How is strategic planning different from tactical planning?

• A. Strategic planning focuses on short-term actions
• B. Tactical planning defines long-term direction
• C. Strategic planning defines long-term goals and direction
• D. Tactical planning ignores resource allocation

Answer: (C)

Strategic planning sets the long-range goals and direction for an organization, defining what it aims to achieve over years and where the company should head. It answers big questions about mission, vision, markets to win, capabilities to build, and how success will be measured in the long term. Tactical planning, by contrast, takes that direction and translates it into concrete, near-term actions—specific steps, schedules, and resource deployments needed to implement the strategy over the coming months or a year. Resource allocation is part of these near-term plans, not something to be ignored, and strategic planning does not focus on short-term actions—that is the realm of tactical planning. This is why defining long-term goals and direction best characterizes strategic planning.