Business, Commerce and Management Studies Finance, Economics and Accounting

Directed Planning Behaviour for Corporate Professionals Training

SAQA US 256134 | NQF 1 | Credits 8 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips corporate professionals with the ability to systematically plan and execute goal-directed activities in a structured manner. Learners will develop skills to set realistic objectives, sequence tasks logically, and monitor progress against defined milestones. The focus is on fostering a proactive, results-oriented mindset essential for operational effectiveness in any business environment.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply directed planning principles to define clear, measurable objectives aligned with organisational goals.
  • Analyze work contexts to identify critical tasks, dependencies, and resource requirements for effective planning.
  • Design a step-by-step action plan that sequences activities logically and allocates resources appropriately.
  • Implement monitoring mechanisms to track progress against the plan and adjust actions in response to deviations.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the planning process and outcomes to inform future planning efforts.

Target Audience

This course is designed for managers, team leaders, and professionals across all departments who need to enhance their planning capabilities. It is suitable for individuals responsible for driving projects, initiatives, or daily work activities that require deliberate and structured planning.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. No prior formal planning training required.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Directed Planning Behaviour

Objectives:
• Understand the concept of directed planning behaviour and its importance in the corporate environment.
• Differentiate between reactive and proactive planning approaches.
• Identify key elements of a planning framework.
• Recognise the role of organisational goals in directing planning behaviour.

Topics:
• Introduction to directed planning behaviour
• Reactive vs. proactive planning
• Elements of a planning framework
• Organisational goals and their influence on planning
• Overview of planning models
• Barriers to effective planning
• Self-assessment of current planning habits

Day 2: Strategic Alignment and Goal Setting

Objectives:
• Align personal planning with organisational strategy.
• Formulate SMART goals that support corporate objectives.
• Apply prioritisation techniques to manage multiple tasks.
• Use tools for strategic alignment in planning.

Topics:
• Strategic alignment principles
• SMART goal setting
• Prioritisation techniques (Eisenhower Matrix, MoSCoW)
• Cascading goals from organisational to individual level
• Tools for strategic alignment (OKRs, Balanced Scorecard)
• Case study: aligning plans with strategy

Day 3: Planning Processes and Techniques

Objectives:
• Apply structured planning processes to complex projects.
• Utilise scheduling and resource allocation techniques.
• Develop contingency plans to manage risks.
• Evaluate planning effectiveness using key performance indicators.

Topics:
• Planning process steps (define, analyse, develop, implement, review)
• Scheduling techniques (Gantt charts, critical path method)
• Resource allocation and budgeting
• Risk assessment and contingency planning
• Key performance indicators for planning
• Scenario planning exercises

Day 4: Implementation and Monitoring

Objectives:
• Execute plans effectively through delegation and communication.
• Monitor progress using tracking tools.
• Adjust plans in response to changing circumstances.
• Foster a planning culture within teams.

Topics:
• Execution strategies (delegation, communication)
• Monitoring tools (dashboards, status reports)
• Adaptive planning and course correction
• Building a planning culture in teams
• Feedback mechanisms for continuous improvement
• Role-play: handling planning deviations

Day 5: Integration and Application

Objectives:
• Synthesise all course concepts into a comprehensive personal planning system.
• Present a directed planning project for peer review.
• Develop a personal action plan for ongoing improvement.
• Evaluate the impact of directed planning on corporate performance.

Topics:
• Integrating tools and techniques into a personal system
• Directed planning project presentation
• Peer review and feedback
• Personal action plan development
• Measuring planning impact on corporate performance
• Course wrap-up and certification criteria

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Fri 23 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Fri 19 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Fri 23 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Fri 22 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Fri 21 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 492 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,916 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,863 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Cape Town, South Africa Winter 2026 $3,078 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Fri 30 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 18 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 22 Feb 2027 Fri 26 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Fri 26 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 26 Jul 2027 Fri 30 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 25 Oct 2027 Fri 29 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 24 Jan 2028 Fri 28 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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