Balance, Communicate, and Align. Break long-term goals into achievable short-term milestones that tie into the bigger picture. Clearly communicate priorities and how immediate tasks contribute to future success. Foster adaptability by involving the team in decision-making, ensuring they see the value in both short-term wins and sustained growth. #Leadership #GoalSetting #TeamAlignment #StrategicPlanning #GrowthMindset

I think this is one of the challenges that Agile approaches strives to address (and often does effectively). However, even in a waterfall project, you can borrow some agile practices to help with this. The PM needs to act much like a product owner, staying connected near-constantly with stakeholders in order to prioritize the work. Stand-ups provide an opportunity to communicate and align on priorities. But most importantly, build a project team culture that recognizes "the map is not the terrain." Make decisions transparently and based on value and trade-offs, not blindly based solely on what your documentation says. Better to adjust documentation to fit the needs than the other way around.

In one case, I observed a region with a clear long-term plan to secure a billion-dollar project. However, we were offered a short-term service order that risked undermining this opportunity. We chose not to proceed with the short-term scope and instead waited to participate in the long-term project bidding. This decision involved major challenges, such as: ? High material costs for urgent delivery ? Increased resource costs for a short-term contract ? Limited strategic value in our portfolio ? High risk of failing to meet tight deadlines

Strategic Alignment and Vision: Define Clear Long-Term Objectives: Establish a well-defined vision and long-term goals for the project. Ensure these objectives are clearly communicated and understood by the entire team. Map Short-Term Goals to Long-Term Vision: Ensure that every short-term task or milestone directly contributes to the overarching long-term objectives. This alignment provides context and purpose to daily tasks. Develop a Roadmap: Create a project roadmap that outlines the sequence of short-term goals and their contribution to long-term objectives. This visual representation helps maintain focus and track progress.

Balancing short-term goals with long-term plans requires clear communication and alignment with the team. I’d start by ensuring everyone understands the bigger picture and how short-term objectives contribute to it. Prioritization is key—I’d assess which immediate tasks align with strategic goals and adjust timelines if needed. Transparency is crucial, so I’d keep the team informed about any trade-offs and involve them in problem-solving. Lastly, I’d provide support by managing workloads effectively and ensuring they have the resources needed to stay on track.