Leading Critical Decision-Making Program
Professional Skills Mini Stack 2
This Master Level Intensive Program offers a combination of online learning and an in-person immersive, workshop-style experience designed for those who thrive on face-to-face interaction, networking, and meaningful connections with peers.
As part of the IFAC recognised, Global Certificate of Public Accounting, this professional skills mini-stack 2 program is designed to take accounting professionals to the next stage in their professional development. The program equips you with the tools to think and make critical decisions beyond business as usual, through a practical and rigorous workshop. Participants will work in teams to manage a simulated business in a competitive environment, involving investment, human resources, sustainability and pricing amongst other business parameters.
This intensive 2-day workshop, involves 4 cycles of business decisions requiring strategic foresight, and the ability to deal with multiple business dimensions at once.
∗∗Special offer∗∗
Enrol into an additional GCPA microcredential — Communicate for Influence — at a reduced cost of $500 (save $200)!
Select “Special offer bundle” from the dropdown to redeem.
Key details / schedule
Two-day workshop: 9am to 5pm
Sydney — Tuesday 8th September and Wednesday 9th September 2026
Brisbane — Tuesday 17th September and Wednesday 18th September 2026
Perth — Tuesday 6th October and Wednesday 7th October 2026
Location details of venues to be announced.
Workshop focus areas
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- Making better decisions – Understand the decision-making process and the effect of personal assumptions on your decisions.
- Mastering critical thinking – Apply decision making techniques to real world situations.
- Supporting high performance teams – Becoming sensitive to team dynamics and what drives team members behaviour.
Prior to the workshop
Before attending the workshop, you will complete a series of online activities designed to prepare you for the session. These modules include essential pre-reading materials and short assessments to reinforce key concepts. This preparation ensures you arrive at the workshop with a solid foundation, ready to engage in discussions and practical applications. Allow approximately 18 hours for this work.
During the workshop
Participants will collaborate in small teams to make strategic decisions as part of a business simulation. Each team will need to examine and make decisions in relation to levels of R&D, pricing, human resources, possible market dynamics that direct the potential performance of their business within the simulation. The workshop has a focus on high-contact hours and personalised support, and is designed to enable you to apply the learnings from the online material in a hands-on authentic situation.
Assessment
Assessment includes a blend of online responses, interviews, and video analysis of workshop participation. Most assessments are conducted during the workshop, however, written assessments must be submitted within 2 weeks of completion of the workshop. Allow approximately 18 hours for these assessments.
What you’ll gain
- 3 Global Certificate of Public Accounting Microcredentials – This intensive program includes:
- Critical Thinking 1: Making Better Decisions
- Critical Thinking 2: Mastering Critical Thinking
- Team Work 2: Supporting High Performance Teams
- Collaborative network – Connect with like-minded professionals, share insights, and build lasting relationships.
- Real-world solutions – Walk away with actionable techniques to drive growth and innovation in your practice.
FastTrack Pathway
For FIPAs and MIPAs with more than 5 years’ senior relevant experience, who would like to obtain the award of the Global Certificate of Public Accounting (GCPA) from the IPA, they must enrol with their latest CV, with an indication that they would like to undertake an GCPA interview as a final step AFTER successfully completing the microcredentials and the workshop assessments. An IPA GCPA graduation conferring ceremony will be held during the 2026 National Congress.
For individuals who are not a member of the IPA, please apply with your CV and indicate if you would like to be considered for the award of the Global Certificate of Public Accounting (GCPA) under IPA’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system. You will be contacted by IPA’s education team for the process to assess your eligibility for IPA membership and / or the IPA GCPA award.
CPD hours award for this Master Level Leading Critical Decision-Making Program
On successful completion of all 3 microcredentials – 36 CPD hours PLUS successful completion of the 2-day workshop – 18 hours = a total of 54 CPD hours.
Who should attend?
This workshop is ideal for practice owners, partners, and senior professionals looking to sharpen their strategic thinking, enhance problem-solving capabilities, and develop innovative approaches to running a successful practice. It is designed for those who want to hone their management and thinking skills to apply within their own business.
This program is designed for practitioners and senior professionals looking to refine their strategic approach and expand their capabilities in navigating complex business challenges.
About the Facilitator
Dr Robert Kay is the Managing Director of Incept Labs and a founding Director of RiPLTec.
His career has moved continuously between industry and academia. He was formerly the Head of Strategic Innovation at Westpac Banking Corporation; a Senior Lecturer in Information Systems and Organisational Development at the University of Technology, Sydney, and a research analyst at Bovis Lend Lease. Establishing Incept Labs in 2008, Robert has been commissioned to undertake multiple studies of senior leaders, covering topics of organisational resilience, innovation, and corporate governance. The largest of these involved interviews with Chairs of 100 organisations around Australia for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ultimately, however, his passion is in education. His early research focused on experiential curriculum design for the development of 21st Century learning and he has been involved in numerous evaluations of school transformation and professional development programs across South Australia, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Malaysia, including multiple studies of Indigenous education. This work has coincided with extensive research on the development of scalable soft skill assessment methods, in partnership with the UN Economic Social Commission Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) and Monash University that is ongoing.
Robert holds a first class honours in curriculum development and worldview change, whilst his PhD involved the application of biological systems theory to improving learning and resilience in organisations.
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