Indian planning characteristically operates across multiple time horizons simultaneously. Long-term planning provides ultimate direction—where do we want to be in years, decades, or generations? Medium-term planning translates direction into achievable phases—what objectives must be achieved in sequence? Short-term planning addresses immediate actions—what needs to happen now?
These horizons are interconnected: short-term actions should serve medium-term objectives that serve long-term direction. When horizons are disconnected—short-term actions that don’t serve longer-term goals—planning fails to provide coherent guidance. Different horizons require different approaches: long-term planning is necessarily more directional; short-term planning can be more specific. Keeping horizons aligned is planning discipline.
When you plan, consider multiple time scales: what is the long-term aspiration? What medium-term objectives lead there? What immediate actions move toward those objectives?
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