What is the Certified Strategy and Planning Professional?

The Certified Strategy and Planning Professional is a globally recognised professional certification by the Global Leadership Institute (GLI), designed to equip professionals with advanced competencies in Leadership & Management.

How long does this certification take?

The programme is 10 Weeks and can be completed at your own pace through our self-paced online option, or alongside live virtual sessions.

Is this certification globally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications are internationally recognised and carry CPD credits, making them valuable for career advancement worldwide.

What level is this certification?

This is a Advanced Level certification, suitable for professionals with relevant experience or background in the field.

You can enrol by emailing info@certifications.ac, contacting us via WhatsApp at +254 722 223 084, or filling the enrolment form below.

Certified Strategy and Planning Professional in China

Course Curriculum

Programme Modules

Click any module to explore the detailed curriculum topics included in this certification.

Foundations and Strategic Context of Certified Strategy and Planning Professional

Certified Strategy and Planning Professional: industry context, trends and professional standards
Theories and models of leadership and management
The manager's roles, responsibilities and mindset
Leadership versus management and when each is needed
Situational and adaptive leadership
Values, purpose and authentic leadership
The organisational context and operating environment
Self-awareness and the leader's identity
Building credibility and executive presence
Ethics and responsible leadership
Personal leadership development planning

Planning From Strategic Choice

Synergy realisation after combination
Diagnosis, guiding policy and coherent action
Setting and communicating strategic direction
Earned value management
Stakeholder engagement strategy
Value management and business value
Strategic alignment of investments
Designing your first 90 days after certification
Value proposition design and messaging
Product and portfolio strategy
Go-to-market and channel strategy
Marketing and sales: scope, roles and value
Brand and reputation as strategic assets
Strategy as a coherent set of choices

The Planning Cycle and Its Cadence

Executive time, attention and decision cadence
Strategy and performance management systems
Strategic alignment across an organisation
Job analysis, job design and role profiling
Designing an HR intervention or policy
Employer branding and employee value proposition (EVP)
Instructional design and blended learning
Benefits design, pensions and flexible benefits
Retention strategy and turnover analysis
Preparing financial statements
Business models for new tech
Ethics and responsible innovation
Scaling innovation to production

Assumptions, Scenarios and Ranges

Scenario planning under deep uncertainty
Discovery-driven planning and assumption testing
Metrics design and the gaming problem
Security by design
Interpreting financial statements
Growth, lactation and productivity
Feeding for reproduction and performance
Reproductive physiology and cycles
Artificial insemination and reproductive technologies
Value-chain and supply-chain finance
Measuring ERP value
Digital learning strategy
Innovation and experimentation in learning

Resource and Capacity Planning

Resource allocation and capital discipline
Operating model redesign
Strategic development and long-range positioning
Organisational design principles and structures
Attrition, engagement and productivity analytics
Communication strategy in change programmes
Embedding values and behaviours
Corporate strategy and portfolio choices
Growth strategy: organic, M&A and partnerships
Organisational design and operating models
Organisational resilience and adaptive strategy
Strategic leadership at scale
Long-term value creation

Cascade, Targets and Measures

Strategic alignment across an organisation
Strategy and performance management systems
Metrics design and the gaming problem
Blended and hybrid learning design
The strategic narrative
Sustainability, ESG and integrated value
Long-term value creation and stewardship
Real options and strategic investment
Governance and organisational value
Product safety and standards
Sustainability strategy and materiality
Technology strategy and architecture choices
Platform and ecosystem strategy

Reviewing and Replanning

Strategic learning and the adaptive organisation
Benefits realisation and value tracking
Strategic options and real options thinking
Advisory service design and delivery
Behaviour change and adoption of innovations
The value of customer-centricity
Innovation in service delivery
Journey and process redesign
Customer service and CX strategy
Designing voice-of-customer programmes
Sustaining strategic customer focus
Designing a service or experience improvement
Operational efficiency and productivity

Strategic Context

Sources of competitive advantage
Strategic positioning versus operational effectiveness
Corporate portfolio strategy and parenting advantage
Organisational design as a strategic choice
Culture as a strategic asset
Leading strategic change
Developing strategic capability in others
Manufacturing strategies: make-to-stock, make-to-order and batch versus flow
Content strategy across platforms
Business case and strategic alignment
Competitive analysis and differentiation
Customer experience strategy
Communications strategy and planning
Category management and strategy
Competitive bidding processes

Decision Making

Backlogs, user stories and prioritisation
Escalation and decision-making
Portfolio management and prioritisation
Decision-making and problem solving
Data-driven decision-making
Management accounts and dashboards
Data-driven decision support and analytics
Prioritising experience investments
Problem loans, restructuring and recovery
Evidence, judgement and scepticism
Root-cause analysis and problem solving
Strategic decision-making under uncertainty
Structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis
Make, buy or ally: boundary decisions
Decision support and insight

Performance Systems

Performance measurement and KPI dashboards
HR metrics, KPIs and the HR scorecard
Time-to-hire, quality-of-hire and cost metrics
Continuous feedback and performance conversations
Appraisal, calibration and managing underperformance
Budget vs actual and variance
Leading and lagging metrics
Policy, planning and objectives
Measuring innovation performance
Strategy execution and the balanced scorecard
Managing team performance and dynamics
Social performance and outreach
Investment principles and objectives
Metrics and reporting
Breed selection and breeding objectives

Financial Management

Standard costing and variance analysis
Budgeting techniques and the budgeting cycle
Flexible budgets and rolling forecasts
Responsibility accounting and cost centres
Cost reduction and efficiency programmes
Capital budgeting: NPV, IRR and payback
Cost of capital and WACC
Financial modelling and scenario analysis
Continuous improvement of finance processes
Trends: ESG, transparency and stakeholder capitalism
Options appraisal and cost-benefit
Advisory and non-financial services
Sector-focused SME finance
The role of finance in organisations and value creation
Return on investment and impact

Risk and Governance

Risk registers and reporting
Continuous risk monitoring
Programme governance
Grant compliance and restricted funding management
NGO governance, boards and registration
How insurance works: risk pooling and the value chain
Underwriting principles and risk selection
Bancassurance and digital insurance models
Vehicle documentation, compliance and consumer protection
Reporting quality and governance
Duty of care and risk management
Implementation planning and risk management
Traceability, recall and quality assurance systems
Regulatory compliance and market requirements
Governance of service standards

Stakeholders

Influencing and persuasion
Negotiation and conflict resolution
Categories of spend and stakeholders
Negotiation strategy and planning
Negotiation tactics and behaviours
Strategic customer relationships
Property viewings, offers and negotiation to close
Managing boundaries and dual relationships
Cost and profitability analysis
The project environment and stakeholders
Stakeholder and sponsor management
Negotiation with buyers, suppliers and financiers
Partnership building and multi-stakeholder platforms
Relationship management and retention
Stakeholder mapping and collaboration

Communication

Forecasting and planning
Toolbox talks and safety communication
Communicating vision and telling stories
Executive communication and presence
Cross-cultural communication
Sustainability reporting and disclosure
Proposal development and donor reporting
The media and telecommunications landscape
Communicating financial results
Financial reporting frameworks (IFRS/GAAP)
Integrated and sustainability reporting
Governance of ESG and reporting
Communicating and reporting to leadership
Management and board reporting
Safety communication and campaigns

Evidence and Data

Comparable sales analysis and market evidence
Measurement and analytics for media and social campaigns
Health records, data and confidentiality
Analytical techniques and bias
Data visualisation for finance
Psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches
Attachment and developmental theory
Record-keeping and data protection
Evidence-based improvement
Evidence-based practice
Evidence-based practice and research literacy
Data ethics and customer privacy
Data protection and customer privacy
Data, analytics and customer insight
Data analytics in audit

Operations

The vehicle sales process from enquiry to delivery
Capacity planning and line balancing
In-process quality control and inspection
Industrial utilities, energy and process safety interfaces
Professional roles, boundaries and settings
Service quality and the passenger experience in transport
Mineral processing and beneficiation
Quality management on site: inspections, hold points and defects
Healthcare quality, safety and accreditation
Outcome and process measures
Quality and delivery metrics
Coaching and quality monitoring
Reconciliation and end-of-day processes
Operating-model and process re-engineering
Service quality and turnaround metrics

Programme Delivery

Sourcing strategies and portfolio (Kraljic)
Designing a transformation programme
Real estate development and project appraisal
Programme cycle management in NGOs
Ethical principles and codes of practice
Projects and expansion: connecting the unserved
Sustaining ethical, effective practice
Telehealth and digital care delivery
Public health programmes: prevention and outreach
Designing an intervention or programme
Projects, programmes and portfolios
HACCP principles and prerequisite programmes
Voice of the customer programmes
Loyalty programmes and rewards
Leading service projects and change

Change and Transformation

Ethical frameworks and codes of practice
User adoption and change
Digital transformation and IT strategy
Transformation versus incremental change
Sustaining transformation and preventing reversion
Variations, claims and delay: managing change on site
Change talk and readiness
Habit change and behaviour design
Change control and configuration
Organisational change management
Change and adoption in projects
Complaints, accountability and fitness to practise
Digital and market transformation
Customer experience transformation
Digital and self-service transformation

People and Capability

Scaling delivery capability
Project management plan development
Schedule development and optimisation
Team development and effectiveness
Coaching and developing team members
Your one-year professional development trajectory
Sales enablement and coaching
Quality monitoring and coaching
Training and capability building
Coaching for performance
Message development and testing
Knowledge management and capability building
Creating a coaching culture
Delegating for development
Managing resistance and capability building

Technology

Self-service and digital support
Customer service technology stack
Technology selection and integration
Emerging service technologies
Digital, mobile and internet banking
Digital disruption and the future of banking
Branch-to-digital migration
Digital banking platforms and APIs
Payment technology and switches
Cybersecurity and fraud technology
Digital credit and alternative data
Legal responsibilities and professional bodies
Ethics of technology in practice
Agile and digital transformation projects
Automation in project delivery

Markets and Customers

Brand safety and responsible marketing
Customer and brand health metrics
Capstone scoping: a real growth or brand challenge
Market and customer analysis
Campaign or go-to-market plan
Brand strategy, identity and equity
Value proposition and messaging
Brand health and measurement
Building strategic customer relationships
Customer success and retention
Customer lifetime value and profitability
Product launch and go-to-market sequencing
Buyer behaviour and the customer journey
Voice of the customer and feedback
Policy administration and customer service in insurance

Leadership Practice

Client feedback and satisfaction
The two-year horizon: expertise, leadership and professional standing
Revenue management and yield
Key account management strategy
Renewals and churn management
Field sales and territory management
Tender and bid management
Reporting to leadership
Team leadership in sales and marketing
Capacity and performance management
Team leadership in field and project settings
Range planning and category management
Workforce and shift management in retail
Ground control and strata management
Mine water, tailings and environmental management

Legal and Regulatory

Legal, cost and feasibility analysis
Contractor and visitor safety
Legal and other requirements
Risk and regulatory considerations
Contract types and risk allocation
Contract administration and variation
Contract governance and compliance
Real estate regulation, licensing and professional conduct
Insurance regulation and consumer protection
Vendor, venue and supplier contracting for events
Regulation of transport: authorities, conventions and licensing
Employment law framework and contracts of employment
Health and safety legal duties
Employment relationship and the psychological contract
Managing risk and difficult cases

Culture

Awareness and security culture
Learning cultures and the learning organisation
Engagement, motivation and energisers
Building a coaching culture
Leading across cultures and geographies
Employee engagement models and drivers
HR's role in culture, values and employer brand
Stakeholder engagement and risk management
Safety culture and leadership
Managing resistance and engagement
Worker engagement and empowerment
Innovation culture, incentives and psychological safety
Motivation theories and engagement
Lessons learned and development
Strengths, flow and engagement

Advisory and Research

Facilitation, training and public presentation skills
Digital advisory, e-extension and mobile services
Group dynamics, facilitation and community mobilisation
Advisory and needs-based selling
Facilitation skills and presence
Virtual and hybrid facilitation
Facilitation, coaching and mentoring
Peer support and consultation
Designing and facilitating groups
Psychoeducation and workshops
Leading groups and workshops
Facilitation and workshops
Market research design and methods
Qualitative and quantitative research
Influencing and advising leaders

Innovation

Innovation portfolio and the three horizons
Prototyping, experimentation and design thinking
Intellectual property and defensibility of innovation
Design review and quality
Blended and hybrid design
Business model design and innovation
Productivity, collaboration and workflow tools
Productivity and efficiency improvement
Insurance products and lines of business
Destination, venue and experience products
Tour and event concept design and packaging
Creating content that performs: formats, hooks and production
Emerging tools and innovation
Innovation and continuous delivery
Designing the project plan and schedule

International

Global and comparative HR contexts
Cross-cultural and global inclusion
Driving effective, ethical outcomes
Working with organisations on wellbeing
Ethical, risk and feasibility considerations
Professional case study and presentation
Global sourcing and trade
Risk assessment and safety planning
Transfer pricing and international tax
Performance management in service
Workforce planning and scheduling
Goal setting and contracting
Treatment planning and review

Supply and Procurement

Procurement’s contribution to organisational strategy
Public versus private procurement
Supply markets and the enabling environment
Digital procurement and the future of the profession
Sustainable procurement principles and standards
Fair trade and responsible supply
Procurement and asset management under donor rules
Water supply systems: sources, treatment and distribution
Managing complexity and comorbidity
Conflicts of interest and procurement ethics
Procurement and contract value
Procurement and contract management
Vendor selection and management
Supply market analysis
Third-party and supply-chain risk

Ethics and Trust

Ethics and fair customer treatment
Professional ethics in customer service
Responsible and ethical service
Ethics and integrity in banking
Professional ethics and banking conduct
Integrity, confidentiality and conflicts
Anti-corruption and financial-crime ethics
Responsible and sustainable banking
Ethics and independence
Ethics in communications
Corporate social responsibility communications
Ethical decision-making under pressure
Sustainability and climate responsibility
Professional standards and ethics (CIPS)
Sustainability and responsible sourcing

Sustainability

Sustainability and environmental duty
Environmental management systems (ISO 14001)
Continuous environmental improvement
Integration with quality and environment
Stakeholder capitalism and ESG
Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
Embedding sustainability in sourcing
Sustainability and social impact in projects
Sustainability and responsible marketing
Monitoring sustainability outcomes
Workplace and organisational contexts
Sustainable and green banking
Control environment and risk assessment
Emerging assurance areas (ESG)
Goal setting and action planning

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is the CSTPP certification?

Yes. GLI certifications are recognised across 100+ countries and are aligned with recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks. Graduates receive a digital certificate, a physical certificate and CPD credits recognised by employers worldwide.

Who should enrol in the CSTPP?

This certification is ideal for Managers and Team Leaders, Heads of Department and Directors, Senior Executives and Aspiring Leaders and Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, and other professionals seeking to formalise their expertise in strategic leadership, organisational management and business transformation with a globally recognised credential.

How long does the CSTPP certification take to complete?

The programme is structured over 10 Weeks and offers flexible learning modes. Self-paced learners can progress at their own schedule, while live virtual participants follow a structured cohort schedule with facilitator-led sessions.

Is the CSTPP internationally recognised?

What is the cost of the CSTPP certification?

The Certified Strategy and Planning Professional is offered in two formats: Self-Paced at USD 449 and Live Virtual at USD 649. Corporate group rates are available for organisations enrolling 5 or more participants. Contact GLI for a bespoke corporate training quotation.

What does the CSTPP certification include?

Enrolment includes all study materials and study guides, access to GLI's online learning portal, online examination, digital certificate and badge, physical certificate (posted), CPD credits, GLI alumni network membership, and ongoing facilitator support.

What is the assessment format for the CSTPP?

The Certified Strategy and Planning Professional is assessed through an online examination consisting of multiple-choice questions, case study analysis, and practical application assignments. The assessment is designed to evaluate real-world competency, not just theoretical recall.

What CPD credits do I earn from the CSTPP?

The Certified Strategy and Planning Professional carries Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, which can be applied towards professional body requirements including recognised international professional associations.

Can I study the CSTPP while working full-time?

Absolutely. The self-paced option is designed for busy working professionals and allows you to study when and where it suits you. Live virtual sessions are typically scheduled in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate professional commitments.

What career outcomes can I expect from the CSTPP?

Graduates progress towards executive, director and C-suite leadership roles. The CSTPP strengthens your expertise in strategic leadership, organisational management and business transformation and positions you for advancement across corporates, public institutions, NGOs and enterprises.

Certified Strategy and Planning Professional