icr academy strategic goals vs continuity goals

33 overarching ICR objectives

Within organizations, there are various types of goals, each serving a specific purpose. To keep everything organized, we work with 33 overarching ICR objectives within the ICR cycle. The ICR objectives serve as essential guidelines for the careful and complete implementation of business operations within organizations.

Different types of goals

Within organizations, there are various types of goals, each serving a specific purpose. Strategic goals focus on the long term, shaping the organization's vision and growth. Tactical goals translate this strategy into concrete actions for the medium term, while operational or continuity goals aim to ensure the smooth running of daily operations. Compliance goals ensure that the organization adheres to laws and regulations, while innovation and sustainability goals are geared towards renewal and reducing the environmental impact.

Additionally, there are goals related to different business functions. These include goals focused on marketing, sales, ICR, HR, procurement, core processes, investments, and quality.

To keep this comprehensive structure manageable, we use 33 ICR objectives within the ICR cycle. These ICR objectives are overarching and serve as guiding principles for a careful and thorough implementation of business operations within organizations.

ICR Objectives form a holistic framework

Within the ICR cycle, we achieve a structured implementation of business operations through the framework of 33 ICR objectives. These objectives are uniform and applicable to all types of organizations. ICR objectives are overarching and serve as guiding principles for a careful and comprehensive execution of business operations. The ICR objectives encompass strategic, operational, compliance, and care goals. They also address management information and the preservation of valuable elements, such as personnel and resources. As a result, business operations remain complete and consistent at all times.

The ICR objectives provide a structured approach to organizing and optimizing business processes. They are not limited to one type of objective (such as strategic, tactical, or operational), but instead form a holistic framework in which various types of goals are integrated. This means that within the 33 ICR objectives, distinctions can be made between strategic, operational, compliance, and care goals, depending on the focus of each specific objective.

Within the ICR cycle, we explicitly differentiate between strategic goals and continuity goals (also referred to as regular goals). Below, you can read why this distinction is important.

Paul Joore - Founder ICR

"I feel it is important to share knowledge on how to run a successful business."

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Strategic goals vs Continuity goals

Within the ICR cycle, we explicitly differentiate between strategic goals and continuity goals (also referred to as regular goals). This distinction is primarily made to keep things organized. The future of your organization depends on the strategy and, therefore, on the strategic goals. Meanwhile, the continuity goals are crucial for the overall stability of your organization.

In other words, strategic goals are long-term and overarching goals that focus on the growth, development, and transformation of your organization . They are future-oriented and provide direction for the overall vision and course of your organization . Often, they involve entering new markets, driving innovation, or implementing major changes to position your organization for long-term success.

On the other hand, continuity goals are short-term, operational-level goals that ensure Testbedrijf continues to function smoothly and stably. They focus on maintaining daily business activities, such as cash flow management, customer service, and operational efficiency. These goals help keep your organization viable and meet immediate needs without requiring significant changes or transformations.

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Example of strategic goals within the ICR cycle

Within the ICR cycle, the structure of the strategic goals is shaped by the elements of the Business Model Canvas, and therefore by how the business model of your organization is structured. To achieve each of these strategic goals, you develop a long-term plan. From this long-term plan, you then determine which short-term goals will be implemented to fulfill it.

For example, within the Business Model element ‘Customer segments’, the goal could be to expand into new geographic markets and thus target new customer segments. This leads to the strategic goal: "We aim to introduce our products in five European countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Sweden) within three years (by the end of 2027), with an expected revenue growth of 20% in these markets." This also impacts the Business Model element ‘Revenue streams’.

The long-term plan would then specify that this will be achieved through the launch of local marketing campaigns and new distribution partnerships, which ties into the Business Model element ‘Channels’. The long-term plan is then broken down into short-term goals. For example, Q1 of Year 1: Conduct market research in the five target markets. Q2 of Year 1: Identify local distribution partners and negotiate initial contracts. And so on.

Through the Action Plan in the ICR cycle, you always have a clear overview. It is 100% clear who is responsible for which goals, under which ICR objective, and within what time frame these goals need to be achieved.

Example of continuity goals within the ICR cycle

The continuity goals, depending on how business operations are structured within Testbedrijf, are reflected across all 33 ICR objectives. For example, within the area of responsibility 'Marketing & Sales' and specifically the objective 'Translating the marketing plan into sales policy & sales plan':

Increase revenue - "We aim to increase monthly revenue by 15% through targeted online ads and sales promotions in Q4."
Improve customer retention - "Our goal is to increase customer retention by 5% within six months by implementing a loyalty program."

Or the following regular goals within the area of responsibility 'ICT' and specifically the objective 'Strategic ICT plan':

System upgrades - "Within the next six months, we will upgrade all outdated software to the latest versions to improve security and performance."
Improve IT support - "Our goal is to reduce the number of unresolved IT tickets by 20% in the next quarter by increasing staff and streamlining processes."

Or within the area of responsibility 'HR' and specifically the objective 'Strategic HR plan':

Reduce absenteeism - "Our goal is to reduce absenteeism by 10% within one year through better wellness programs and flexible work arrangements."
Speed up recruitment - "We aim to reduce the time to fill vacancies by 15% within six months by using an automated recruitment system."

Through the Action Plan in the ICR cycle, you always have a clear overview. It is 100% clear who is responsible for which goals, under which ICR objective, and within what time frame these goals need to be achieved.

33 overarching ICR objectives

Different types of goals

ICR Objectives form a holistic framework

Paul Joore - Founder ICR

Strategic goals vs Continuity goals

Are you the leader who grows your business?

Company professionalism through 8 statements

Conditions for winning team present/not present

Conditions for goal-oriented entrepreneurship?

Example of strategic goals within the ICR cycle

Example of continuity goals within the ICR cycle

At ICR, we adhere to 5 growth principles that serve as a solid foundation for the ICR cycle: the successful process from ambition to results