15 Best Strategic Planning Courses To Build New Skills In 2024
Developing skills in strategic human resource management through planning courses enhances an HR professional's ability to drive long-term success.
These top strategic planning courses offer insights from managers and leaders who excel in the field. Here's a quick overview of each course, highlighting who it's for and what makes it stand out.
Best Strategic Planning Courses Shortlist
Here’s my top pick of the most valuable strategic planning courses of 2024—handpicked to advance your skills and maximize your time.
- Strategic Planning and Execution (University of Virginia Darden School of Business)
- Business Strategy Specialization (University of Virginia Darden School of Business)
- Strategy & Strategic Planning (Oxford Management Centre)
- Strategic Planning Essentials (Dale Carnegie)
- Essentials of Management and Strategic Planning (University of California, Irvine)
- Strategic Planning and Innovation (UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies)
- Strategic Planning Foundations (LinkedIn Learning)
- Strategic Planning: Systems Thinking In Practice (The Open University)
- Strategic Planning: Target Markets and Business Decision-Making (Coventry University)
- Strategic Planning (University of Texas at Austin)
- Agile Business Analysis: From Strategic Planning to Delivering Value (Pluralsight)
- Facilitating a Collaborative Strategic Planning Session (LinkedIn Learning)
- Assessing and Improving Strategic Plans (LinkedIn Learning)
- Strategic Planning Skills (Udemy)
- Conducting a SWOT Analysis (LinkedIn Learning)
Find more details about each course below.
Overview Of The Best Strategic Planning Courses
1. Strategic Planning and Execution (University of Virginia Darden School of Business)
This course bridges the gap between strategic analysis and execution, teaching you how to use hypothesis testing to uncover key assumptions and evaluate their accuracy. It equips you with practical tools to ensure your strategies are effective and grounded in reality.
- Who It’s For: Business professionals looking to enhance their strategic planning skills
- Topics Covered:
- Strategic analysis
- Strategy execution
- Hypothesis testing
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 10 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 3 hours per week
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
2. Business Strategy Specialization (University of Virginia Darden School of Business)
This specialization course provides a comprehensive understanding of the global aspects of strategic management, focusing on evaluating industry changes, maintaining competitive advantage, and developing effective business strategies.
- Who It’s For: Individuals seeking comprehensive knowledge of business strategy
- Topics Covered:
- Industry evolution
- Competitive advantage
- Business strategy formulation
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? Yes
- Duration: 1 month
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
3. Strategy & Strategic Planning (Oxford Management Centre)
This course helps managers improve their leadership by focusing on strategic analysis, planning, and adapting to market changes. It’s designed to build the skills needed to guide organizations confidently through change.
- Who It’s For: Managers looking to enhance their strategic planning skills
- Topics Covered:
- trategic thinking and external analysis
- Internal analysis and fusion into strategic choice
- Strategic plans and the relevance of alliances and joint ventures
- Global strategy, team building, and the management of internal communication
- Strategic implementation and getting the value out of strategy
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Both
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 5 days
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- In-person: $7,500
- Online: $3,950
- Take The Course: Oxford Management Centre
4. Strategic Planning Essentials: Prepare for Future Success (Dale Carnegie)
This course helps you improve your strategic planning skills. You’ll learn the difference between strategic and tactical planning, create a clear vision, identify key strengths, and conduct a strong SWOT analysis focusing on innovation and process improvement.
- Who It’s For: Professionals looking to improve strategic planning skills
- Topics Covered:
- Identify ways that strategic planning differs from tactical planning
- Isolate the core competencies of your organization
- Develop a strategic intent as the foundation of your organization’s plan
- Assess the current situation using a SWOT analysis
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 3 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 3 hours
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $399
- Take The Course: Dale Carnegie
5. Essentials of Management and Strategic Planning (University of California, Irvine)
This course covers the business's essentials and provides powerful strategies to drive organizational growth. You'll learn key management principles and effective strategic planning to take your business to the next level.
- Who It’s For: Aspiring managers and business leaders
- Topics Covered:
- Business management basics
- Organizational growth strategies
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 9 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
6. Strategic Planning and Innovation (UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies)
This course promotes sustainability by helping students identify challenges, set meaningful goals, and develop strategies for long-term success. Participants will gain the skills to drive sustainable growth and make a lasting impact.
- Who It’s For: Individuals interested in sustainable strategic planning
- Topics Covered:
- Risk assessment
- Materiality
- Stakeholder engagement
- Benchmarking
- Metrics for measuring success
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 90 days
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $595
- Take The Course: UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies
7. Strategic Planning Foundations (LinkedIn Learning)
This course offers a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to mastering the strategic planning process. You’ll learn how to craft a clear and compelling plan that aligns with your organization's unique goals and needs. By the end of the course, you'll be ready to lead confidently, equipped with a strong vision and a practical roadmap to drive long-term success.
- Who It’s For: Business professionals and managers
- Topics Covered:
- Strategic planning process
- Effective planning techniques
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 1 hour and 22 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 hour and 22 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: 1-month free trial
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
8. Strategic Planning: Systems Thinking In Practice (The Open University)
This course teaches systems thinking, providing tools to manage and strategize in complex environments. You'll learn to see interconnected challenges and develop strategies that address root causes, leading to sustainable solutions and effective long-term change.
- Who It’s For: Individuals interested in systems thinking and strategic planning
- Topics Covered:
- Systems thinking
- Holistic strategies
- Managing complex environments
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 20 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: The Open University
9. Strategic Planning: Target Markets and Business Decision-Making (Coventry University)
This course covers strategic planning at all levels, focusing on the BCG matrix. You'll gain insights into long-term planning, resource allocation, and market analysis, equipping you to make decisions that drive growth and strengthen your organization's competitive position.
- Who It’s For: Business professionals and managers
- Topics Covered:
- BCG matrix
- Strategic leadership
- Competitive environments
- Environmental scanning
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 weeks
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 5 hours per week
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $39 per month (after free 2-day trial)
- Take The Course: FutureLearn
10. Strategic Planning (University of Texas at Austin)
This interactive course offers a simple guide to effective strategic planning and business plan development. You’ll learn to assess your organization, spot opportunities, and navigate change management to create a clear action plan. By the end, you'll be ready to build a strong vision and roadmap for your organization's future success.
- Who It’s For: Business professionals and managers
- Topics Covered:
- Strategic planning process
- Effective planning techniques
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 1-2 days
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Take The Course: University of Texas at Austin
11. Agile Business Analysis: From Strategic Planning to Delivering Value (Pluralsight)
This course helps business analysts succeed in Agile environments by offering a clear framework for Agile principles and practical tools to work well with teams, adapt to changes, and deliver results in fast-paced projects. It prepares you to handle Agile projects confidently and effectively.
- Who It’s For: Business analysts in Agile environments
- Topics Covered:
- Strategic analysis
- Initiative analysis
- Delivery analysis
- Practical tools and principles
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 1 hour and 43 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 hour and 43 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $19 per month (after 10-day free trial)
- Take The Course: Pluralsight
12. Facilitating a Collaborative Strategic Planning Session (LinkedIn Learning)
This course helps learners and leaders guide strategic planning sessions by building on the fundamentals of teamwork, encouraging creativity, and reaching consensus to create clear, actionable plans aligned with organizational goals. Enroll now if you're a leader seeking effective strategies and enhanced team engagement.
- Who It’s For: Business analysts, project managers, and process improvement professionals
- Topics Covered:
- Running strategic planning sessions
- Collaborative planning techniques
- Guiding teams
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 36 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 36 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free for a month
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
13. Assessing and Improving Strategic Plans (LinkedIn Learning)
This online course explains why strategic plans fail and offers tips to improve them, making it ideal for professional development and upskilling. You'll learn at your own pace to spot weaknesses in your plans and strengthen them, helping you create effective strategies that drive your organization forward. It's perfect for anyone wanting to improve their strategic planning skills.
- Who It’s For: Business professionals involved in strategic planning
- Topics Covered:
- Common reasons for strategic plan failures
- Tips for improving strategic plans
- Assessing strategic plans
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 54 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 54 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free for a month
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
14. Strategic Planning Skills (Udemy)
This course is ideal for experienced managers looking to improve decision-making. It offers tools and strategies to make better, informed decisions that enhance daily operations and long-term success. You'll gain the confidence and skills needed for effective leadership.
- Who It’s For: Managers with at least three years of experience
- Topics Covered:
- SWOT analysis
- Strategic thinking
- Innovation
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 2 hours
- Eligibility Requirements:
- At least 3 years of managerial experience
- Price: $44.99
- Take The Course: Udemy
15. Conducting a SWOT Analysis (LinkedIn Learning)
This course teaches you how to use the SWOT framework to evaluate business strategies. You'll learn to identify strengths, address weaknesses, seize opportunities, and manage threats. It's perfect for anyone looking to improve their strategic planning skills.
- Who It’s For: Business professionals looking to improve strategic analysis
- Topics Covered:
- SWOT framework
- Leveraging strengths
- Converting weaknesses
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 47 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 47 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $44.99
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
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