Strategy Execution Professional (SEP)

The Strategy Execution Professional (SEP) course is a four-day professional training programme focused on improving your ability to successfully implement business strategy. It addresses common challenges that lead to high strategy execution failure rates by providing practical tools, techniques, and interventions to enhance organisational performance. The course is suitable for all organisation types and closes with an online certification exam.

Download the course brochure for details.

In this course, you will learn the five main Imperatives of successful Strategy Execution: Leadership and Governance, Alignment and Operationalised Strategy, Strategic Project/Portfolio Management, Performance Reporting and Analysis, and Performance Culture.

You will also develop a comprehensive, customised Strategy Execution RoadMap to support improvements in your organisation, supported by practical examples and best practices shared by the course leaders.

The course is organised around five core Imperatives of Strategy Execution, which provide a clear framework for overcoming execution challenges. These include leadership and governance structures, strategic alignment, project and portfolio management, performance analysis and reporting, and fostering a performance-focused culture.

This practical framework is reinforced through real-world examples and the creation of a personalised RoadMap by each delegate.

The course is ideal for executives, managers, and professionals responsible for delivering strategic plans or involved in strategy formulation and management. It suits individuals managing Balanced Scorecard or similar systems, as well as those who have or have not taken previous Balanced Scorecard training but are responsible for business results. It is equally suitable for those seeking a senior-level strategy execution perspective.

Key activities include comprehensive presentations, group discussions, and sharing of best and poor practices based on fifty years of combined experience. Delegates also develop and present a customised Strategy Execution RoadMap during the course, which acts as a valuable assessment and action plan to improve strategy management in their organisations.

Upon successful completion of the course and an end-of-course online exam with a minimum score of 75%, delegates will receive the globally recognised Strategy Execution Professional Certificate issued by the Balanced Scorecard Institute and The George Washington University.

Those who do not pass or miss more than two hours of the course will receive a Certificate of Attendance from Informa Connect Academy.

There are no formal prerequisites to attend the course; it is designed to be accessible to a wide range of professionals regardless of prior training. However, participants must bring a laptop to engage in developing and presenting their customised RoadMap. Having some experience with strategic planning or Balanced Scorecard systems may be beneficial but not mandatory.

The programme is delivered as an in-person, instructor-led training over four days. It combines presentations, interactive group discussions, and hands-on activities, including RoadMap development. The course provides documentation, luncheon, and refreshments for in-person attendees.

The course runs over four consecutive days with full-time sessions. On the final day, delegates take a 75-minute online exam consisting of 40 questions that test knowledge of strategy execution concepts and practical applications. Achieving at least 75% on this exam is required to earn the official professional certification. Download the course brochure for full details.

Delegates receive comprehensive course presentations and materials prepared by experienced course leaders. The course also includes a structured RoadMap template to assess strategy execution and identify improvement gaps. Hard copies of certificates and documentation are given to in-person learners, while virtual learners receive electronic versions.

Informa Connect Academy is a global provider of certified professional training, offering expert-led courses in leadership, finance, HR, strategy, and more. As part of the FTSE 100-listed Informa Group, we deliver 1,000+ courses annually across in-person, live online, and digital formats, helping professionals and organisations upskill with confidence.

Informa Connect Academy delivers training across 15+ key sectors, including:

• Finance & Risk

• Human Resources

• Project Management

• Energy & Sustainability

• Maritime & Transport

• Technology & Innovation

• Leadership & Strategy

• Law, Procurement & Supply Chain

Each course is industry-relevant and globally certified, helping professionals upskill with practical tools for career growth.

Explore programmes by sector in our course catalogue or calendar.

Informa Connect Academy offers 1,000+ certified training programmes across in-person, live online, and on-demand formats. Courses cover leadership, finance, HR, strategy, operations, and more with CPD-accredited and university-backed options. Whether you're seeking flexible online learning or immersive classroom sessions in cities like Dubai, London, or Singapore, there’s a format to suit every schedule and career stage.

Our courses are led by senior certified trainers and former C-suite leaders with 15–30+ years of real-world experience. Faculty members are experts in their field, often working across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. You’ll find bios and credentials for each trainer on the brochure, so you know exactly who’s leading your session before enrolling.

Yes, this course is certified by the Balanced Scorecard Institute and the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, George Washington University. Most Informa Connect Academy courses are CPD-accredited or delivered in partnership with globally recognised organisations, including CIPD, PMI, NASBA, EFQM, WorldatWork, and DMI.

These accreditations ensure that our programmes meet international training standards and support your professional development goals.

You can view the full list of accreditation and academic partners on our website.

Strategy Execution is the process of turning strategic plans into results - it’s where a strategy moves from concept to operational reality.
It involves coordinating activities, aligning resources, engaging people, embedding performance measures, and ensuring that day-to-day operations reflect strategic priorities. In essence, it bridges the gap between strategic intent and organisational outcomes.

In the SEP course, strategy execution is taught not as an abstract idea but as a practical discipline with tools and frameworks that guide execution from leadership alignment through measurement and continuous improvement.

Successful execution doesn’t happen by accident organisations improve it by systematically implementing key steps:

1. Clarify strategic goals and articulation
   Make sure the strategy is understood clearly and unambiguously at all levels.

2. Leadership alignment and governance
   Leaders must visibly champion execution, remove barriers, and steer resources accordingly.

3. Operationalise strategy
   Convert strategy into concrete initiatives, budgets, responsibilities, and workflows.

4. Align the organisation
   Ensure structures, people, KPIs, and motivation systems are aligned to strategy.

5. Measure and monitor progress
   Use performance systems to track results and take corrective action.

6. Build performance culture and adaptability
   Encourage learning, accountability, and responsiveness to change.

7. Communicate continuously
   Keep everyone informed and engaged so they know how their work ties to strategic priorities.

The SEP course teaches these as structured phases and equips you with tools and real case practices to implement each step rather than just understand it.

Effective strategy execution rests on some core organisational capabilities:

• Leadership & Governance
  Strong leadership that sets direction and ensures accountability.
• Alignment & Operationalisation
  Ensuring strategy is embedded in processes, budgets, and projects.
• Performance Culture
  A culture that values measurement, learning, and adaptability.
• Portfolio/Project Management
  Execution initiatives must be prioritised, tracked, and resourced.
• Performance Measurement & Reporting
  Data-informed decision-making closes the loop on execution.

These elements form the backbone of the SEP curriculum, enabling participants to assess, diagnose, and strengthen execution capability systematically.

Organisations invest heavily in strategy development, yet most strategies underperform because execution is fragmented or flawed. Some common root causes include:

• Poor Alignment
  Teams don’t connect daily activities to strategic goals, resulting in inconsistent implementation.
• Lack of Clarity or Communication
  Strategy doesn’t cascade effectively, leaving employees unclear about priorities.
• Ineffective Resource Allocation
  Resources aren’t targeted at strategic priorities, undermining impact.
• Insufficient Performance Measurement
  Without tracking progress, organisations can’t learn or correct course.
• Cultural Resistance
  Organisations lack the will or capability to change behaviours and processes.

Research shows that 60–90% of organisations fail to execute strategy successfully, not because the strategy was bad, but because they struggle to put it into action. The SEP course explicitly addresses these failure points by building execution systems, alignment mechanisms, and governance models that mitigate these risks.

There’s no fixed rule, but effective strategy execution requires frequent and systematic review cycles, such as:

• Quarterly operational review — to check progress, adjust initiatives, and reinforce accountability.

• Semi-annual strategic review — to re-evaluate priorities in light of market, competitive, or internal changes.

• Annual strategic planning cycle — to refine strategic direction, informed by performance insights.

Regular review ensures strategy stays relevant, learning is embedded, and execution doesn’t stall, addressing a major source of execution failure.

The SEP programme teaches how to embed review mechanisms into performance systems, so review isn’t an add-on activity; it becomes a performance discipline within your organisational rhythm.