ABSTRACT
An essential component of community-based strategic planning is a clear statement of need, which provides both the catalyst and framework for the resultant action steps. It is therefore obvious that a plan can only be as good as the soundness of the needs it is intended to address. Accuracy and relevance consequently become essential standards by which needs are evaluated. The identification of community-based needs is most difficult, however, leading more often than not to strategic plans that are fundamentally flawed.
