The impact of NCHEMS (National Center for Higher Education Management Systems) products upon planning and management tasks is examined in this study performed at a sample of 126 institutions. The institutions have used one or more of the following NCHEMS products: Program Classification of Structure (PCS); Resource Requirements Prediction Model 1.6 (RRPM); Information Exchange Procedures (IEP); Costing and Data Management Systems (CADMS); and Academic Unit Planning Model (AUPM). Some of the primary concerns in assessing the impact of the five products were: which collegiate institutions have used any of the five products? Why did these institutions use a product(s)? Who within the institutions uses the products? What dissemination factors were most important in selecting the product(s)? For what purposes and activities are the products used? The investigated current practice in using computer-based planning tools was intended to provide policy-relevant, practical information to NCHEMS and to the National Institute of Education to assist them in reviewing one aspect of the accomplishments of NCHEMS and establishing future research directions. It was concluded that the NCHEMS dissemination strategy reconciled normative and descriptive theory for educational institutions through combining the basic research and dissemination activities of the Center. It was affirmed that the NCHEMS dissemination strategy primarily focuses upon disseminating concepts and that products are tools for disseminating concepts. The findings are intended to benefit current and potential users of NCHEMS products and the Postsecondary Education Research Community. An extensive list of figures, tables and bibliographical appendices are provided. (LC)