This is an interesting question, and important one, and I am sure it will 
produce responses of many flavours.

I think of a strategic plan as the result of standing back and taking a truly 
objective view of one's organization within the total context of the time and 
place in which it exists and asking such basic questions as "What business are 
we in; what business should we be in; what can we learn from our external 
environment, our internal environment, what threats and opportunities do we 
face now, and may we face in the future. Some people think of strategic 
planning as synonymous with long range planning. I don't agree with that. We 
do not make decisions today for 3 years from now. What we are doing is 
making decisions for today that will affect our ability to meet future 
requirements effectively.

A master plan is related but is very different. You begin working on it only 
when you think your strategy is in place. It is mainly internal in its perspective. 
It is operational and tactical rather than strategic (although it must be based 
on your strategy). It is the blueprint for carrying out your strategy. It is 
detailed and comprehensive; that is, it spells out how all the elements in your 
organization are going to contribute to your overall strategy. It is important 
here to avoid being so mesmerized by the exciting new departures that 
emerged from the strategic analysis that you lose sight of the routine, ongoing 
tasks and goals of the organization.

I hope this is somewhat helpful.

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