Making Strategy Work in the Real World

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This course teaches what it means to have a strategy, and how you can play a part in forming, implementing and monitoring a strategy in your organisation. Learn to analyse trends; set targets and what tactics you can use for successful strategies.

£100 +VAT

4 CPD hours

120 days’ access

Use ACPD101 for 10% off any purchase.

Making Strategy Work in the Real World

£100 +VAT

4 CPD hours 120 days’ access
Use ACPD101 for 10% off any purchase.

Making Strategy Work in the Real World

This course is not currently available. To find out more, please get in touch.

This course will enable you to

  • Learn what strategy really is and what role finance professionals can take in the strategy-building process of your organisation
  • Understand how to use metrics to identify opportunities
  • Discover how you can define your organisation’s potential and use historical trends to track opportunities
  • Develop your strategy through setting targets, and learn how to use forecasting when target setting
  • Explore how to implement your strategy and how to ensure that it is being upheld
  • Consider different tactics that you can use to bring strategies to life and ensure that you are getting the most out of them
  • Once implemented, understand how you can monitor these strategies and assess how they are performing

About the course

In businesses of all sizes, strategy plays a major role in their success. Therefore, having a recognisable strategy and being able to follow planned strategies is vital to the success of a business. People of all levels within an organisation can play a role in strategizing if they understand the importance of strategy.

This course will teach you what it means for a business to have a strategy, and how as a finance professional you can play an active part in forming, implementing and monitoring the success of that strategy over time. You will learn how to analyse trends; set targets and what tactics you can use to ensure your strategies are successful.

Contents

Strategy and the role of the accountant

Defining vision, mission, and strategy
Goals and targets
Strategy and the planning process
Translating thought into strategy
Building an effective business plan
When metrics go wrong
Different types of strategy

Opportunities and strategy development

Identifying opportunities
Analysing data to identify opportunities
Taking the middle path
What metrics are needed to spot opportunities
Taking control of the planning process
Defining the potential of the organisation
Tracking historical trends to predict future

Developing strategy and setting targets

Targetting approaches
How planning responsibility impacts an organisation
SMART targets explained
Reality-checking targets
Using forecasting to help with target-setting
The importance of sales forecasting
How to forecast sales
In the real world…
Using forecasts as a strategic planning tool
Using data and forecasting to improve performance

Implementing a strategy

Choosing the best route
Organisational macro-strategies
From macro to micro
Communicating a strategy clearly
Making strategies understandable
Setting up a strategy monitoring team
Communicating with customers

Strategy in motion

Developing tactics
Filters, tactics, and build a strategy
Work breakdown structure principles
Using WBS for strategic success
Checking strategic alignment of tactics
Launching the strategy

Measuring strategic success

Setting up strategically-aligned metrics
Reporting frequency
Keeping a plan alive
Evaluating and re-evaluating strategies
The power of good strategic planning

How it works

Author

Yusuf Justin Holcroft

Yusuf Justin Holcroft

Yusuf Justin Holcroft is a Director of CTS Consulting and Training Specialists (Pty) Ltd, a South African company specialised in business rescue, turnaround and expansion.