Value Creation and Strategic Decision Making Training Course

Duration 10 days 18 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Strategy Directors, Business Unit Heads and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-SP-065

Before you join: Participants should have several years of management, strategy, finance, transformation or operational leadership experience and familiarity with their organisation's planning and budgeting processes.

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 leaders are expected to make choices that improve results, protect enterprise value and direct scarce capital, talent and management attention toward the highest-priority work. Yet many strategic plans remain lists of initiatives without a clear value logic, quantified assumptions, decision criteria or accountable execution measures. This creates weak investment cases, delayed decisions, conflicting priorities and difficulty explaining why one option should be funded ahead of another.

This advanced course develops the ability to connect strategy with measurable value creation. Participants assess external forces, customer economics, internal capabilities and stakeholder expectations; frame strategic choices; compare options using financial and non-financial criteria; and convert selected choices into an executable plan. The course covers PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, value-driver trees, scenario planning, decision trees, discounted cash flow analysis, risk-adjusted evaluation, Balanced Scorecard design, strategic portfolio management and governance for major decisions.

Participants work throughout the course on a live strategic issue from their organisation or a realistic case. Short faculty briefings introduce methods, followed by case analysis, facilitated group work, simulations and structured application to each participant's challenge. By the final day, participants have built and presented a value creation strategy: a clearly framed strategic problem, evidence-based choices, quantified value drivers, investment priorities, delivery roadmap, risk controls and performance measures. They receive a certificate of completion after attending the full 10-day programme.

The course is suited to leaders who influence strategy, investment, transformation, performance or operating-model decisions and who need to move from broad ambition to a defensible, measurable plan.

What you will be able to do

  • Define a value creation thesis using stakeholder needs, economic drivers and strategic choices
  • Diagnose market attractiveness using PESTLE and Porter's Five Forces
  • Build a value-driver tree linking strategic initiatives to revenue, margin, capital and risk
  • Evaluate strategic options using weighted criteria, scenarios and decision trees
  • Prepare discounted cash flow and risk-adjusted investment cases for strategic initiatives
  • Design a Balanced Scorecard with outcome measures, leading indicators and accountable owners
  • Develop an execution roadmap with milestones, dependencies, governance and resource requirements
  • Present a complete value creation strategy and defend recommendations before decision-makers

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce stronger recommendations for executive committees and investment boards
  • Challenge strategic proposals using explicit value drivers and decision criteria
  • Translate strategic ambitions into quantified initiatives and delivery measures
  • Communicate trade-offs clearly between growth, cost, capital and risk
  • Build a reusable portfolio for leading strategic planning discussions

For your organisation

  • Improves capital allocation discipline across competing strategic initiatives
  • Links strategic plans to measurable financial, customer and operational outcomes
  • Reduces low-value activity through transparent prioritisation and stop decisions
  • Strengthens governance for major investments, transformation programmes and partnerships
  • Creates consistent decision methods across business units and leadership teams

Course modules

18 modules over 10 days

Participants can define a value creation challenge using stakeholder, economic and strategic perspectives.

  • Value creation defined through customer outcomes, economics, risk and time
  • Stakeholder value maps distinguish beneficiaries, funders, regulators and owners
  • Value drivers traced from strategic choices to measurable economic results
  • Materiality assessment identifies priorities, trade-offs and decision rights
  • Enterprise value logic separates growth, margin, capital and risk
  • Current-state value hypothesis drafted for a participant-selected strategic challenge

Participants can frame a strategic issue with clear scope, evidence requirements and decision boundaries.

  • Problem statements distinguish symptoms, root causes, constraints and opportunities
  • Strategic questions specify decisions, time horizons, stakeholders and success criteria
  • Issue trees break complex strategic problems into testable components
  • Boundary conditions identify non-negotiables, mandates, resources and legal constraints
  • Evidence plans identify required data, sources, owners and reliability gaps
  • Decision charters establish sponsors, participants, authority and escalation routes

Participants can assess external conditions and identify implications for strategic positioning.

  • PESTLE analysis identifies material political, economic, social and technological forces
  • Porter's Five Forces tests industry profitability and bargaining power
  • Competitor maps compare positioning, capabilities, economics and likely responses
  • Market segmentation separates customer groups by needs, behaviour and economics
  • Demand signals distinguish structural shifts from temporary market fluctuations
  • External findings converted into assumptions for the strategic value thesis

Participants can connect customer value propositions with sustainable business model economics.

  • Customer jobs, pains and gains clarify value proposition choices
  • Revenue architecture separates pricing, volume, retention and cross-sell assumptions
  • Unit economics calculates contribution, acquisition costs, service costs and payback
  • Customer journey analysis identifies friction, failure demand and retention risks
  • Business model choices test channels, partnerships, capabilities and cost structures
  • Value proposition statements link customer outcomes with organisational returns

Participants can identify internal strengths, constraints and capability gaps affecting strategic choices.

  • Capability maps connect critical activities, resources, systems and specialist knowledge
  • Performance baselines distinguish trend, variance, root cause and controllable factors
  • Process analysis identifies bottlenecks, handoffs, rework and service failure points
  • Benchmark comparisons test relative cost, quality, speed and productivity
  • Organisation design identifies decision bottlenecks and accountability gaps
  • Capability gaps translated into investment, partnership or redesign choices

Participants can create distinct strategic options that address the defined value creation challenge.

  • Strategic alternatives differ by target customers, offer, scope and timing
  • Option design separates organic growth, partnership, acquisition and exit choices
  • Strategic intent statements specify ambition, boundaries and intended value
  • Assumption mapping exposes beliefs requiring evidence before commitment
  • Strategic option canvases record benefits, costs, risks and dependencies
  • Do-nothing baselines establish consequences of maintaining current direction

Participants can build a value-driver model that quantifies how strategic choices create value.

  • Value-driver trees link operational actions with financial and service outcomes
  • Revenue drivers separate market share, price, volume and customer retention
  • Margin drivers identify procurement, productivity, mix and operating cost effects
  • Capital drivers examine working capital, fixed assets and investment timing
  • Driver assumptions documented with evidence sources, ranges and accountable owners
  • Sensitivity analysis identifies variables most influential to projected value

Participants can prepare and interpret financial analyses for competing strategic options.

  • Discounted cash flow estimates present value from projected free cash flows
  • Net present value compares investment proposals against required returns
  • Payback period highlights liquidity exposure and investment recovery timing
  • Cash flow profiles distinguish accounting profit from investable cash generation
  • Base, upside and downside cases test uncertain commercial assumptions
  • Financial model outputs translated into concise executive decision messages

Participants can incorporate uncertainty, risk exposure and response actions into strategic decisions.

  • Risk registers classify strategic, financial, operational, regulatory and reputational exposures
  • Scenario planning tests decisions under plausible alternative future conditions
  • Decision trees compare contingent choices, probabilities, consequences and trigger points
  • Risk appetite statements define acceptable exposure, thresholds and escalation requirements
  • Mitigation actions assign preventive controls, contingency plans and accountable owners
  • Early-warning indicators signal when strategic assumptions require reassessment

Participants can design governance that improves decision quality, pace and accountability.

  • Decision rights clarify recommendation, approval, consultation and execution responsibilities
  • Investment committees assess strategic fit, economics, risk and delivery readiness
  • Stage-gate governance releases funding against validated evidence and milestones
  • Decision logs record assumptions, dissent, rationale and follow-up actions
  • Cognitive bias checks address anchoring, confirmation bias and sunk-cost effects
  • Escalation protocols define thresholds for executive intervention and reconsideration

Participants can prioritise a portfolio of initiatives using value, feasibility and risk evidence.

  • Portfolio inventories classify initiatives by purpose, value, cost and maturity
  • Weighted scoring models compare strategic fit, impact, feasibility and risk
  • Resource capacity analysis tests funding, talent, leadership and delivery constraints
  • Initiative dependencies identify sequencing requirements, bottlenecks and shared enablers
  • Stop, defer and accelerate decisions release resources for higher-value priorities
  • Capital allocation principles align funding decisions with strategic value drivers

Participants can assess operating model implications of a selected strategic direction.

  • Operating model components cover processes, people, technology, governance and suppliers
  • Service delivery choices compare centralisation, decentralisation and shared services
  • Process ownership defines accountable roles for end-to-end customer outcomes
  • Technology requirements distinguish essential capabilities from desirable enhancements
  • Sourcing decisions compare internal delivery, outsourcing and strategic partnerships
  • Target operating model assumptions linked to costs, benefits and transition risks

Participants can design performance measures that track value creation and strategic progress.

  • Balanced Scorecard connects financial, customer, process and capability objectives
  • Strategic objectives written as outcome statements with explicit causal logic
  • Leading indicators provide early evidence of progress toward intended outcomes
  • Lagging indicators confirm realised value, performance and stakeholder impact
  • Metric definitions specify formulas, data sources, frequency and accountable owners
  • Performance reviews distinguish learning conversations from accountability decisions

Participants can convert strategic choices into a sequenced delivery and benefits plan.

  • Roadmaps sequence initiatives, milestones, dependencies, decisions and benefit releases
  • Critical path analysis identifies activities controlling overall delivery timing
  • Benefits maps connect outputs, adoption, outcomes and realised value
  • Milestone criteria define evidence required before advancing to subsequent stages
  • Resource plans assign leadership capacity, specialist roles and budget requirements
  • Benefits ownership assigns measurement, reporting and corrective action responsibilities

Participants can build stakeholder support for strategic choices through evidence-based communication.

  • Stakeholder analysis identifies influence, interests, concerns and required commitments
  • Message architecture adapts strategic rationale for boards, staff and partners
  • Strategic narratives connect current challenges, choices, value and action
  • Objection handling addresses cost concerns, delivery doubts and competing priorities
  • Executive presentations use evidence, options, recommendation and requested decision
  • Communication plans schedule decision points, engagement actions and feedback channels

Participants can lead implementation while adapting strategy to new evidence and changing conditions.

  • Implementation cadence combines delivery reviews, strategic reviews and learning cycles
  • Accountability contracts define commitments, authority, measures and consequences
  • Change impact assessments identify affected groups, behaviours and adoption barriers
  • Management routines translate strategic priorities into weekly operational decisions
  • Strategic reviews reassess assumptions, portfolio choices and emerging opportunities
  • Course-correction protocols trigger action when value targets or conditions change

Participants can prepare a decision-ready strategic recommendation for senior governance forums.

  • Executive papers state decision required, recommendation, rationale and consequences
  • Supporting evidence distinguishes facts, assumptions, estimates and unresolved uncertainties
  • Option comparisons summarise value, investment, risk, timing and strategic fit
  • Board-level visuals present value drivers, scenarios and portfolio trade-offs
  • Challenge sessions test logic, evidence quality and implementation readiness
  • Final revisions strengthen the recommendation before formal strategic review

Participants can build, review and present a complete value creation strategy for a defined organisational challenge.

  • Strategic challenge framed with evidence, boundaries, stakeholders and decision requirements
  • External and internal analyses support a defensible strategic value thesis
  • Options evaluated through value drivers, financial analysis, scenarios and risks
  • Selected strategy translated into portfolio priorities, operating model and roadmap
  • Balanced Scorecard measures outcomes, leading indicators, ownership and review cadence
  • Executive presentation defends recommendation, investment request and implementation governance

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

What you take back to work

  1. Value creation thesis template
  2. Strategic option evaluation matrix
  3. Value-driver tree model
  4. Risk-adjusted investment case template
  5. Balanced Scorecard design sheet
  6. Strategic execution roadmap

Who should attend

  • Strategy Directors — need to convert strategic intent into measurable value creation plans
  • Business Unit Heads — need to prioritise growth, efficiency and investment choices
  • Transformation Leaders — need to connect change portfolios with measurable business outcomes
  • Finance Directors — need to challenge strategic proposals and capital allocation decisions
  • Programme Directors — need to govern major initiatives against strategic value and delivery risk
  • Senior Public Sector Managers — need to justify policy, service and investment priorities

Skills and tools covered

Value-driver analysisStrategic option appraisalInvestment case developmentScenario planningPortfolio prioritisationStrategy execution governance

Tools and standards

PESTLE analysis, Porter's Five Forces, Discounted cash flow, Balanced Scorecard

How the course runs

Training methodology

Faculty use short briefings to introduce each method, followed by realistic cases from corporate, financial services, public sector and development settings. Participants analyse evidence, compare strategic options, build value-driver models and test decisions under uncertainty. Group exercises and simulations focus on executive trade-offs, investment committees and portfolio reviews. Individual application planning runs through both weeks, enabling participants to develop a live value creation strategy and receive structured peer and faculty feedback before the capstone presentation.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have several years of management, strategy, finance, transformation or operational leadership experience and familiarity with their organisation's planning and budgeting processes. They should be comfortable interpreting basic financial information such as revenue, operating costs, cash flow and capital expenditure. Experience contributing to business cases, annual plans or major initiatives is useful. The course does not require an MBA, formal economics training, advanced accounting knowledge, spreadsheet modelling expertise or prior use of the named strategy frameworks.

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 management or specialist experience involving planning, investment, transformation, operations or performance improvement. They should understand basic financial terms, but advanced finance or accounting qualifications are not required.

Participants should bring a current strategic issue, proposed initiative, business plan or portfolio decision they can develop during the programme. Relevant non-confidential data, performance reports and planning documents are useful but not mandatory.

The course is designed for senior managers, strategy professionals, business unit leaders, finance leaders and transformation directors. It is particularly useful for people who must recommend or approve choices involving significant resources and organisational change.

General strategic planning courses often focus on vision, environmental analysis and plan development. This course places greater emphasis on value drivers, investment choices, financial appraisal, portfolio prioritisation, governance and benefits realisation.

Participants build tools and analyses around a live strategic challenge throughout the programme. The resulting value creation strategy can be adapted for an executive meeting, annual planning cycle, investment committee or transformation review.

Training days run from 08:30 to 16:30 and provide approximately 6.5 contact hours each. The first week establishes diagnosis, options and value analysis; the second week addresses governance, execution, measurement, communication 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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