Strategy Execution Professional Certification

The Strategy Execution Professional Certification program teaches delegates practical tools and techniques for successfully executing strategy. The course program is organized around major management processes that have a direct impact on successful strategy implementation. The course is built around five strategy execution “Imperatives” that we and other experts have found contribute significantly to strategy implementation and performance excellence.

The program also recognizes that creating a high-performance organization is a change initiative and includes a change management and communication module to help ensure that a performance culture is developed so strategy implementation can take hold and help move the organization to higher levels of accountability and performance.

Using lectures, open ended group discussions, delegate experiences, and tailored exercises, the program identifies tools, techniques, and best practices that course delegates can use in their organization. The capstone of the certification course is a customized action plan – My Strategy Execution RoadMap – that delegates develop in real time as they study, discuss, and complete exercises in each Imperative. The finished RoadMap contains specific steps that can be applied in delegate organizations to improve the likelihood of strategy execution success.

The US-based course is priced at $3,600.
International pricing will vary based on region.

Available discounts for courses hosted in the United States

Early Bird Discount Save $300 if you register 30 days before the course starts	Public Sector Discount Save $150 if you work for a non-profit or a government organization	Group Rate Discount Save $300 each if your team of 3 or more register for the same course

Schedule and Registration

Program Overview

While many leaders, managers, and analysts are comfortable creating a strategic plan for moving their organization forward, many organizations struggle to turn abstract goals and strategies into reality. This training program aims to equip participants with the necessary skills to effectively implement their organization’s strategy by focusing on five key strategy execution imperatives. Unlike traditional strategic planning courses that concentrate on goal setting, this hands-on course allows delegates to work with proven tools, techniques, and interventions that are essential for turning strategy into action. The course is suitable for all organizations and sectors, regardless of the strategic planning framework used to create their plan. It begins with a brief introduction to strategic planning, enabling organizations without a strategic plan to learn how to adopt best practices to develop and successfully implement one.

Created by the Strategy Management Group (SMG) and the Balanced Scorecard Institute (BSI) and offered in association with the George Washington University Center of Excellence in Public Leadership, the Strategy Execution Professional Certification program provides participants with the tools they need to improve and execute existing strategic plans. The five authors of the course have over 125 years of combined training and consulting experience in strategy, strategic planning, performance measurement and management, and strategy execution in over 50 countries.

Program Details

Sessions include lectures, individual and small group exercises, readings, group discussions, surveys, Q and A’s, visiting expert presentations, real-world examples of successful strategy implementations, and a delegate project tailored to their organization.

Session Lecture

An expert consultant will present content to the entire class. Much like our other educational webinars, this presentation will intersperse polling questions and other activities and will include a Q&A session at the end.

Session Small Group Exercise

Delegates will be split into small groups and will be tasked with completing a small group exercise via web conference. All exercises will be facilitated by an expert consultant. Participants are required to engage via web camera and microphone.

Reading, Quizzes and Exam

Sessions will be complemented with reading assignments, quizzes (not graded), discussion board dialog, and small-group instructor feedback. Upon completion of the course, participants may take and pass the online Strategy Execution Certification Exam to become certified.

Course Benefits

Participants will:

• Apply strategy execution tools and solutions for overcoming issues and challenges related to strategy execution in their organizations
• Understand how five imperatives that are critical to successful strategy execution can be incorporated into your strategy implementation efforts:
  • Leadership and Governance
  • Creating a Performance Culture
  • Aligning and Operationalizing Strategy
  • Strategic Project/Portfolio Management
  • Performance Analysis, Reporting and Informing
• Learn how to test an existing strategic plan for implementation success, and incorporate agility and innovation to make strategy implementation easier and more successful
• Understand how important clear communications and change management are to achieving successful strategy execution and creating a more high-performance organization
• Create a customized My Strategy Execution RoadMap for your organization

Who Should Attend?

This course is recommended for managers, planners, analysts, and others who are charged with implementing plans and delivering results. The course is highly recommended for members of Executive and Senior Management teams, Program and Policy Analysts, Project Managers, and strategy professionals, and performance management teams. The course is also ideal for any business professional who wants to keep abreast of the latest thinking in strategic planning, alignment, strategic program and project management, performance measurement, and strategy execution. Organizations will benefit the most by sending teams to the course who are seeking the best practical ideas for successful strategy implementation in their organizations.

Business and support unit employees will benefit from seeing how strategy is aligned from enterprise level to their level and how plans are implemented to produce results. Enterprise-wide leaders and managers will benefit from learning how to successfully implement the strategy execution imperatives at all organization levels.

The Value of Online Training

Online courses are minimally discounted compared to our live in-person courses. Just as many Universities have found, the cost related to offering a quality course online are just as high, if not higher, than offering a course in person. Direct interaction with experienced SMG consultants is integral to the quality of all our programs, live or online. SMG consultants facilitate all interactive exercises in addition to the lecture, so each participant will likely see 120-180 minutes of instructor time each week, in addition to discussion board and homework review. The value of the content is the same, only the delivery is designed to meet the needs of those that can’t (or don’t want) to travel or be away from their office for five days.

About Our Partnership

In order to provide a seamless, high quality learning experience for the current and aspiring strategy leaders, SMG has partnered with The George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (GW CEPL), a part of the College of Professional Studies.

Upon successful completion of the Strategy Execution Professional Certification program, participants have the option of earning an additional certificate of completion from the renowned George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (GW CEPL), part of the GW College of Professional Studies (GW CPS).  For more information about GW CEPL, visit: www.gwu.edu/cepl or contact cepl@gwu.edu.

Credit Hours

Continuing Education Units

The certification gives participants the status of alumni of GW CEPL’s executive education programs, and an opportunity to obtain highly-coveted Continuing Education Units (CEUs)*. Please note the additional fee of $720 for this level of certification to obtain 3 Continuing Education Units. Participants selecting this option would count as alumni of George Washington University’s non-degree executive education programs, which is distinct from degree-bearing academic programs.

*One CEU is equivalent to 10 hours of face-to-face instruction time.