workforce implications, select an HR operating model, conduct workforce planning and set talent, reward, employee relations and inclusion priorities. They use practical frameworks including SWOT, RACI, strategic workforce planning, the HR Scorecard, Balanced Scorecard and ISO 30414 metrics. The course also addresses HR technology decisions, people risk, change adoption, governance and benefits realisation.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings with sector-based cases, facilitated analysis, group exercises, planning simulations and structured peer review. Participants apply each method to a realistic organisational scenario or their own workplace challenge. They leave with a structured HR strategy dossier containing a strategic diagnosis, priority themes, workforce analysis, scorecard, implementation roadmap and governance arrangements. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the five-day course.

The course suits experienced HR practitioners moving into strategic roles, as well as managers who need to shape people decisions with HR colleagues. It is particularly relevant where organisations are managing growth, restructuring, skills shortages, digital change, service redesign, mergers or increased scrutiny of workforce outcomes.

What you will be able to do

  • Translate business strategy into a prioritised HR strategy and people agenda
  • Conduct strategic workforce planning using demand, supply and gap analyses
  • Design an HR operating model using Ulrich roles, RACI and governance
  • Build talent and skills strategies using segmentation, succession and career architecture
  • Evaluate performance, reward and pay-equity systems against strategic objectives
  • Construct an HR scorecard using ISO 30414 definitions and leading indicators
  • Prepare change, technology and people-risk responses using impact and risk assessments
  • Produce a costed HR implementation roadmap with measures, owners and review points

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Frame HR recommendations in terms senior leaders can assess and sponsor
  • Build credible workforce plans for growth, restructuring and skill shortages
  • Use recognised scorecard measures to report HR contribution clearly
  • Design stronger HR initiatives with ownership, milestones and evidence requirements
  • Prepare a practical strategy dossier for an immediate workplace priority

For your organisation

  • Links people investment decisions directly to business priorities and capability requirements
  • Improves visibility of workforce risks, critical roles and emerging skill gaps
  • Creates clearer accountability between HR, managers, specialists and service teams
  • Strengthens executive reporting through defined measures, baselines and review cycles
  • Produces an implementable people agenda rather than disconnected HR initiatives

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can translate organisational direction into defined HR priorities, evidence requirements and decision criteria.

  • Business strategy translated into people implications using SWOT and value-chain analysis
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies competing workforce expectations, influence, decision rights and constraints
  • PESTLE assumptions tested against labour markets, regulation, technology and demographic change
  • Strategic choices framed through differentiation, cost, service and innovation priorities
  • HR value propositions linked to critical capabilities and customer outcomes
  • Strategic HR questions converted into evidence requirements and decision criteria

Participants can select an HR operating model and establish accountable governance arrangements.

  • Ulrich HR operating model assessed against service demand and capability needs
  • Decision-rights matrices clarify accountabilities among HR, managers, centres and partners
  • RACI charts assign ownership for workforce decisions, policies and service delivery
  • Shared-services scope distinguished from business partnering and specialist advisory work
  • HR governance calendars sequence board reporting, policy review and risk oversight
  • Service-level measures define quality, timeliness, access and issue resolution

Participants can develop workforce scenarios, identify gaps and prioritise workforce responses.

  • Workforce segmentation identifies pivotal roles, scarce skills and differentiated responses
  • Strategic workforce planning converts demand scenarios into headcount and skill forecasts
  • Supply analysis combines turnover, retirement, mobility, hiring and productivity assumptions
  • Build-buy-borrow-bot choices evaluated using cost, speed, risk and capability criteria
  • Gap-closing actions prioritised through impact, feasibility, ownership and timing assessments
  • Succession slates tested for readiness, diversity, mobility and development requirements

Participants can define talent priorities across attraction, development, mobility and retention.

  • Talent philosophy defines employee segments, investment levels and retention commitments
  • Employer value proposition diagnosed from attraction, experience and exit evidence
  • Skills-based architecture connects job families, proficiency levels and career pathways
  • Selection systems structured around job analysis, valid criteria and adverse-impact checks
  • Learning portfolios target capability gaps through 70-20-10 development planning
  • Retention risk segmented using tenure, performance, pay position and flight indicators

Participants can align performance and reward systems with strategic objectives and fairness controls.

  • Performance management aligned with strategy through goals, check-ins and calibration
  • SMART objectives cascade enterprise priorities into role-level measurable commitments
  • Nine-box talent reviews distinguish performance evidence from future-potential judgements
  • Pay architecture benchmarked through job evaluation, market positioning and internal equity
  • Total reward propositions balance fixed pay, incentives, benefits and recognition
  • Pay-equity analyses test gender and demographic disparities using controlled comparisons

Participants can set employee experience priorities while managing relations, inclusion and wellbeing risks.

  • Employee listening strategy combines surveys, focus groups, pulse data and action tracking
  • Psychological contract risks identified through policy consistency, manager behaviour and trust
  • Employee relations cases triaged by severity, legal exposure, precedent and confidentiality
  • DEI goals embedded in recruitment, progression, pay and leadership-accountability measures
  • Wellbeing controls distinguish workload, psychosocial hazards, support and escalation routes
  • Union consultation planned around information duties, negotiation boundaries and documentation

Participants can build an HR measurement system that supports timely strategic decisions.

  • HR scorecard links workforce measures to strategic objectives and accountable owners
  • ISO 30414 metrics selected for relevance, definitions, comparability and data availability
  • Leading indicators separated from lagging measures for timely workforce intervention
  • Dashboard design applies targets, thresholds, trends, segmentation and narrative commentary
  • People analytics hypotheses specify decisions, variables, populations, limitations and ethics
  • Data governance addresses consent, access controls, retention and algorithmic bias

Participants can plan people change and technology initiatives with defined adoption and risk controls.

  • Change impact assessments map stakeholder disruption, capability needs and adoption barriers
  • Kotter's eight-step model sequences sponsorship, communication, participation and reinforcement
  • HR technology business cases compare process cost, user needs, controls and benefits
  • Process maps expose handoffs, rework, approvals, data gaps and automation candidates
  • Risk registers quantify people, legal, operational and reputational exposures
  • Contingency plans define triggers, owners, communications and workforce continuity actions

Participants can convert HR priorities into governed initiatives with measurable business outcomes.

  • Strategic priorities converted into initiatives, milestones, dependencies, budgets and owners
  • Logic models connect HR activities, outputs, outcomes and business measures
  • Balanced Scorecard perspectives align people initiatives with financial and customer goals
  • Portfolio matrices rank initiatives by strategic value, effort, risk and urgency
  • Resource plans assign sponsors, delivery teams, funding and governance checkpoints
  • Benefits-realisation reviews compare intended outcomes, measures, baselines and corrective action

Participants can present a focused HR strategy application plan for their own organisational context.

  • Current-state diagnosis synthesises strategy, workforce evidence, operating model and risks
  • Priority statements define the workforce problem, target population and intended outcome
  • Strategic themes translated into initiatives using objectives, measures and accountable owners
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence quick wins, capability building and structural changes
  • Executive narratives present trade-offs, investment cases, risks and decision requests
  • Personal application plans schedule stakeholder conversations, evidence gathering and first actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. HR strategy diagnostic template
  2. Strategic workforce planning model
  3. HR operating-model and RACI template
  4. HR Scorecard and ISO 30414 metric dictionary
  5. People-risk register template
  6. Costed HR implementation roadmap

Who should attend

  • HR Directors — need a structured method for setting enterprise people priorities
  • HR Business Partners — need to connect business plans with workforce actions
  • HR Managers — need to move from policy administration to strategic planning
  • Talent and Learning Managers — need to align capability investments with future skill needs
  • People Analytics Managers — need to turn workforce data into executive decisions
  • Business Unit Leaders — need to sponsor and govern people initiatives with HR

Skills and tools covered

HR strategy formulationWorkforce planningHR operating modelsPeople analyticsTalent strategyImplementation governance

Tools and standards

SWOT analysis, RACI matrix, ISO 30414, Balanced Scorecard

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce models, followed by case analysis, facilitated group work, planning simulations and individual application. Participants examine realistic workforce issues such as restructuring, scarce technical skills, retention problems, service redesign and HR technology investment. They work with strategy maps, workforce data, operating-model choices, scorecards and implementation plans. Facilitators provide structured feedback on strategic logic, measures, ownership and delivery risks. Time is reserved throughout for translating course methods into participants' own organisational priorities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have working experience in HR, people management or organisational planning, and understand common HR processes such as recruitment, performance management, learning, reward or employee relations. They should be comfortable interpreting basic workforce data, such as headcount, turnover and absence figures. Experience of contributing to an HR plan, business plan or transformation initiative is useful. No prior certification in HR, finance qualification, advanced statistical knowledge or specialist HR analytics software expertise is required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

This is an intermediate course for people with practical exposure to HR, line management or organisational planning. Participants should understand common HR processes, but no prior HR qualification or advanced analytics background is required.

Bring a laptop if possible, plus any non-confidential business plans, HR priorities or workforce data you wish to use during application planning. Course materials and planning templates are provided.

It is designed for HR managers, HR business partners, HR directors, talent leaders and people analytics professionals. Business leaders responsible for workforce decisions will also benefit from the planning and governance methods.

The course focuses on setting strategic people priorities, making workforce choices and implementing measurable initiatives. It does not provide detailed instruction on daily HR administration, payroll processing or jurisdiction-specific employment law.

Participants can use the diagnostic, workforce planning model, scorecard and roadmap to address a current people issue. Typical uses include responding to skill shortages, redesigning HR services, improving retention or preparing a transformation plan.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The programme progresses from strategic diagnosis and workforce planning through talent, analytics, change and implementation, with application time integrated throughout.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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