Photos - 1 of 1 (2).jpeg — Strategic Planning

For Humanitarian & DEVELOPMENT Actors

Build the skills to act with confidence in uncertainty

Help your team turn changing humanitarian and development contexts into clearer strategic choices. IARAN’s strategic foresight training brings practical tools, collaborative exercises and sector case studies into your organisation’s planning.

Developed through collaboration between IARAN practitioners and Futuribles International, the course connects foresight with programming, strategy and organisational transformation.

Available on demand for organisations. Tell us about your team, the challenges you face and your preferred timing. We will discuss a suitable format and confirm the practical arrangements before you commit.

Request training for your organisation →

IARAN and Futuribles International — Strategic Planning

On demand

Objectives and targeted skills

Humanitarian and development stakeholders, including NGOs, private sector actors and national governments are seeking the best ways to meet immediate needs while also contributing towards achieving long-term goals such as the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Within the context of complex crises, traditional short-term, single-agency programming that stops at the country level will not be enough to manage the scale of human needs.

Strategic foresight approaches and tools help:

To maximise the value-add that concerned actors can have within complex, ecosystemic crises.
To think beyond the life-saving imperative, pre-empt the future and develop local resilience.
To understand the system in which humanitarian and development stakeholders operate
To avoid overestimating of the role that they can play.
To challenge neo-colonial mental models of aid.

This training supports organisations to see how strategic foresight approaches can add value to their current programmatic and organisational practices, increasing their impact and enhancing their contribution to the SDGs. At the end of the training the attendee will:

Be able to understand complexity and ecosystemic dynamics.
Know how to create a strategy based on foresight approaches.
Engage in collaborative and adaptative approaches based on strategic foresight.
Challenge its current practices of programming and strategy.
Support its organisation on the path of change and transformation.

The training can be delivered face to face or virtually. We will agree the group size and delivery format with you.

Illustrative two-day programme

Day 1

9h00-9h15 – Welcome / Networking
9h15-9h45 – Introductions
9h45-11h15 – Brief Introduction to strategic foresight concepts:

Navigating in the possible futures: simplifying complexity

11h15-11h30 – Break
11h30-13h00 – Workshop: from complexity to possible futures

Impact/uncertainty matrix

13h00-14h30 – Break
14h30-16h00 – Strategic Development: Programming

From possible futures to agile strategies

16h00-16h30 – Break
16h30-18h00 – Case Study: The Tanzania scenarios - Prompting Action Contre la Faim & Co. strategy

Day 2

8h45-9h00 – Welcome / Networking

9h00-10h30 – Strategic Development: Organisational Transformation

The value chain

10h30-11h00 – Break
11h00-12h30 – Workshop: A framework for a fit for the future organisation

The competence tree

12h30-14h00 – Break
14h00-15h30 – Case Study: The French Red Cross International Department Transformation towards 2030

15h30-16h00 – Break
16h00-17h00 – Conclusions

A survey will be shared with the attendees prior to the course beginning, asking them to share what they know about the practices of programming and strategy and what their expectations are for the course to enable the instructors to tailor the agenda to the group’s needs. Links and instructions for the use of collaborative and virtual platforms will be sent, as well as a shortlist of resources on the current and future humanitarian transformations (estimated total time for the survey and the readings: 2 hours).

Monitoring and assessment of the results

All sessions are interactive. Each session is introduced by a presentation punctuated by exchanges with the participants: f2f or virtual, attendees will discuss the content via a chat on Zoom. The use of workshops will focus on skills development to enable participants to feel confident in using the tools explored without support when they return to their organisations.

Target audience and preconditions

The training is aimed primarily at executives, managers and people responsible for operations, programmes, and implementing strategies within companies (CEOs, COOs, Division Directors, etc), NGOs (CEOs, board directors, country directors, regional directors, desk officers, field officers, project managers, technical advisers, etc.), public bodies and territories (local and government representatives, directors, officers, authorities, etc.) and, more generally, all stakeholders in the humanitarian and development sector.

We reserve the right to contact you to discuss your experience in order to guarantee sufficient homogeneity within the group to ensure the quality of the training.

Facilitation and platforms

The course draws on the experience of IARAN practitioners including Eilidh Kennedy, Michel Maietta and Mariana Merelo Lobo. Earlier course development and delivery also involved Marie-Agnès Tur and Arthur Magnes. The facilitation team for your course will be confirmed in your proposal.

A file will be given to participants including a copy of the main resources used as well as a bibliography. This file will be sent before the training and can be completed during the training.

The number of participants will be limited in order to allow for sufficient discussion and interaction. The online platforms and any recording arrangements will be agreed for your course.

Request a training proposal

The programme above provides an example of a 14-hour course. Tell us your objectives, approximate group size, preferred dates and whether you would like an online or in-person format.

We will confirm the scope, fees, dates, facilitation team and any certification arrangements for your proposed course before booking.

Request training for your organisation → Select “Training for your organisation” in the contact form.

Evaluation

This training session will be evaluated by the participants via Sli.do, at the end of the session and in writing, through a survey sent to all attendees.