The Systems Thinking Approach® to
Strategic Management- IASP Exam Prep Workshop
Strategic Management
The Haines Centre for Strategic Management/The Systems Thinking Approach Ltd in partnership with International Association for Strategy Professionals
Present the original Exam Prep workshopLive at the IASP Conference in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
on June 5, 6 & 7, 2025
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
on June 5, 6 & 7, 2025
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Take the original IASP exam prep workshop! Co-led by one of the IASP Pioneers!
This workshop is recognized by the IASP as an exam prep course for SPP and SMP certification examinations!
Valerie MacLeod, SMP, MBA
The workshop is co-led by IASP Pioneer, Valerie MacLeod, SMP & MBA, who was on the team that wrote the original exam questions!
She has been training, facilitating and coaching in the Strategic Management area since 1996. Valerie has a Bachelors of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an Masters of Business Administration from the University of Calgary.
Why attend this workshop:
If you are interested in certification with IASP for the SPP or SMP exams, this workshop is for you.
If you are interested in learning a systems thinking based approach to strategic planning and execution, this workshop is for you.
This workshop will teach you our Systems Thinking Approach® to Strategic Management and help prepare you for writing the SPP or SMP exams through lectures, group discussions, live instructor feedback, eBook Reinventing Strategic Planning: The Systems Thinking Approach®, participant materials including Haines Centre models, shared case application and discussion, and sample questions.
Who should attend:
Strategy professionals who are striving for IASP certification at either the SPP or SMP level
Strategy professionals who want to learn The Systems Thinking Approach® to strategic planning and execution to make strategic planning actually strategic
Strategy professionals who want to "up" their skills in Systems Thinking, strategic planning, plan creation & execution, and how to strategically management throughout the year
Strategic planners who are interested in facilitating and leading the strategic planning process in their organization
Strategy professionals who want to gain an in-depth knowledge and certification in The Systems Thinking Approach® to Strategic Management this is the first of three steps to achieve Gold Mastery in Strategic Management
Strategy professionals who are interested in facilitating and leading The Systems Thinking Approach® to Strategic Management as an independent consultant this is the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship
Strategic professionals who want to learn from an multicultural, gender inclusive global network that has been practicing around the globe for over 30 years
Employees and leaders in private, public and non-profit organizations
Anyone who wants to learn from an IASP Pioneer. Valerie MacLeod, SMP was part of a group of 24 planning professionals who created the IASP Standards, Certification Process and examinations.
This workshop has been approved by IASP as a certified preparation workshop for their SPP and SMP exams.
Course ID: 16786484
About The Systems Thinking Approach® to Strategic ManagementWorkshop:
A simple and profound method for strategic and operational planning and execution. Based upon The Systems Thinking Approach®.
Learn our Systems Thinking-based 10-step model for Strategic Management.
Master a practical way to create more successful strategic plans that integrate risk into strategy development. Plans with built-in strategic agility, which will achieve superior results and have higher employee adoption.
Learn how to apply strategic thinking as a foundation for business sustainability.
Following our pragmatic 10-step Strategic Management model allows you to integrate risk, governance and strategy into a single management and reporting system that everyone can understand.
Create develop implement-able, successful strategic plans.
The workshop is co-taught by IASP Pioneer, Valerie MacLeod, SMP.
The workshop has been updated to IASP's BOK 3.0 and will help prepare you for IASP's SPP and SMP exams.
We include four areas in our Strategic Management Process that are virtually ignored by the competition:
Preparing to Begin - What do you need to do BEFORE you plan to ensure the planning runs successfully? Who should be involved on the planning team? What process are you using? What's the commitment level? Who will supporting us?
Involving Key Others - You can't have everyone on the planning team, so who else needs to support the plan's implementation & how do we involve them?
Preparing to Implement - What needs to be in place so that the plan can be successfully executed? How do we rally support? How do we keep the plan vital?
Mitigating risk - Are you confident in the board's and leadership's risk understanding? Can managing risk be cascaded to operational levels?
Fit between IASP Strategy System Activity Groups and Our Strategic Management model
IASP's Strategy System Activity Groups and The Haines Centre's Strategic Management model correspond beautifully.
They are both Systems Thinking Approaches.
More about The Systems Thinking Approach® to Strategic Management Workshop:
Strategic Thinking
Understand Systems Thinking - a powerful tool for all aspects of your life.
Learn how to apply The Systems Thinking Approach® - it will change how you manage your business, your people & your life.
Topics include:
Strategic and Systems Thinking
Understanding systems
Levels of living systems
The Systems Thinking Approach®
Role of Strategic Planning Professionals in planning, leading, facilitating, executing and governing a strategic management process
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Strategic Management
Learn how to strategically manage your organization throughout the year. Develop an agile strategic management system to guide decisions throughout the year.
Topics include:
Strategic planning vs. Strategic Management
Goals of Strategic Management
Our Strategic Management Approach
Premises of Strategic Management
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Prepare to Begin
Give yourself an advantage by preparing the people and organization for the best planning outcomes.
The Strategic Management Process helps you manage strategically throughout the year with our annual cycle.
Topics include:
Prepare to Begin tasks - how to educate, assess, organize and tailor for the Strategic Management process
Planning team membership & roles
Support team & SMEs responsibilities
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Future Environmental Scan
The Strategic Management Process ensures success by looking outside yourself to develop proactive strategies for handling changes in the external environment, managing risk and building strategic foresight.
Topics include:
Future environmental scanning using our SKEPTIC model
Trend analysis
Risk management
Scenario planning
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Parallel Stakeholder Involvement
Our Parallel Stakeholder Engagement process involves key stakeholders to create a superior plan and ensure successful implementation of that plan.
Topics include:
Key stakeholder assessment
Parallel Involvement process - who, how & when to include key stakeholders
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Envision the Ideal Future
Create clarity for where you are going. Picture what your organization looks like when you are wildly successful and discover your positioning in your customer's eyes.
Align employees, board and key stakeholders behind a shared and understood strategic direction.
Topics include:
Creating a shared vision
Mission driving behavior
Core values and culture
World-class positioning
Rallying cry
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Define Key Measures of Success
Measure what's important, not what's easy! Learn how to measure progress towards your organizational goals.
Topics include:
Key success measures
Quadruple bottom line
Tracking & reporting
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Assess the Current State
Traditional planning processes begin at current state, which is not a Systems Thinking approach. We assess our current situation in the context of the future we desire to obtain.
Topics include:
Where, when and how to gather information for assessing where we are now
Assess the current state using SWOT 2.0
Organization and strategic capabilities
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Develop Core Strategies
Develop high level strategies to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to go.
Topics include:
Addressing the gap through core strategies
Linking strategies to measures
Strategic alignment
Strategic action items under core strategies
Rolling planning
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Formulate Strategic and Annual Plans
Build practical strategic and operational plans that are tied to the long term strategy.
Strategy driving budgets, NOT budgets driving strategy - learn how to integrate your existing budgeting process so that it supports your plan.
Topics include:
Three-year business/ operational planning
Cascade of planning
Annual planning
Strategic budgets
Individual planning
Simplicity in planning
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Ensure Successful Transformation
Strategic plans are just words on paper (or a screen) unless they are implemented. Learn what to do BEFORE you execute your plan to ensure your achieve your goals.
Icebergs & Rollercoasters, what do they have to do with carrying out your plan? Two powerful models to ensure successful change management.
Topics include:
Change vs. transition
Prepare to Implement tasks: Educate, assess, organize and tailor for successful management of upcoming change
Iceberg of Change: Content, processes, structures and culture to support change
Aligning the operating model with the strategy
Rollercoaster of Change: Managing yourself and others through change
Roles of leaders and staff during change
Change management/ transformation plan
Communication planning
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
Strategy Implementation
Managing strategically isn't a single event. How to keep the momentum going throughout the year through a Strategic Management System.
Learn how to make sure you are working your plan every day & every year.
Topics include:
Annual strategic management system
Regular monitoring meetings for flexibility and speed
Implementation challenges
Annual strategic review and update
Effective governance
Strategic Management failures
Facilitation hints and tools
Course review
Application to case study and your personal case
Sample exam questions
What else is included:
eBook Reinventing Strategic Planning: The Systems Thinking Approach® ($50 USD value)
IASP certification exam prep (SPP and SMP)
Shared case study to apply and discuss concepts
Live group discussions of concepts and application
Facilitation hints
Concepts you can use daily to manage strategically
The Systems Thinking Approach® materials and models
Materials updated to IASP's BOK 3.0
200+ sample exam questions created for this workshop
The Systems Thinking Approach® to Strategic Management - IASP Exam Preparation Version
$3,695 USD + 5% GST ($5,284 CDN + 5% GST) includes breakfast, lunch & snacks all 3 days
Live at the IASP Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
on June 5, 6 & 7, 2025
8am - 5pm at the Warwick Rittenhouse Square Hotel
What people are saying...
"Before I had this training, strategic planning was just a couple of buzz words with little meaning. Now I know exactly what N1 needs to do to really implement strategic planning" - Wayne W, Navy N1
"These sessions have been a tremendous help to a somewhat seasoned education leader in a new organization undergoing tremendous and difficult change on many fronts - including my leadership. This learning helps me to reflect on and understand the big picture of what this school is going through; organize my insights about strengths and weaknesses; and, most importantly, provide the tools and strategies I need to facilitate transition." - Dawna H, SD School District
If you want to distinguish yourself from your peersas a strategic professional
If you want to be more strategic and manage risk
If you want to lead people more effectively
If you want to lead successful planning within your organization
If you want to feel a sense of accomplishment
If you want to pass the IASP SPP or SMP exams
Valerie
Tailored workshops
This program can be tailored to your organization's needs and delivered exclusively to your people.
This customized version can be delivered live-online or in-person.
Some of the many benefits of bringing the workshop in-house is the language is tailored to your organization's terminology, participants can discuss specifics of your situation in confidence, and they can develop draft versions of your org's operational plans and strategic plan during the workshop.
