When to do planning vs. when to do strategy
Good strategy work offers an approach that is appropriate in the face of uncertainty, within which informed choices can be made to position an organisation for success.
Planning is useful under conditions of certainty.
When you are planning a holiday, for example, you know what dates you'd like to travel between; you can see what flights are scheduled to go to your destination during that time; whether or not the hotel you like has a room available for you etc etc.
The essential elements (flights, accommodation) that make up 'your holiday' can be (to a reasonable degree) predicted; so in this case planning is appropriate.
But, you do strategy under conditions of uncertainty.
When the behaviour of the elements that are a part of your desired future cannot be predicted (things like your competitors, customers, the broader contextual landscape); that's when strategy work is appropriate.
What should be clear is that the outcome from strategy work is then quite different to that of planning.
Rather than ending up with a complete structured itinerary, good strategy work will offer an approach that is appropriate in the face of uncertainty, within which informed choices can be made to position an organisation for success.
Strategy is not planning and the two are not interchangeable.