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    • Strategic Planning

    Strategic Planning Courses Online

    Learn strategic planning for organizational growth. Understand how to set goals, allocate resources, and measure performance.

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    Explore the Strategic Planning Course Catalog

    • U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Introduction to Systems Engineering

      Skills you'll gain: Systems Engineering, Failure Analysis, Model Based Systems Engineering, Requirements Management, Design Reviews, Cost Management, Scope Management, Engineering Management, Risk Management, Test Engineering, Program Management, Engineering Practices, Project Controls, User Requirements Documents, Business Requirements, Project Management, Product Requirements, Product Lifecycle Management, Requirements Analysis, Earned Value Management

      Build toward a degree

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      105 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: New
      New
      U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Agribusiness and Sustainable Food Production Economics

      Skills you'll gain: Land Management, Water Resources, Risk Management, Real Estate, Legal Risk, Balance Sheet, Food and Beverage, Supply Chain, Environmental Social And Corporate Governance (ESG), Investments, Commercial Real Estate, Property and Real Estate, Risk Mitigation, Business Risk Management, Transportation, Supply Chain, and Logistics, Asset Management, Financial Analysis, Decision Making, Supply Chain Management, Consumer Behaviour

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      52 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      W

      West Virginia University

      Today’s Music Industry

      Skills you'll gain: Music, Music History, Intellectual Property, Performing Arts, Consumer Behaviour, Event Management, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Production Process, Digital Transformation, Promotional Strategies

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      124 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • A

      Arizona State University

      Conflict Management For Everyone

      Skills you'll gain: Conflict Management, Negotiation, Emotional Intelligence, De-escalation Techniques, Active Listening, Communication Strategies, Interpersonal Communications, Composure, Tactfulness, Expectation Management, Social Skills, Collaboration, Brainstorming, Verbal Communication Skills, Interviewing Skills, Empathy, Follow Through, Communication, Strategic Planning, Contingency Planning

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      47 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • B

      Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

      Natural Disaster and Climate Change Risk Assessment

      Skills you'll gain: Failure Analysis, Risk Analysis, Risk Modeling, Feasibility Studies, Risk Management, Project Risk Management, Risk Mitigation, Business Risk Management, Analysis, Mitigation, Governance, Financial Analysis, Disaster Recovery, Systems Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, Vulnerability Assessments, Environmental Resource Management, Civil Engineering, Prioritization, Economic Development

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      212 reviews

      Advanced · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of California, Irvine

      Blockchain

      Skills you'll gain: Blockchain, Cryptography, Encryption, FinTech, Data Sharing, Transaction Processing, Distributed Computing, Payment Systems, Supply Chain Systems, Data Integrity, Emerging Technologies, Digital Assets, Authentications, Software Systems, Data Security, Computer Systems, Software Architecture, Network Security, Version Control, Network Analysis

      4.1
      Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
      ·
      222 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      AI for Project Managers and Scrum Masters

      Skills you'll gain: Agile Project Management, Forecasting, Workflow Management, Innovation, Project Management Life Cycle, Project Management, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Automation, Project Risk Management, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation, Change Management

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      106 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of California, Davis

      Computational Social Science Methods

      Skills you'll gain: Social Sciences, Network Analysis, Data Science, Machine Learning, Computational Thinking, Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Data Analysis, Simulations, Big Data, Scientific Methods

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      342 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • D

      Duke University

      Business Value Creation

      Skills you'll gain: Resource Allocation, Cash Flows, Business Valuation, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management, Cost Control, Return On Investment, Financial Analysis, Business Metrics, Growth Strategies, Asset Management, Business Strategies, Operational Efficiency, Expectation Management, Competitive Analysis, Performance Analysis

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      59 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • N

      Northwestern University

      Leadership Through Design Innovation

      Skills you'll gain: Design Thinking, Innovation, Ideation, Human Centered Design, Organizational Leadership, Brainstorming, Strategic Leadership, Leadership, Storyboarding, User Experience Design, Customer Engagement, Creative Thinking, Design Research, Collaboration, Empathy

      4.2
      Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
      ·
      325 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • J

      Johns Hopkins University

      Sustainable Neighborhoods

      Skills you'll gain: Land Development, Landscape Architecture, Architectural Design, Environment, Community Development, Public Works, Building Design, Environment and Resource Management, Environmental Issue, Geographic Information Systems, Economic Development, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Cultural Diversity

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      75 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • L

      L&T EduTech

      Electrical Power Distribution

      Skills you'll gain: Electrical Systems, Electrical Power, Electrical Substation, Electric Power Systems, Low Voltage, Three-Phase, High Voltage, Electrical Equipment, Electrical Safety, Control Systems, Construction, Programmable Logic Controllers, Automation Engineering, Network Protocols

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      132 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    Strategic Planning learners also search

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    In summary, here are 10 of our most popular strategic planning courses

    • Introduction to Systems Engineering: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Agribusiness and Sustainable Food Production Economics: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Today’s Music Industry: West Virginia University
    • Conflict Management For Everyone: Arizona State University
    • Natural Disaster and Climate Change Risk Assessment: Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
    • Blockchain: University of California, Irvine
    • AI for Project Managers and Scrum Masters: Coursera Instructor Network
    • Computational Social Science Methods: University of California, Davis
    • Business Value Creation: Duke University
    • Leadership Through Design Innovation: Northwestern University

    Skills you can learn in Business Strategy

    Modeling (25)
    Market (economics) (21)
    Plan (19)
    Planning (16)
    Strategic Management (16)
    Business Model (13)
    Operations Management (13)
    Analytics (12)
    Evaluation (12)
    Project Management (11)
    Supply Chain (10)
    Decision-making (9)

    Frequently Asked Questions about Strategic Planning

    Strategic planning is the process by which an organization sets its goals, defines its path for achieving them, and allocates required resources accordingly. This process of creating a business strategy is important because it establishes agreement around the common goals of an enterprise and provides a shared framework for evaluating progress. Thus, beyond simply helping to guide the annual budget, strategic planning is an important leadership and management tool.

    The strategic planning process can be broken down in a variety of ways, but generally has three phases: strategic analysis, strategy formulation, and strategy implementation. The analysis phase requires a capabilities analysis of the business as well as consideration of its competitive position within the industry structure it operates in. Formulation takes these insights as a basis for setting achievable goals and deciding on appropriate courses of action to achieve them.

    Of course, the most challenging phase of strategic planning is implementation. As any manager knows, even the most careful planning process can never anticipate all the complexities the future holds - particularly considering the rapid changes occurring in our world today. Strategic management means knowing how to adapt to changing circumstances as the business moves forward while continuing to rely upon the goals set in the strategic planning process for guidance.‎

    Every manager in an organization must understand strategic planning, as this process is typically central to setting annual budgets and reporting for each department. Thus, Human resources (HR) managers, sales and marketing managers, financial managers, and other department heads need to be able to provide useful inputs into the planning process as well as participate in its ongoing implementation.

    Strategic planning skills are especially important for top-level executives, such as chief executive officers (CEOs), chief operating officers (COOs), chief financial officers (CFOs), and other “C-suite” positions in a company. These executives are responsible for devising the overarching strategy for the company, establishing the policies required to meet them, and ensuring that managers understand and follow through on their implementation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, chief executives earned a median salary of $184,460 in May 2019, making this a very highly compensated skill set.‎

    Yes. Coursera offers a wide range of business courses as well as Specializations online, including opportunities to learn about strategic planning specifically from top-ranked schools like the University of Virginia and Copenhagen Business School. You can even learn about this skill as part of Coursera’s full-fledged online MBA programs offered by schools like the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and Macquarie University.

    Regardless of what your career goals are, or the educational strategy you’re pursuing to achieve them, Coursera lets you learn online on a flexible schedule. Thus, you can learn about strategic planning while continuing to work at your existing job, making this an excellent choice for mid-career professionals as well as business-minded students that want a high-level skill set as they begin their career.‎

    The skills and experience that you might need to already have before starting to learn strategic planning may include experience with organizational management work, assessing company practices and methods, and helping executives to make decisions that could help them guide their organizations in more focused ways. In much the same way that a financial planner helps people understand their investments and how to make the most of their return, strategic planners can help companies set corporate priorities, focus the company’s energy and resources into potentially high ROI activities, and help to strengthen overall operations. Being able to have these skills and experience before learning strategic planning may make you a valuable asset to a team.‎

    The kind of people that are best suited for work that involves strategic planning are those people who display good analytical characteristics for business vision, have leadership confidence, are strong with data and numbers, are computer literate, and can communicate well. People in strategic planning roles usually work in analyzing and assessing business environments to come up with a strategic formulation to organize business units. To do this high-level work, they often are smart, detail-oriented, have agreeable personalities, and can get the job done. These people may also have a bachelor's or master’s degree in accounting, business, finance, or economics.‎

    You might know if learning strategic planning is right for you if you have enthusiasm for directing the level of change in a group, a team, a business, or a corporate organization. Learning about strategic planning can take on many facets, from understanding the basics of a more human resources focus for employee changes to a more technology-based focus for a company-wide change to digital transformation methods. Learning strategic planning can be a strong stepping stone to staying abreast of changes in business processes and practices. Strategic planning is a large field of opportunity for a creative, detail-focused, innovative individual to take, and if this is interesting to you, you may find this to be a rewarding new career path.‎

    Online Strategic Planning courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Strategic Planning skills. Choose from a wide range of Strategic Planning courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.‎

    When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Strategic Planning, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here.‎

    This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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