Strategy and planning are different. However, they often get confused, or, even worse, fused together in the term ‘strategic planning‘. Both are critical to organisational success, but here is a summary of the different roles they play.
| Strategy | Planning |
| Why? | What? |
| Diagnosis | Delivery |
| Explorations | Standards |
| Goals | Targets |
| Options | Timetables |
| What if? | What next? |
| Making coherent choices | Organising coherent delivery |
| Establishing key delivery themes | Establishing key delivery tasks |
| Building organisational commitment | Building organisational accountability |