Abstract It has been argued and indicated that an organization’s competitiveness is partly dependent on its strategic positioning. In spite of the growing interest in strategic planning formality process, there seem to exist some definitional inconsistencies; approaches seem to differ among organizations, and appears to have led to irregularities in the measurement of effectiveness within industries. This study was accomplished by reviewing related literature. It identified and critically examined varied perceptions of the strategic planning formality process. The study found that there is lack of coherency in the definition of acceptable strategic dimensions for an organization. There is no basic standard of measure to determine how much strategic planning formality is required to realize expected outcomes. Descriptions of the strategic planning formality process were therefore found to have a blend of characteristics that run through perceptions in the extant literature. In view of this, it has been recommended that a proposed working definition and a framework (the Strategic Planning Formality Process Model – SPPFM) to guide the establishment of an effective system should be considered by organizations.