Strategic planning, if it is true to the original concept, and if it is to have the power of the original idea, can have only one definition: it is the method by which a community continuously creates artifactual systems to serve extraordinary purpose. That definition is so important that it deserves some elaboration, word by word. The significance of each will be made clear in the discussions of the process and discipline, so here a brief note on each will suffice.

Method signifies that strategic planning is not an end within itself. It is to be judged only by the results it produces, therefore it cannot be so rigid that it must be served, instead of its serving the purpose.

Community is the place (metaphorically) in which one sees himself or herself reflected back. It is the reflection of a common core of values that transcends anything that would otherwise separate.

Continuously implies that strategic planning is not an event; it is, in fact, a way of life, the only way of life. It is not a project to be completed; it is not a series of plateaus and valleys. Rather, it is a process of continuous discovery.