Mini MBA in Executive Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 17 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Senior Managers, Functional Heads and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-EPMM-007

Before you join: Participants should have at least five years of professional experience and current or recent responsibility for budgets, projects, teams, services or business performance.

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

Senior managers must make connected decisions about strategy, finance, operations, customers, people and risk rather than treating each function as a separate agenda. A growth plan can fail through weak cash discipline; a cost programme can damage customer retention; a technology investment can miss its intended business case. This Mini MBA in Executive Management gives experienced professionals a practical structure for diagnosing such trade-offs, setting priorities and turning executive decisions into measurable action.

The programme covers the core disciplines expected in an executive mini MBA: business economics, strategy, financial accounting, corporate finance, marketing, operations, people management, leadership, digital business, governance, risk, change and execution. Participants use recognised methods including PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, SWOT, Balanced Scorecard, value-chain analysis, contribution analysis, working-capital analysis and stakeholder mapping. They learn to read financial statements, assess investment proposals, shape market propositions, improve operating performance and lead cross-functional delivery.

Teaching combines concise faculty briefings with cases drawn from banking, public services, infrastructure, consumer markets, technology and NGOs. Participants work on a business challenge from their own organisation or a supplied case, building analyses and decisions progressively through both weeks. They leave with an executive business plan containing a strategic diagnosis, financial case, operating plan, people implications, risk controls and implementation measures. The final capstone presentation tests their ability to defend recommendations before senior stakeholders.

The course suits managers moving into broader enterprise responsibility, functional heads seeking stronger commercial judgement, and technical leaders who must influence executive decisions. It is also suitable for experienced professionals preparing for general management, country leadership, business-unit leadership or transformation roles.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose a business challenge using PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, SWOT and value-chain analysis
  • Interpret income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements for executive decisions
  • Build a business case using contribution analysis, working-capital assumptions, NPV and sensitivity analysis
  • Formulate a market and customer strategy using segmentation, targeting, positioning and value propositions
  • Design operating improvements using process mapping, capacity analysis, service measures and root-cause analysis
  • Lead cross-functional execution through stakeholder mapping, decision rights, performance measures and change plans
  • Assess governance, risk and ethical issues using risk registers, control design and escalation routes
  • Present an integrated executive business plan with priorities, financial implications, risks and implementation milestones

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Confidence reading executive financial reports and investment proposals
  • A structured approach to cross-functional business decisions
  • Stronger executive communication through evidence-based recommendations
  • A completed business plan for a current management challenge
  • Broader readiness for general management and business-unit roles

For your organisation

  • Managers who link strategic choices to cash, risk and operating consequences
  • Better prepared investment cases with explicit assumptions and sensitivity tests
  • More consistent use of performance measures across functions
  • Faster escalation of material risks, control gaps and delivery dependencies
  • Practical business plans ready for executive review and implementation

Course modules

17 modules over 10 days

Participants can define enterprise value drivers and frame a management issue as an executive decision.

  • Value creation defined through customer willingness-to-pay, cost, and capital employed
  • Business Model Canvas links customers, activities, resources, partners, revenues, and costs
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies decision-makers, beneficiaries, opponents, and delivery dependencies
  • Enterprise objectives translated into financial, customer, operational, and people outcomes
  • Management assumptions separated from facts, estimates, risks, and constraints
  • Executive decision briefs state choices, criteria, recommendations, and required approvals

Participants can use economic reasoning to assess demand, pricing, cost and competitive decisions.

  • Supply and demand shifts tested against price, volume, and margin effects
  • Price elasticity estimates guide pricing, discounting, and product-mix decisions
  • Marginal cost and marginal revenue inform short-run capacity choices
  • Fixed, variable, and semi-variable costs classified for management decisions
  • Break-even analysis calculates required volume, contribution, and operating profit
  • Market structures compared through buyer power, rivalry, barriers, and substitutes

Participants can diagnose strategic position and identify defensible strategic priorities.

  • PESTLE analysis identifies external forces affecting strategic assumptions and choices
  • Porter's Five Forces assesses industry profitability and competitive pressure
  • SWOT converts internal evidence and external conditions into strategic priorities
  • Value-chain analysis locates activities that create cost or differentiation advantage
  • Strategic group mapping compares competitors by relevant market dimensions
  • Generic strategies test cost leadership, differentiation, focus, and trade-offs

Participants can select strategic options using evidence, criteria and resource implications.

  • Ansoff Matrix compares market penetration, development, product development, diversification
  • Strategic options screened against attractiveness, feasibility, risk, and organisational fit
  • Resource-based view tests valuable, rare, inimitable, and organised capabilities
  • Portfolio analysis distinguishes core businesses, growth bets, and exit candidates
  • Make-buy-partner choices assess control, capability, cost, and speed
  • Strategy statements specify ambition, scope, advantage, priorities, and measures

Participants can interpret published financial statements and identify material performance signals.

  • Income statements distinguish revenue, gross profit, operating profit, and net profit
  • Balance sheets explain assets, liabilities, equity, liquidity, and capital structure
  • Cash flow statements reconcile operating, investing, financing, and closing cash
  • Accrual accounting separates cash timing from reported revenue and expense
  • Financial ratios assess profitability, liquidity, efficiency, leverage, and returns
  • Management questions expose unusual movements, accounting judgements, and reporting risks

Participants can use management accounting to plan performance and control operational decisions.

  • Contribution analysis compares product, customer, channel, and service profitability
  • Cost allocation methods distinguish direct costs, shared costs, and overheads
  • Activity-based costing traces resource consumption to products and services
  • Budget variance analysis separates price, volume, efficiency, and mix effects
  • Rolling forecasts update expected results using current trading assumptions
  • Balanced Scorecard connects financial, customer, process, and capability measures

Participants can evaluate investment proposals, funding choices and cash implications.

  • Time value of money discounts future cash flows consistently
  • Net present value ranks investments using forecast cash flows
  • Internal rate of return tests returns against required thresholds
  • Payback period highlights liquidity exposure and capital recovery timing
  • Sensitivity analysis tests volume, price, cost, timing, and discount-rate assumptions
  • Working-capital cycles connect receivables, inventory, payables, and cash requirements

Participants can develop a market approach based on customer needs and commercial value.

  • Segmentation groups customers by needs, behaviour, value, and buying context
  • Targeting criteria compare segment size, growth, access, profitability, and fit
  • Positioning statements define audience, category, benefit, proof, and differentiation
  • Customer journey mapping identifies moments, pain points, channels, and ownership
  • Value propositions connect customer jobs, pains, gains, and organisational capabilities
  • Marketing mix decisions align product, price, place, promotion, people, processes

Participants can set commercial priorities and prepare structured negotiation positions.

  • Pricing architecture combines list price, discounts, terms, incentives, and approvals
  • Price-volume-mix analysis identifies drivers behind revenue and margin changes
  • Sales funnel metrics track conversion, cycle time, pipeline value, and win rate
  • Key account plans identify stakeholders, growth opportunities, risks, and actions
  • BATNA preparation defines alternatives, walk-away points, interests, and concessions
  • Commercial terms assess payment, liability, service levels, renewal, and termination

Participants can diagnose operating performance and prioritise practical service improvements.

  • Process mapping visualises handoffs, delays, rework, controls, and customer touchpoints
  • Capacity analysis compares demand, available hours, utilisation, and bottlenecks
  • Little's Law relates work-in-progress, throughput, and cycle time
  • Root-cause analysis uses five whys and fishbone diagrams
  • Service level measures define timeliness, accuracy, availability, and resolution
  • Lean waste categories identify defects, waiting, motion, overproduction, inventory, transport

Participants can assess supplier, quality and continuity issues affecting business performance.

  • Supply chain mapping traces materials, information, money, and ownership flows
  • Supplier segmentation assesses spend, criticality, switching cost, and supply risk
  • Total cost of ownership includes purchase, logistics, quality, maintenance, disposal
  • Procurement evaluation criteria balance price, quality, capacity, risk, and sustainability
  • PDCA cycles structure quality improvement, verification, standardisation, and follow-up
  • Business continuity plans identify critical services, recovery targets, and contingencies

Participants can align organisation design, talent choices and workforce plans with strategy.

  • Organisation design clarifies structures, spans, layers, interfaces, and accountabilities
  • RACI matrices assign responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed roles
  • Workforce planning links strategic demand, capability gaps, supply, and actions
  • Competency frameworks define observable behaviours, technical expertise, and progression criteria
  • Performance management combines objectives, feedback, calibration, development, and consequences
  • Reward principles balance market position, internal equity, performance, and affordability

Participants can lead through ambiguity while communicating direction, decisions and accountability.

  • Situational leadership adapts direction and support to capability and commitment
  • Psychological safety supports challenge, learning, reporting, and constructive disagreement
  • Decision rights clarify who recommends, decides, executes, and escalates
  • Executive narratives connect evidence, strategic intent, choices, and expected outcomes
  • Difficult conversations use SBI feedback: situation, behaviour, and impact
  • Meeting cadences establish decisions, actions, owners, deadlines, and follow-through

Participants can assess digital initiatives through customer value, data, cost and delivery risk.

  • Digital operating models define channels, platforms, data, and decision ownership
  • Data quality dimensions assess accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency, and validity
  • Technology business cases quantify benefits, costs, dependencies, adoption, and risks
  • Build-buy-partner decisions compare strategic control, capability, cost, and speed
  • Cybersecurity governance identifies assets, threats, controls, incidents, and accountabilities
  • Automation opportunities prioritise volume, rules, exceptions, benefits, and implementation effort

Participants can establish governance and risk controls for significant business decisions.

  • Three Lines Model separates management, oversight, assurance, and independent review
  • Risk registers record causes, events, impacts, owners, controls, and actions
  • Risk appetite statements define acceptable exposure, thresholds, escalation, and reporting
  • Control design distinguishes preventive, detective, corrective, manual, and automated controls
  • Ethical decision tests examine stakeholders, duties, consequences, rights, and fairness
  • Materiality assessment prioritises environmental, social, governance, financial, and reputational issues

Participants can convert strategic intent into a governed implementation plan.

  • Theory of change links inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and assumptions
  • Critical path method identifies dependencies, durations, milestones, and schedule risk
  • Benefits realisation plans assign measures, owners, baselines, and review dates
  • Kotter's eight steps structure urgency, coalition, vision, action, and reinforcement
  • Stakeholder engagement plans tailor messages, channels, timing, feedback, and ownership
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence workstreams, resources, decisions, risks, and milestones

Participants can build, review and present a complete executive business plan for a defined organisational challenge.

  • Strategic diagnosis synthesises market evidence, internal performance, options, and priorities
  • Financial model consolidates revenue, costs, cash flow, investment, and sensitivities
  • Operating plan specifies processes, capacity, suppliers, service measures, and controls
  • People plan identifies roles, capabilities, leadership actions, and change requirements
  • Risk register prioritises exposures, mitigations, owners, triggers, and escalation routes
  • Executive presentation defends recommendation, implementation roadmap, benefits, assumptions, and decisions

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

What you take back to work

  1. Executive business plan template
  2. Strategic diagnosis and option appraisal
  3. Financial business case model
  4. Balanced Scorecard performance dashboard
  5. Risk register and control checklist
  6. Implementation roadmap and stakeholder plan

Who should attend

  • Senior Managers — need broader commercial and enterprise decision-making capability
  • Functional Heads — must connect specialist priorities to business performance
  • Business Unit Managers — require structured tools for strategy, finance and execution
  • Technical Leaders — need confidence presenting commercial recommendations to executives
  • Programme Directors — must coordinate strategy, investment, risk and delivery decisions
  • High-Potential Managers — are preparing for general management responsibilities

Skills and tools covered

Strategic analysisFinancial decision-makingCommercial planningOperational performanceExecutive leadershipBusiness case development

Tools and standards

PESTLE analysis, Porter's Five Forces, Balanced Scorecard, Business Model Canvas

How the course runs

Training methodology

Faculty briefings introduce each management discipline, followed by case analysis, facilitated group work, financial decision simulations and structured peer review. Cases examine executive choices such as pricing under cost pressure, capital allocation, service redesign, market entry and organisational change. Participants apply the methods to a current organisational challenge or a supplied case, adding to an executive business plan throughout the programme. Faculty feedback focuses on assumptions, evidence, financial logic, stakeholder implications and the clarity of final recommendations.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least five years of professional experience and current or recent responsibility for budgets, projects, teams, services or business performance. They should be comfortable reading basic business documents and discussing decisions with managers from other functions. Prior formal study in finance, economics, marketing or business administration is not required. The course does not assume an MBA, accounting qualification or advanced mathematics. Participants benefit most when they bring a current business issue, planned initiative or operating challenge that can be developed during the programme.

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

Participants should have several years of professional experience and some responsibility for people, budgets, projects or service delivery. No MBA, finance qualification or prior formal business education is required.

Bring a current business issue, planned investment, growth opportunity or operational challenge where possible. Participants may use it as the basis for their executive business plan, subject to organisational confidentiality requirements.

It is designed for senior managers, functional heads, business-unit managers, programme leaders and technical specialists moving into broader leadership roles. It is not intended as an introductory course for participants with no workplace management experience.

Leadership courses focus primarily on leading people, while finance courses concentrate on financial analysis and control. This programme connects leadership, strategy, finance, marketing, operations, risk and execution into one executive decision-making structure.

Participants build an executive business plan around a live organisational challenge or a supplied case. The plan includes strategic analysis, financial assumptions, operating actions, risks, stakeholders and implementation milestones that can be developed after the course.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes core business disciplines and develops initial analyses; the second week deepens execution, governance and integrated decision-making before the capstone presentation.

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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