Guidelines for college staff who have been assigned a new role of planning are presented. Advice for assessing the situation at the campus and developing a planning strategy is offered, and a framework for analyzing the planners' role, institutional needs, and planning activities is suggested. A bibliographic "roadmap" for the field of planning is also presented to assist the planner in analyzing unique needs. A bibliography provides recent citations divided into a number of categories. Other bibliographies that provide a more detailed assessment of references available to the planner are also cited, along with a list of five resource guides to consult in the beginning. Professional organizations and consultants are also identified as potential resources. It is recommended that planners should avoid 10 mistakes, including: the uncritical adoption of a planning process that worked well at another college; the assumption that all planning activities must be comprehensive, institution-wide, and time consuming; spending 6 months reading before taking action; and forming a planning committee as the first act. Specific types of planning are explained: strategic planning; futures techniques; and tactical planning, which includes budgeting, management of decline, program evaluation, academic planning, policy analysis, and enrollment planning. (SW)