Strategic planning for professional service firms in the time of COVID-19
College of Law
  • Start Date: 16 Aug, 2021
  • 4 weeks
  • Study Content: Videos


Plan strategically for a “new normal” by evaluating opportunities and risks in complex and challenging markets.

Course Fee: Free
Certificate Cost: See Fees and Eligibility

Course Description

This course is made available through the eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn partnership.

Strategic planning is a fundamental process used to drive business success. While organisations always need to navigate and plan for challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has shattered stability and continuity and upended both social norms and ways of doing business – creating a “new normal”. Prior to the pandemic, professional service firms (such as lawyers, accountants, management and technology consultants, architecture, engineering, among others) were already facing technology disruption, new business models and new ways of working, increased competition, globalisation and changing client demands.


COVID-19 has further accelerated change and professional service firms need to prepare for the “new normal” by evaluating opportunities and risks in increasingly complex and challenging markets. Business decision-makers need to make informed (and sometimes difficult) strategic choices, including setting clear strategic objectives against which to execute.


This course covers foundational elements around strategy mindset and the strategic planning process for professional service firms. In the course, learners will consider current challenges professional service firms are facing. The adage, ‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” remains as relevant as ever during this time.


Business strategy impacts all leaders across the business, given the strategic plan determines resource allocation. Accordingly, this course is applicable to owner-operators of small-medium businesses, individuals in leadership roles at an organisation or business unit level, business analysis and strategic planning roles.


This course is also applicable to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.


Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.

College of Law

This university is part of the partnership between eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn.

This institution is available on eLearnAfrica through partnership with FutureLearn.

You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.
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