Strategy Implementation Institute – FAQ

The Strategy Implementation Institute (Institute) has been founded by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez and Robin Speculand to bring together people who are passionate about strategy implementation. They are dedicated to reducing the strategy implementation skills gap that exists as leaders have been taught how to plan but not how to implement.

The idea of creating the Strategy Implementation Institute was born in Dubai in 2017. The development of the Institute, its Board of Advisors, website, online course and certification took two years. The Institute was officially launched at the start of 2020.

The Institute offers a unique Strategy Implementation Professional online course built by two leading practitioners and based on years of experience and research. The SIP is structured around the Strategy Implementation Roadmap©. Besides conveying the strategy implementation fundamentals and their main tools and technics, the course prepares you to take an exam to become a Strategy Implementation Professional (SIP). As a SIP, you connect with other implementers around the world. You also have the opportunity to contribute to the body of knowledge and participate in related events.

Yes, you need to be a member. When you subscribe to take the online course, the first year of membership is free.

a) You can sign up for the online course and automatically become a member of the Institute, which is included in the fee for the first year.

b) You can take the online course and then take the exam to be recognized as a SIP practitioner.

c) You can become a member of the community without taking the online course or the exam. You will still receive the benefits provided to the strategy implementation community.

d) You can take the SIP exam without participating in the course. However, we don’t recommend this option as the chances of passing the exam without taking the course are low.

The Institute has developed the Strategy Implementation Roadmap (SIR) as part of its body of knowledge. SIR outlines the Strategy Implementation Professional online training course and provides a step-by-step guide on “how” to implement strategy. It covers the key areas an implementation specialist needs to know and outlines the required skills.

The course is 100% online and consists of seven modules. It is available to everyone who wants to learn the fundamentals for becoming a strategy implementation professional. You have the option to take the course without any obligation to take the course certification, although we highly recommend that you become certified. This is a skill set that more and more organizations seek.

There are seven modules with four stages, making up 28 different sections, which take approximately one hour each to complete and are broken into bite size learning combining videos, presentations and articles.

No. You can choose which modules you would like to pursue and learn them at your own pace. Most students take the exam in one or two weeks, and then take the exam to earn their SIP certification.

The online course is based on years of experience as practitioners, authors and teachers. It is designed to blend learning from presentations, articles, and videos. The course includes best practices and tools such as the Balanced Scorecard, Harvard Business Review, and free resources from leading international consultancies. All the course material is uploaded for you to be able to study at your own convenience and does not require involvement with anyone else.

The course consist of the following seven modules: 1) Leadership Execution, 2) Financial Value, 3) Business Model 4) Culture Evolving 5) Stakeholder Management 6) Employee Engagement and 7) Tracking Performance.

Each module has four levels: Crafting, Embedding, Executing and Sustaining. To discover more, please download the learning topics from here.

You can start the course on any day, and you are free to study whenever it suits you and at your own pace. The only time limit is a 12-week access to the course.

Once you purchase the online course, you can access it for up to 12 weeks.

You can then apply to become certified as a Strategy Implementation Professional (SIP). It is recommended you take the exam within 12 weeks of starting the course so the information is fresh in your mind, and you can review the material while you still have access.

APMG International is one of the leading independent professional certification organizations in the world. APMG provides high level certification for a number of different courses. For many years, it was the sole provider of Prince2 and Managing Successful Programs certifications worldwide. The Institute has partnered with APMG as an important differentiator. This association provides global recognition of the highest caliber to the strategy implementation specialist who completes our online course. You can find more information about the exam and the SIP certification on the APMG business strategy page.

You can book the exam on the Institute website. There, you are linked directly with APMG to arrange a date and time that’s agreeable for you. You will find the link on our website, both on the online course and certification page and on the pricing section. Please note that “certification” refers to the exam as well.

Both links will take you to the APMG general booking page. Please scroll down and select Strategy Implementation Professional, book the date and time of the exam, make your payment and prepare to be recognized as an implementation professional.

The exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions; each has only one right answer, and there are no negative points. It lasts about one hour.

You are required to score 49 correct answers or more to pass. You then receive the official certification, endorsed by the Strategy Implementation Institute and APMG International.

No. The exam is closed book, and in preparation, you need to have a webcam set up so that APMG can monitor and ensure the high standard of examination. You are required to remain in front of the camera during the one-hour exam, i.e., no breaks are allowed once you start the exam.

It is not compulsory, but it is highly recommended.

Upon successful completion of the exam and receiving the SIP certification, first you celebrate. Then you can add this designation after your name: Professional Member of the Strategy Implementation Institute. After being a Professional Member for two years, you can then apply to become a Fellow of the Strategy Implementation Institute.

No. There is no requirement to re-certify. There are also no requirements around professional development units that PMI uses. The only requirement to keep your official SIP certification is to renew your membership every year. We will, of course, let you know if we introduce re-certification or PDUs in the future.

Yes. We offer a discount for ten or more employees embarking on the course at the same time. The corporate fee for the online course includes Institute membership for one year for each member, the online course, one year complimentary membership for the Implementation Hub, unlimited email support and two conference calls with the group. The organizer also receives six progress reports.

Yes, besides the online course, we offer coaching to individuals and organizations, as well as in-house workshops to further their strategy implementation competencies. Our registered partners provide similar additional support in their regions. Please contact   for more information.