The end product of a strategic planning effort is not inflexible doctrine. Rather than be set in concrete, a strategic pla should be an open, flexible document that adjuusts to changes in the external and internal environments. Strategic planning attempts to invent the future for the manager; but when changes do occur during the period of the plan, certain alternatives can be chosen to keep the organization on track. This is what we will refer to in the next chapter as contingency planning.