Strategic Operations Leadership Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Operations Directors, Heads of Service and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-OM-052

Before you join: Participants should have several years of management, supervisory, project, service-delivery, manufacturing, supply chain or improvement experience.

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

Operations leaders are expected to improve service, cost, quality, resilience and delivery reliability while managing constrained capacity, changing demand and competing priorities. Many operational problems persist because strategy is not translated into measurable operating choices, process measures are poorly connected to customer outcomes, and improvement work is not governed through clear ownership and review routines. This course addresses those gaps through practical operating-system design and disciplined performance management.

Participants examine how strategic priorities shape operating models, demand and capacity plans, process architecture, supply decisions, risk controls and frontline leadership routines. They use Hoshin Kanri, Balanced Scorecard logic, SCOR, Lean, Theory of Constraints, A3 problem solving, statistical process control and operational risk methods to diagnose performance issues and direct resources toward the highest-value interventions. The course also addresses cross-functional governance, supplier performance, business continuity and the people side of operational change.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with sector-based cases, group analysis, operational simulations, peer review and structured application planning. Cases may include a bank reducing customer onboarding delays, a manufacturer managing a production bottleneck, an NGO maintaining field-service continuity, and a public agency improving case-processing reliability. Participants leave with an operational leadership action plan, a KPI tree, a process performance analysis and reusable templates for reviews, improvement and risk management.

The course is intended for experienced managers who lead functions, services, plants, programmes or cross-functional operations and need to connect strategic intent with daily execution.

What you will be able to do

  • Design an operating model aligned with strategic priorities, customer requirements and delivery constraints
  • Build a Hoshin Kanri deployment structure linking objectives, measures, owners and improvement work
  • Analyse demand, capacity, flow and bottlenecks using aggregate planning, Little's Law and Theory of Constraints
  • Construct KPI trees and operational review routines using leading and lagging measures
  • Apply Lean, A3, DMAIC and root-cause methods to persistent operational performance problems
  • Develop supply, inventory and supplier-performance decisions using SCOR and total-cost analysis
  • Assess operational risks using risk registers, FMEA, bow-tie analysis and continuity planning
  • Produce a 90-day operating plan with benefits measures, governance milestones and leadership commitments

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Stronger credibility in executive discussions on operational priorities and trade-offs
  • Practical methods for diagnosing bottlenecks, delays, defects and service failures
  • Clearer ability to turn strategic goals into measures, owners and review routines
  • Reusable approaches for leading cross-functional improvement and change
  • A structured 90-day plan for improving a live operational priority

For your organisation

  • Better alignment between strategic objectives and frontline operating activity
  • Earlier identification of capacity constraints, process risks and supplier weaknesses
  • More disciplined performance reviews using consistent measures and decision rights
  • Reduced waste, rework, waiting time and unmanaged work-in-process
  • Improved resilience through continuity planning, control design and escalation routines

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define an operating model that converts strategic priorities into delivery choices, measures and governance.

  • Operating model choices: centralised, federated, shared-service and outsourced delivery
  • Strategy deployment through Hoshin Kanri catchball and annual breakthrough objectives
  • Balanced Scorecard measures linked to customer, process, capability and financial aims
  • Policy deployment X-matrices connecting priorities, owners, metrics and improvement work
  • Value proposition, order winners and qualifying factors translated into operations choices
  • Governance cadence for reviewing performance, risks, decisions and resource trade-offs

Participants can make demand and capacity decisions that balance service commitments, cost and resilience.

  • S&OP decisions connecting demand plans, supply plans, finance and executive choices
  • Demand segmentation using volume variability, margin and service criticality
  • Capacity cushions sized for variability, resilience requirements and capital constraints
  • Aggregate planning strategies: level, chase, hybrid and subcontracting alternatives
  • Queueing relationships between utilisation, waiting time, work-in-process and throughput
  • Scenario models testing demand shocks, supplier failures and staffing constraints

Participants can analyse process flow, identify handoff failures and define standards for reliable execution.

  • Supplier-input-process-output-customer mapping to define boundaries, handoffs and customer requirements
  • Value stream maps exposing delays, rework loops, queues and information gaps
  • Little's Law applied to cycle time, work-in-process and throughput
  • Process architecture distinguishing core, support, management and outsourced processes
  • Standard work documents specifying sequence, takt time, quality checks and escalation
  • Service blueprinting maps frontstage, backstage, customer actions and failure points

Participants can build a performance-management system that drives timely decisions and corrective action.

  • Operational KPI trees linking strategic outcomes to controllable process measures
  • Leading and lagging indicators distinguished through causal performance logic
  • Statistical process control charts separating common-cause and special-cause variation
  • Overall equipment effectiveness decomposed into availability, performance rate and quality
  • Daily management boards displaying safety, quality, delivery, cost and people
  • Metric definitions, data ownership and review thresholds preventing reporting disputes

Participants can lead structured improvement work from problem definition through control of sustained results.

  • Lean waste analysis using TIMWOODS categories and direct observation
  • A3 problem-solving structure from background through countermeasures and follow-up
  • DMAIC phases applied to chronic defects and unstable process performance
  • Root-cause analysis using five whys, fishbone diagrams and evidence checks
  • Kaizen event selection based on impact, feasibility and process ownership
  • Control plans sustaining gains through standards, audits and response actions

Participants can protect operational flow by managing bottlenecks, scheduling constraints and competing resource demands.

  • Theory of Constraints identifies system bottlenecks and protection priorities
  • Drum-buffer-rope scheduling synchronises release rates with constraint capacity
  • Finite-capacity scheduling balances due dates, setup times and labour skills
  • Critical chain buffers protect project flow from resource contention
  • Make-or-buy analysis compares total cost, risk, capacity and strategic control
  • Portfolio prioritisation ranks initiatives by value, urgency, risk and capacity

Participants can improve supply reliability through structured sourcing, inventory and supplier-management decisions.

  • SCOR framework links plan, source, make, deliver, return and enable
  • Supplier segmentation assesses spend, supply risk, substitutability and relationship needs
  • Total cost of ownership includes purchase, logistics, quality and lifecycle costs
  • Inventory policies set safety stock, reorder points and service targets
  • Network resilience assesses single-source exposure, lead-time risk and recovery options
  • Supplier performance reviews use scorecards, corrective actions and escalation routes

Participants can identify operational vulnerabilities and establish controls, recovery plans and incident governance.

  • Operational risk registers record causes, events, impacts, controls and owners
  • Failure mode and effects analysis ranks severity, occurrence and detection
  • Business continuity plans define recovery objectives, dependencies and communications
  • Bow-tie analysis links preventive controls, mitigating controls and consequence pathways
  • Cyber-physical dependencies assessed for outages affecting production and service delivery
  • Incident command roles establish authority, escalation thresholds and decision logs

Participants can establish accountability, engagement and leadership routines that support sustained operational change.

  • RACI matrices clarify decision rights, accountabilities, consultation and information flows
  • Tiered accountability meetings escalate issues at the lowest effective level
  • Psychological safety supports early reporting of defects, risks and near misses
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies influence, interest, resistance and engagement actions
  • Change impact assessments define role changes, training needs and adoption risks
  • Frontline leader standard work structures gemba walks, coaching and follow-up

Participants can convert course methods into an accountable operating plan for a priority business issue.

  • 90-day operating plan sequences priorities, owners, milestones, measures and reviews
  • Benefits realisation maps connect initiatives, capabilities, outcomes and assumptions
  • Obeya-style visual management aligns cross-functional decisions, dependencies and commitments
  • Decision logs document options, criteria, authorities, actions and due dates
  • Operating reviews convert performance signals into countermeasures and resource decisions
  • Personal leadership commitments specify routines, stakeholders, evidence and deadlines

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

What you take back to work

  1. Hoshin Kanri X-matrix template
  2. Operational KPI tree model
  3. Capacity and bottleneck analysis worksheet
  4. A3 problem-solving template
  5. Operational risk and continuity checklist
  6. 90-day operating leadership plan

Who should attend

  • Operations Directors — need to connect strategy, performance governance and cross-functional execution
  • Heads of Service — need to improve customer outcomes, capacity use and process reliability
  • Plant and Manufacturing Managers — need to manage constraints, quality performance and production flow
  • Programme and Portfolio Managers — need to coordinate operational change, dependencies and benefits
  • Supply Chain Managers — need to strengthen supplier performance, inventory decisions and continuity
  • Continuous Improvement Leaders — need to position Lean and problem solving within strategic priorities

Skills and tools covered

Operating model designCapacity and flow planningOperational performance managementContinuous improvement leadershipSupply chain resilienceOperational risk governance

Tools and standards

Hoshin Kanri, Balanced Scorecard, SCOR, Theory of Constraints

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce methods, followed by case analysis, group exercises, operational simulations and facilitated discussion. Participants interpret performance data, map processes, test capacity and risk scenarios, prioritise improvement work and practise structured operational reviews. Cases reflect service, manufacturing, public-sector, banking and supply chain settings. Individual application planning connects course methods to a current operational challenge, with peer and instructor feedback on measures, governance, assumptions and implementation priorities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have several years of management, supervisory, project, service-delivery, manufacturing, supply chain or improvement experience. They should be familiar with basic operational measures such as cost, quality, delivery, productivity, service levels and staffing capacity. Experience of managing teams, suppliers, processes or cross-functional initiatives is expected. No prior certification in Lean, Six Sigma, project management, supply chain management or business continuity is required. Advanced mathematics, coding, statistical software and prior use of formal strategy frameworks are not 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

The course is designed for experienced managers, functional leaders and improvement professionals who already work with operational targets, processes or teams. Participants do not need formal Lean, Six Sigma, supply chain or business continuity qualifications.

Participants should bring a current operational challenge, such as a service-delay issue, capacity constraint, supplier problem, quality concern or change initiative. Existing performance reports or process information can be useful, but are not required.

It suits leaders accountable for service delivery, manufacturing, operations, supply chains, shared services, programmes or improvement portfolios. It is particularly useful where several functions must coordinate to improve a business outcome.

Lean Six Sigma training concentrates on improvement methods and variation reduction, while project management training focuses on temporary initiatives. This course focuses on the leadership system that links strategy, capacity, process control, people, risk and daily operational decisions.

Participants can use the templates to clarify priorities, analyse bottlenecks, strengthen KPIs, structure operational reviews and plan improvement work. The 90-day operating plan provides a practical starting point for implementation with their team.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between instructor input, case work, group analysis, simulations, discussion and application planning across ten connected modules.

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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