Organizations such as human groups are constantly forced to make decisions whose success depends on the proper conduct of the same, the decisions themselves are the product of a reflection process that involves various activities, this being systematic and orderly thinking what is known and Planning.

The whole process of planning, says Stanton, (1984) is to “study the past to decide this, what to do in the future, how, when, and by whom. Planning is expected to decide today and the actions we can take from this to a desirable future. This is not to make predictions about the future, but to take appropriate decisions to make that future happen.

The conceptual foundations of Strategic Planning, do not appear until the early seventies, when triggered a global crisis that manifests itself in the rise in oil prices, shortage of raw materials and energy sources, as well as inflation two digits, which produces the stagnation of the economy and rising unemployment, especially in the U.S., as there are goods from other countries, mainly from Japan, low cost, high quality, displacing almost all international markets . (De la Cuesta, 2006)

Also their say, “This general crisis required a new type of planning that would develop the financial health of companies, regardless of negative events that might occur in their environment.”

Strategic planning is a process that feeds constantly and passes successively through three phases, says Godet, (1990):

• Strategic phase in determining the mission and objectives of the center through identifying their strengths and weaknesses, by conducting an internal diagnosis, as well as opportunities arising from the changing environment that surrounds it.
• Operational phase, which makes the planning of operations and coordination of efforts to achieve the objectives.
• Budget Phase, where resources are allocated for developing the objectives, commitments and responsibilities, performance analysis and control.

As Drucker says, (1994) “Strategic Planning is a means to assess the risk and try to keep the organization adapted to optimally constantly analyzing changes in the environment and maximizing internal resources available that confer an advantage from the competition, taking advantage of opportunities more effectively. “

“The process of strategic planning is an organizational effort, defined and disciplined institutions that seeks to define as clearly as possible the mission and the vision they have of this in the medium and long term, becoming a powerful tool that enables adaptation media organization demanding, changing and dynamic, achieving maximum efficiency, effectiveness and quality of their services. ” (Ministry of Transport, 1999)

Kotter notes, (1999) that “market-oriented strategic planning is the process of developing and maintaining a viable fit between objectives and resources of the company so as to give satisfactory profits and growth.”

It also alleges Ambrose (2000) that “Strategic planning is a management method that provides managers with a means by which to anticipate and cope with internal and external changes and thus develop appropriate strategies for an uncertain future of way that allows the organization to achieve its objectives and mission. “

The issue of strategic planning takes place every day more important, managers gradually tested benefits provided by the development of this process for conducting a logical and integral to the organization both in the short, medium and long term.

Strategic planning and long term is the function that develop at each level of responsibility, but more properly in the general management level, aims at the provision of operations and the involvement of elements for achieving a goal .

The strategic planning process must be understood as a participatory process, which gives coherence, unity and integrity of the decisions of organizations, enabling them dynamic and changing environments taking the necessary steps to achieve the objectives it has set the institution. The definition of objectives and corresponding strategies on selecting priority activities to improve the service or organization and the advantages that appear related to their activity.

The ability of organizations and institutions to monitor and anticipate the challenges and opportunities generated, grows and deepens through strategic planning, considering both the external conditions of the organization as its inner reality, which are sources of changes dynamic and make the strategic planning process is also dynamic.

When planning strategically is not required to list detailed actions and programs on time and cost, it is required to possess the ability to determine a goal, linking resources and actions needed to reach and evaluate the results and consequences of those decisions . On this basis, we define strategic planning as a process and an instrument. Process in different stages as it raises a set of actions and tasks that involve members of the organization in pursuit of clarities about the task and strategies for its completion as to which instrument is a conceptual model that guides the decision- decisions to implement changes that become necessary.