This paper examines strategies for defining, prioritizing, and meeting organizational goals across two time horizons: short-term (one to four years) and long-term (fifteen to twenty years). The paper argues that effective goal-setting requires an honest assessment of the organization's current financial position, a clear sense of desired direction, and a logical alignment between near-term actions and future ambitions. It also addresses how priorities should be sequenced along a critical path and how flexibility must be maintained in an ever-evolving environment. Examples drawn from business planning—such as managing profit margins and funding expansion—illustrate the core principles.
This paper addresses strategies that can be used to define, prioritize, and meet short-term goals — generally those with an impact over the next one to four years. It also examines how those goals can support flexibility over that same period in an ever-evolving world. Additionally, it provides an assessment within a futurist context, meaning strategies oriented toward long-term goals spanning the next fifteen to twenty years. While planning five, fifteen, or twenty years into the future may seem like a stretch to many, it is important to plan as far in advance as is reasonably possible, based on what is currently desired for the organization and what is known about the competitive landscape.
When formulating strategies and determining how they should be developed, one major consideration that must be taken seriously across all objectives is what is core to the business and what the overall strategic direction should be. For example, if a business is breaking even but just barely, the focus needs to be on what can be done to create more of a cushion between cost of goods sold and overall revenue. If the business is profitable but there is a desire for expansion, then the strategy would shift toward how to invest in growth and where the funds for that growth would come from — whether that be cash on hand, loans, or credit lines.
The key point is that there must be an honest assessment of where the business currently stands, where the people involved want it to be, and how to get there. How one prioritizes action items centers on what is part of the critical path and what is more ancillary. For example, if expansion plans include adding more computers and network capability, it would be necessary to determine how to pay for it (arguably the most important consideration), who will be configuring and setting it up, and what that setup will look like overall (Vanden Bos, 2015).
"Aligning future ambitions with near-term foundation"
Just as with short-term goals, long-term strategic planning requires a clear definition of where the funds will come from, what precisely will be done, and who will be responsible for doing it. Prioritization must be based on getting those pieces into place in the proper fashion and in the right order (Stanleigh, 2015). Flexibility is equally important: plans made today for fifteen to twenty years from now will inevitably need to be adjusted as circumstances change, markets shift, and new information becomes available.
Goals are a pivotal and important part of helping a business or organization grow and prosper. There must be a focus on what makes the organization sustainable, because neglecting that focus can lead to serious consequences. A business that does not make a profit will falter, a non-profit that does not secure funding or donations will close, and a church without contributing members will shutter. At the same time, there are certainly goals for the future that an organization's stakeholders will want to realize.
As such, there will always be a dual focus: on what is currently in place and on what will be possible down the road. However, the former should be the primary focus, and the latter may need to be adjusted based on the realities on the ground and developments that arise over time. Keeping both horizons in view — while anchoring day-to-day decisions in near-term sustainability — is the hallmark of sound strategic management.
Stanleigh, M. (2015). How to develop a systematic approach to prioritizing all projects. Bia.ca. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from
Vanden Bos, P. (2015). How to set business goals. Inc.com. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from
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