"Campus planning," for example, includes planning for budget/resource allocations, community relations, facilities and space management, to name a few, yet all of these areas within campus planning are driven by campus-wide academic and strategic planning processes.

The following definitions are not intended to segregate one type of planning from another but rather to complement each other and to clarify some of the differences among them within the context of the complex undertaking that is higher education planning.

Planning is a basic responsibility, and behavior, of all managers, administrators, and academic leaders whether or not one is called a "planner."

Planning is a basic management function—along with academic program development, fund raising, marketing, resource allocation, and program evaluation—and is one of the fundamental management tools of the institution. Planning can range in complexity and scope from simple problem-solving by one individual to complex, campus-wide, group-led exercises that must be able to respond to timeframes, cycles, and institutional phases.