Mini MBA in Management and Leadership Training Course

Duration 10 days 19 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends New Managers, Functional Managers 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-006

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

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

Managers are expected to make commercially sound decisions while balancing customer needs, financial constraints, operational capacity, people issues and risk. Many have deep expertise in one function but need a practical view of how the whole business works: how strategy becomes priorities, how budgets affect choices, how processes shape service, and how leadership decisions influence performance.

This Mini MBA in Management and Leadership provides a structured business education across strategy, marketing, finance, operations, projects, people management, leadership, governance and change. Participants use established tools including PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, SWOT, business-model design, contribution analysis, process mapping, RACI, risk registers and the Balanced Scorecard. They learn to assess a business issue, define strategic choices, interpret management information, allocate resources, lead teams and communicate recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Instructor-led teaching combines short briefings, sector-based cases, facilitated group work, management simulations and individual application planning. Participants develop a business improvement case throughout the programme, using a current organisational challenge where possible. The final capstone requires participants to build, review and present an integrated management plan containing strategic analysis, financial rationale, delivery actions, risks, measures and stakeholder communication. Participants receive a certificate of completion after attending the programme.

The course suits experienced professionals moving into broader management responsibility, new and established managers, functional specialists preparing for leadership roles, and business owners responsible for growth, performance and delivery.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse business conditions using PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces and SWOT
  • Formulate strategic priorities using customer, competitor, capability and financial evidence
  • Interpret income statements, balance sheets, cash flows and contribution analysis
  • Build an operational improvement plan using process mapping, KPIs and risk controls
  • Lead teams through clear objectives, feedback, delegation and performance conversations
  • Prepare a stakeholder communication plan for strategic decisions and organisational change
  • Evaluate investment and improvement options using costs, benefits, risks and assumptions
  • Present an integrated business improvement case with measures, governance and delivery actions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Build confidence interpreting financial and operational information for management decisions
  • Gain a structured vocabulary for discussing strategy, performance, risk and resource allocation
  • Produce a credible business case for a current workplace improvement opportunity
  • Improve readiness for broader management, programme leadership or general management roles
  • Receive a reusable set of planning and decision-making templates for future assignments

For your organisation

  • Improve the quality and consistency of management decisions across functions
  • Strengthen business cases with clearer assumptions, costs, benefits and delivery risks
  • Create managers who connect strategic priorities to team-level operational actions
  • Reduce avoidable delivery issues through stronger planning, governance and performance controls
  • Support succession planning for managers taking on wider commercial responsibility

Course modules

19 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain how functions, decisions and performance measures interact in a business system.

  • Managerial accountability: results, resources, relationships and decision rights
  • Value chains linking suppliers, operations, channels, customers and cash
  • Functional interdependencies between marketing, finance, operations, people and technology
  • Organisational structures: functional, divisional, matrix and networked models
  • Decision rights mapped through RAPID roles and escalation routes
  • Management cadence: meetings, reviews, dashboards and action tracking

Participants can assess external forces and identify strategic issues requiring management attention.

  • PESTLE analysis identifies political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental forces
  • Porter's Five Forces tests industry profitability and competitive pressure
  • Competitor profiles compare offerings, capabilities, pricing, channels and market positions
  • Customer segments defined by needs, behaviours, value and buying criteria
  • SWOT converts external evidence and internal capability into strategic issues
  • Strategic assumptions documented with evidence sources, uncertainty and review dates

Participants can convert strategic analysis into focused priorities, choices and execution measures.

  • Strategic intent expressed through purpose, ambition, boundaries and time horizon
  • Choice cascade clarifies winning aspiration, markets, advantage and required capabilities
  • Strategic priorities tested against feasibility, attractiveness, risk and resource requirements
  • Objectives translated into outcomes, initiatives, owners, milestones and dependencies
  • Balanced Scorecard links financial, customer, process and capability measures
  • Strategy deployment aligns corporate priorities with departmental operating plans

Participants can define customer value propositions and select commercially sound market actions.

  • Customer journey mapping identifies moments, pain points and service expectations
  • Segmentation criteria distinguish profitable groups from broad demographic categories
  • Value proposition canvas matches customer jobs, pains and gains
  • Positioning statements specify target customer, category, benefit and reason-to-believe
  • Marketing mix decisions cover offer, price, channel and communication
  • Customer lifetime value informs retention, acquisition and service investment decisions

Participants can evaluate how an organisation creates value, earns revenue and manages cost.

  • Business Model Canvas maps customers, value, channels, revenues and key resources
  • Revenue models compared: subscription, transaction, licensing, usage and service fees
  • Pricing decisions consider willingness-to-pay, competitor reference points and unit economics
  • Unit economics separates revenue, variable cost, contribution and customer acquisition cost
  • Make-or-buy analysis compares total cost, capability, control and supplier risk
  • Commercial assumptions recorded for review during business case development

Participants can read core financial statements and use them to support management decisions.

  • Income statement distinguishes revenue, gross margin, operating cost and profit
  • Balance sheet explains assets, liabilities, equity and working capital
  • Cash flow statement tracks operating, investing and financing movements
  • Accrual accounting separates cash timing from revenue and expense recognition
  • Financial ratios assess liquidity, profitability, efficiency and financial stability
  • Management accounts reveal variances, trends, drivers and corrective actions

Participants can prepare management forecasts and evaluate proposed investments using financial criteria.

  • Driver-based budgets connect volumes, rates, staffing, capacity and costs
  • 13-week rolling cash forecast built from receipts, payroll and supplier data
  • Break-even analysis calculates required volume at stated price and cost assumptions
  • Contribution analysis supports product, service, customer and channel decisions
  • Net present value compares investment cash flows using discount rates
  • Sensitivity analysis tests volume, price, cost and timing assumptions

Participants can diagnose operational performance and specify practical process improvements.

  • SIPOC diagrams define suppliers, inputs, process steps, outputs and customers
  • Process maps expose handoffs, rework, queues, delays and control points
  • 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
  • Standard work documents sequence, quality checks, responsibilities and escalation points

Participants can establish quality measures and lead disciplined improvement cycles.

  • Voice of customer data translated into critical-to-quality requirements
  • Service level agreements specify scope, standards, response and resolution times
  • PDCA cycles structure improvement from problem definition through standardisation
  • Control charts distinguish common-cause variation from special-cause variation
  • Failure mode and effects analysis prioritises process risks and controls
  • Quality dashboards combine defect, timeliness, satisfaction and compliance measures

Participants can frame, govern and monitor projects that deliver strategic priorities.

  • Project charter defines purpose, scope, benefits, sponsor and success criteria
  • Work breakdown structure decomposes deliverables into manageable work packages
  • Critical path method identifies schedule dependencies and completion constraints
  • RACI matrix assigns responsibility, accountability, consultation and information requirements
  • RAID log records risks, assumptions, issues and decisions
  • Stage-gate governance authorises investment, continuation, correction or closure

Participants can set direction, build accountability and support effective team performance.

  • Situational Leadership adapts direction and support to capability and commitment
  • Team charters define purpose, roles, behaviours, decisions and meeting norms
  • SMART objectives link individual contribution to measurable business priorities
  • Delegation levels clarify authority, boundaries, checkpoints and escalation expectations
  • Psychological safety encourages challenge, reporting, learning and constructive disagreement
  • Team effectiveness reviewed through outputs, relationships, learning and adaptability

Participants can conduct fair performance conversations and build targeted development plans.

  • Performance expectations specify outcomes, behaviours, standards and evidence sources
  • OKRs connect ambitious objectives with measurable key results
  • SBI feedback addresses situation, observed behaviour and resulting impact
  • Coaching questions develop ownership, options, commitment and follow-through
  • Nine-box grids inform talent discussions using performance and potential evidence
  • Development plans combine experience, feedback, learning goals and review dates

Participants can communicate management decisions clearly and gain support from key stakeholders.

  • Stakeholder mapping assesses influence, interest, expectations and engagement requirements
  • Power-interest grids prioritise communication effort and relationship management
  • Pyramid Principle structures recommendations, supporting arguments and evidence
  • Message maps align audience concerns, key messages, proof and calls-to-action
  • Difficult conversations use facts, impact, inquiry and agreed next steps
  • Executive briefings present decisions, trade-offs, risks and requested approvals

Participants can prepare negotiations and address workplace conflict without losing essential relationships.

  • BATNA analysis establishes alternatives, walk-away points and negotiation strength
  • Interest-based negotiation separates positions from underlying needs and constraints
  • Concession planning trades low-value items for higher-priority outcomes
  • Objective criteria support fair agreements on price, scope, quality and timing
  • Conflict modes compared: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating
  • Negotiation records capture commitments, owners, conditions and follow-up actions

Participants can identify material risks and establish proportionate governance and controls.

  • Risk appetite defines acceptable exposure across strategic, operational and financial risks
  • Risk registers record causes, events, impacts, controls, owners and treatments
  • Inherent and residual risk ratings guide control and escalation priorities
  • Three lines model clarifies management, oversight and assurance responsibilities
  • Ethical decision tests examine stakeholders, duties, consequences and public scrutiny
  • Governance reporting highlights exceptions, decisions, risks and control effectiveness

Participants can define useful management information and assess digital improvement opportunities.

  • KPI trees connect strategic outcomes with operational drivers and measures
  • Leading indicators provide early signals before lagging performance measures
  • Dashboard design prioritises decisions, thresholds, trends, owners and actions
  • Data quality checks assess completeness, accuracy, timeliness, consistency and validity
  • Automation candidates identified through volume, rules, repetition and error rates
  • Digital investment cases define user needs, process changes and measurable benefits

Participants can plan adoption activities for changes to processes, systems and ways of working.

  • Kotter's eight steps sequence urgency, coalition, vision and sustained change
  • ADKAR assesses awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement needs
  • Change impact assessment identifies affected roles, processes, systems and policies
  • Sponsor plans define visible leadership actions, messages and decision responsibilities
  • Resistance analysis distinguishes practical barriers, concerns, interests and misinformation
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence pilots, training, communications, support and reviews

Participants can assemble strategic, financial, operational and people plans into one management proposal.

  • Problem statements define the gap, affected stakeholders and business consequences
  • Options appraisal compares strategic fit, cost, benefit, risk and feasibility
  • Benefits realisation plans assign measures, baselines, owners and review timing
  • Operating plans align resources, processes, capabilities, governance and milestones
  • Executive recommendations distinguish decision required from supporting implementation detail
  • Presentation storyboards sequence context, analysis, recommendation, evidence and next steps

Participants can build, review and present a complete business improvement case for a defined management challenge.

  • Capstone brief frames a material customer, performance, growth or delivery challenge
  • Strategic analysis combines market evidence, internal capability and priority choices
  • Financial rationale states costs, benefits, cash effects and critical assumptions
  • Operating model specifies process changes, resources, governance and implementation milestones
  • Risk and stakeholder plans address controls, resistance, communications and decision rights
  • Executive presentation defends recommendation, trade-offs, measures and immediate next actions

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

What you take back to work

  1. Strategic analysis workbook
  2. Business Model Canvas template
  3. Management finance and investment appraisal model
  4. Operational improvement plan
  5. Stakeholder communication and change plan
  6. Integrated business improvement case

Who should attend

  • New Managers — need a practical foundation across core management disciplines
  • Functional Managers — require broader commercial and organisational decision-making capability
  • Team Leaders — are preparing for larger people, budget and delivery responsibilities
  • Project Managers — need stronger business, finance and stakeholder management skills
  • Technical Specialists — are moving from expert roles into management positions
  • Business Owners — need structured methods for planning growth, operations and performance

Skills and tools covered

Strategic analysisFinancial decision-makingOperational managementPeople leadershipChange planningBusiness case development

Tools and standards

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

How the course runs

Training methodology

Teaching uses short faculty briefings to establish core concepts, followed by case work drawn from corporate, public-sector, banking and service settings. Participants interpret management information, assess strategic choices, map processes, make resource decisions and discuss leadership responses in facilitated groups. Simulations show the consequences of pricing, capacity, investment and people decisions. Individual application planning connects each module to a current workplace issue. Faculty feedback focuses on the quality of assumptions, evidence, stakeholder reasoning and proposed actions.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of professional experience and current or planned responsibility for projects, teams, budgets, services or business improvement. Familiarity with basic workplace reports, spreadsheets and performance measures is helpful. Participants should be prepared to discuss a real management issue from their organisation, although confidential details are not required. No prior MBA study, finance qualification, accounting background, formal management credential or advanced mathematics is required. Financial concepts are taught from first principles before progressing to managerial applications.

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

You need professional workplace experience and basic familiarity with reports, spreadsheets or performance measures. The course does not assume prior MBA study, accounting knowledge or a formal management qualification.

Bring a laptop if possible, plus a current business issue, service problem, growth opportunity or project you can use for application planning. Confidential names, figures and documents can be anonymised.

It is designed for managers, team leaders, project managers, technical specialists and business owners seeking wider management capability. It is particularly useful for people moving into roles with broader commercial, people or operational accountability.

Leadership courses focus mainly on behaviour, influence and team performance. This programme includes leadership while also covering strategy, marketing, finance, operations, project delivery, risk and business planning.

Participants build an integrated business improvement case linked to a real workplace priority where appropriate. Templates for analysis, planning, financial reasoning, stakeholder management and implementation can be reused 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 begins application work; the second week develops leadership, governance, change and the final 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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