I was going to say “Depends on context. Plan is specific, strategy can be broader.” But then I looked strategy up in the Oxford Dictionary:
“1 a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim:
time to develop a coherent economic strategy, shifts in marketing strategy.
2 the art of planning and directing overall military operations and movements in a war or battle.”
Plans and strategy are generally both the how, with individual plans feeding an overall, singular, strategy. The why is typically a mission statement or vision statement.
Nope, both are "how". I'm inclined to see "strategy" as being more decisive, and "plan" as more exploratory, but that's more to do with my personal perception than a hard and fast rule
Edit: posted before I saw MrTeaRex's comment
In a business/organizational sense, strategies are generally low on specific timelines (other than end goals perhaps) and tactics. Plans need more detailed timelines and specific tactics of how you will execute the strategy.
Rlow's got it similar to how I use the terms within my organizations. Not surprised at all that a layperson or simply someone who hasn't needed to think about the difference would use them interchangeably.
Excellent viewpoints. I have to explain the difference between these terms to a client from a marketing point of view and how they differ. Perhaps in this case marketing "tactics" could be a better option than "plan".
Typically, a topheavy company that pisses away shareholders' money on management consultants will have a new 5-year strategy every year. 'Plans' are usually too specific for such outfits.
When playing chess you stick to strategy. A plan is more something for a business venture. You know business plan. Thing is the words "strategy" and "plan" overlap in meaning and implementation. Damn you context...
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