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# What strategic planning is about (and not about)
- URL: https://www.aliciamckay.co.nz/what-strategic-planning-is-about-and-not-about/
- Published: 2023-11-22T21:08:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-10-01T22:05:02.000Z
- Description: Strategic planning is not about predicting the future. It's about getting clear on medium-term decision criteria, so we make good choices when they arise.
- Author: Alicia McKay
- Tags: Strategy, Strategy crash course, #wednesday-wisdom

Last week, I sent you a [4-minute strategy breakdown](https://www.aliciamckay.co.nz/4-minute-low-down-what-strategy-is/) from a recorded webinar - about what strategy is, and how it works. You flooded our inbox with gratitude and delight in your replies, so this week, here's the next level: 12 minutes that break down what strategic planning is all about (and what it is NOT about).

If twelve minutes is too long, here's the sub-100-word summary:

**The number one outcome of a strategic planning process is agreement on how to make decisions in the future.**

Strategic planning is not about predicting what will happen next or making detailed project and action plans. It is about clarifying medium-term decision criteria so that when we make choices in the future, those choices align with our goals, values, and priorities.

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