Training Course: Strategic Planning and Crisis Management with Simulation

Strategic planning and crisis management is the work of setting an organisation's long-term direction and preparing the structures that keep that direction intact when a sudden disruption occurs. This ten-day course is for middle and senior managers who contribute to planning and would sit on a crisis team, and it ends with an integrated strategic and crisis management plan, with a continuity annex, tested in a full simulation.

Introduction

The course rests on three references. The Balanced Scorecard links objectives and measures across four perspectives so that a plan can be monitored. ISO 22301:2019 sets requirements for a business continuity management system. ISO 22361:2022 gives guidelines for building crisis management capability. The level is practitioner. The first five days cover the planning core; the extended second week adds crisis team structures, continuity planning, scenario exercises and a full crisis simulation, using cases from utilities, healthcare and logistics.

Course Objectives

• Define the stages of the strategic planning cycle and the outputs each stage hands to the next.
• Distinguish PESTEL analysis from Porter's Five Forces and select the right tool for a planning question.
• Apply the Balanced Scorecard and SMART criteria to turn objectives into measurable departmental targets.
• Compare business impact analysis with risk assessment and set recovery time objectives for critical activities.
• Interpret the gold, silver and bronze command levels and staff a crisis team with clear decision authority.
• Justify the content of an integrated strategic and crisis management plan after testing it in a simulation.

Target Audience

• Strategy and planning managers who decide which analysis findings become strategic objectives.
• Department heads who judge how corporate objectives translate into their own action plans.
• Risk, resilience and continuity coordinators who decide which activities must recover first after disruption.
• Operations managers who would lead a tactical crisis team and decide on resource deployment under pressure.
• Corporate communication managers who judge what to tell staff, partners and the public during an incident.

Course Outline

Day 1: Strategic Thinking and the Planning Cycle

• Strategic Thinking vs Strategic Planning: Insight Generation Against Structured Plan Production
• Strategic Planning Cycle: Analysis, Choice, Implementation and Review Stages Explained
• Strategy Myths: Common Misconceptions About Long-Range Plans and Their Use
• Planning Practice Review: Lessons From Public Agencies and Manufacturing Firms
• Strategy Levels: Corporate, Business Unit and Functional Strategy Compared in Scope

Day 2: External and Internal Analysis

• PESTEL vs Porter's Five Forces: Macro Environment Against Industry Competition Analysis
• SWOT Analysis: Matching Internal Strengths and Weaknesses to External Conditions
• Value Creation and Capture: How Strategies Produce and Retain Economic Value
• Competitive Advantage Tests: Assessing Whether a Chosen Strategy Can Be Sustained
• Strategic Choice Evaluation: Suitability, Acceptability and Feasibility of Options

Day 3: Vision, Mission and Values

• Vision vs Mission Statement: Future Destination Against Present Purpose of the Organisation
• Statement Formulation: Drafting Vision and Mission Wording That Guides Decisions
• Organisational Values: Defining Expected Behaviours and Communicating Them to Staff
• Direction and Alignment: Checking Strategic Choices Against Stated Purpose and Values
• Ambition Setting: Turning Analysis Findings Into Long-Term Organisational Aspirations

Day 4: Objectives, KPIs and Targets

• Strategic Objectives vs Operational Goals: Organisation-Wide Aims Against Unit Deliverables
• Balanced Scorecard: Four Perspectives and Strategy Maps for Monitoring Execution
• KPI Characteristics: Relevance, Measurability, Ownership and Data Availability Tests
• SMART Targets: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound Criteria
• Performance Management Cycle: Plan, Monitor, Review and Adjust Strategy Execution

Day 5: From Strategy to Operating Plans

• Strategic Initiatives vs Routine Activities: Change Projects Against Ongoing Operations
• Cascading Plans: Linking Vision and Objectives to Departmental Action Plans
• Action Plan Criteria: Owners, Milestones, Resources and Activity Sequencing
• Execution Management: Departmental Plans, Resource Allocation and Quarterly Review Meetings
• KPI Dashboard Reporting: Visual Tracking of Progress Against Agreed Targets

Day 6: Crisis Management Foundations

• Incident vs Crisis vs Emergency: Thresholds That Decide Which Response Level Applies
• ISO 22361:2022: International Guidelines for Building Organisational Crisis Management Capability
• Crisis Lifecycle: Signal Detection, Preparation, Containment, Recovery and Learning Phases
• Command Centre Dynamics: Facilities, Roles and Information Flow During Activation
• Legislative Considerations: Legal Duties That Shape Crisis Command Structures

Day 7: Crisis Teams and C3i

• Strategic vs Tactical vs Operational Teams: Gold, Silver and Bronze Command Levels
• C3i Elements: Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence in Crisis Response
• Crisis Team Structure: Roles, Deputies, Activation Triggers and Decision Authority
• Communication Lines: Reporting Channels Between Command Centre and Field Teams
• Intelligence and Data Use: Situation Reports, Dashboards and a Common Operating Picture

Day 8: Continuity Planning

• ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System: Requirements for Planning and Recovery
• Business Impact Analysis vs Risk Assessment: Consequences of Disruption Against Likelihood
• Recovery Time and Recovery Point Objectives: Setting Tolerable Disruption Limits
• Continuity Strategies: Alternate Sites, Supplier Options and Staff Cover Arrangements
• Crisis Integration Into Strategy: Feeding Continuity Findings Back Into the Strategic Plan

Day 9: Crisis Communication and Stakeholder Response

• Internal vs External Crisis Messaging: Staff Briefings Against Media and Public Statements
• Reputation Under Pressure: How Response Speed and Tone Shape Public Perception
• Stakeholder Mapping in Crises: Expectations and Concerns of Partners and Communities
• Social Media in Crisis Response: Monitoring, Correcting Misinformation and Posting Updates
• Trust Maintenance: Engagement With Operational Partners and Affected Community Groups

Day 10: Running the Crisis Simulation and Integrated Plan

• Scenario Analysis vs Simulation Exercise: Discussing Risks Against Rehearsing Live Decisions
• Full Crisis Simulation: Team Activation, Decisions Under Pressure and Message Release
• Crisis Leadership Review: Decision-Making Behaviour Observed During the Simulation Exercise
• After-Action Review and Continuous Improvement: Lessons Captured From the Exercise
• Integrated Strategic and Crisis Management Plan: Objectives, Teams and Continuity Annex Completed

Skills You Will Gain

• Five Forces industry analysis
• Strategy map construction
• Action plan sequencing
• Crisis activation thresholds
• Gold, silver and bronze command
• Business impact analysis
• Recovery time objectives
• After-action review

Why Attend This Course

• From a strategic plan that sits on a shelf to objectives cascaded into dated departmental actions.
• From improvised responses to a crisis team with defined roles, triggers and authority.
• From assuming every activity matters equally to recovery priorities set by impact analysis.
• From separate planning and emergency documents to an integrated strategic and crisis management plan tested in simulation.

Conclusion

Planning sets where an organisation intends to go; crisis management and continuity planning protect that route when events interrupt it. The course clarifies how strategic thinking differs from planning, how impact analysis differs from risk assessment, and how strategic, tactical and operational command levels divide decisions. It suits managers who need both halves in one extended course and want to rehearse a crisis rather than only read about one.

Course FAQs

What is strategic planning and crisis management?

It combines setting long-term objectives and the plans that deliver them with the team structures, continuity arrangements and communication routines that protect those objectives when a sudden disruption occurs.

What is the difference between business impact analysis and risk assessment in crisis management?

Business impact analysis estimates what happens if an activity stops and how quickly it must return. Risk assessment estimates how likely a threat is and how severe it could be. Continuity plans need both.

Which standards does a strategic planning and crisis management course follow?

It uses the Balanced Scorecard for objectives and measures, ISO 22301:2019 for business continuity management and ISO 22361:2022 for crisis management guidance.

Is a strategic planning and crisis management course right for an operations manager?

Yes, for an operations manager who turns corporate objectives into unit plans and would lead a tactical team during a disruption, needing both planning and command skills.

What does a delegate produce in a strategic planning and crisis management course?

Each delegate completes an integrated plan linking strategic objectives and KPIs to a crisis team structure and a continuity annex, then revises it after the final simulation.