The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) had adopted Vision 2020, a strategic plan that looked back from 2020 as a benchmark for achieving the association’s lofty goals, however realized that it lacked the tactical machinery to do so. It introduced a five-step model for tactical business planning, to identify challenges facing the organization and barriers hindering the organization from reaching its potential. This process allowed AAPS to go from becoming a small- to large-size association in only five fiscal years.