Using the conceptual framework outlined in "Building Communities: A Vision for a New Century," a 1988 report of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, this guidebook explores eight phases in the development and implementation of a strategic plan. Chapter I provides an overview of the planning process and the essential elements and conditions of strategic planning. Chapter II discusses organizational and logistical issues in the "planning to plan" phase, focusing on the planning council, staff support for planning, the role of the governing board, and the use of outside consultants. In chapter III, methods for reviewing and clarifying the college's mission are explored. Chapter IV looks at the process of articulating the values shared by the college and its community, and chapter V presents different approaches to environmental and institutional scanning. Chapters VI and VII explain the processes of identifying strategic issues and formulating the strategic plan. After a discussion in chapter VIII concerning the presentation, approval, endorsement, and dissemination of the strategic plan, chapter IX considers the implementation and follow-up phases and ways of linking strategy to operations and resources. Each of the chapters dealing with particular phases of the strategic planning process concludes with a list of suggested activities and resources. The final chapter presents a guide for discussion and evaluation of the goal of building communities. Appendixes include a self-assessment instrument and Owensboro Community College's (KY) strategic plan, which was developed using the eight-phase process presented in the guidebook. (WP)