UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN-MADISON

Strategic Thinking and Planning

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Upcoming dates (1)

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For registration assistance: 608-262-2451

Schedule

Online materials available: Jan. 11
4 Live Sessions: Jan. 20, 1 p.m.–2:30 p.m., Jan. 27, Feb. 3 & 10, 1–3 p.m.

Registration through: January 11, 2027

All times shown in central time.

Format

Live online

Fee

$530; gov't/nonprofit $430

Instructor

Kaitlin Henze

Cancellation Policy

  • Cancel three full business days before the class starts and receive a full refund minus a $50 administrative fee.
  • Cancel less than three business days beforehand, or do not participate, you remain responsible for the entire fee.

Summary

Develop the mindset and tools to think strategically and translate an overarching strategy into clear, actionable goals using the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework. You'll learn how to build and align goals across organizational, team and individual levels while communicating effectively and driving continuous progress. By the end of the course, you'll be able to create flexible, continuously evolving goals and metrics that focus on what matters most and drive sustainable change.

How you will Learn

The course blends asynchronous independent work with weekly full group live online training sessions. Expect to spend 90-120 minutes before each live session completing self-paced work within Canvas. Live sessions are highly participatory, so please be prepared to engage. Earn a Strategic Planning Badge by successfully completing a capstone project, which the instructor grades against a rubric.

Overview

Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to:
  • Distinguish between strategic, tactical and reactive thinking and learn how to apply a strategic mindset to your role, team and organization. 
  • Evaluate leading goal-setting methodologies and select the approach best suited to your organizational context. 
  • Construct a complete set of strategic goals using the OKR framework — objectives, key results and initiatives — that connect your team's daily work to long-term organizational strategy. 
  • Develop a practical OKR implementation plan that incorporates stakeholder engagement, initiative alignment and a structured review cadence for continuous strategy iteration. 
  • Apply proven change management tactics to build buy-in, overcome obstacles and sustain momentum as you introduce a new approach to strategic planning within your team or organization.

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Earn Continuing Education hours

By participating in this class you will earn:

Instructional Hours 15
University of Wisconsin Continuing Education Units 1.5

Explanation of Continuing Education hours

Upcoming dates (1)

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Program Questions?

Contact Katie Holt at katie.holt@wisc.edu

Registration questions?

Email registration@cerc.wisc.edu or call 608-262-2451.

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Meet your instructor

Kaitlin Henze

Kaitlin is a facilitator and strategic planning consultant with 15 years of experience helping organizations align strategy, people, and processes to drive sustainable results. Her career spans HR, organizational effectiveness, project management, and consulting, working with internal teams and external clients across large corporations, consulting firms, and her own independent practice. She holds a Certified OKR Coach credential through Workboard and an Advanced Design Thinking Certification from IDEO, and previously served as chief of staff and strategic planning advisor to the Chief People Officer at Trimble.

Kaitlin’s teaching portfolio centers on strategic thinking, OKR methodology, and change management, with a practical, people-first lens shaped by her HR roots. She integrates human-centered design principles into goal-setting and planning work, and brings a strong conviction that strategic thinking is a capability anyone can build, regardless of title. Her goal in this course is to equip learners with tools they can apply immediately, grounded in a scalable framework for strategic planning and goal setting.