What is the difference between aims objectives and goals

What is your aim? What are your goals? It may be in school, a job interview, or your family gathering; a person has heard these words somewhere in their lives. So what do they exactly mean? There is a lot of confusion over the difference between these words. To a lot of people these mean the same thing, but they actually are not. Here is the definition:. Although they are interrelated, aims, goals and objectives have important distinctions and their roles in business are often confused.

Aims relate to the end results, but goals and objectives help you achieve these results. Goals are abstract ideas, while objectives are more tangible and concrete. Taking the time to plan, articulate and document in writing your aims, goals and objectives contributes to the success of your business. The three interrelated concepts concern future intentions and all three must be set in motion if your plans are to have a realistic chance of succeeding.

Keep in mind that aims, goals and objectives must be clear and specific as well as realistic. An aim is a purpose or the desired outcome. Aims tend to be more general than goals and objectives because aims refer to the end results. But while they are general in nature, aims are also bigger. It can be chunked into various objectives which help in reaching the aim easily.

It has a long range perspective which reflects aspirations and ambition of the entity. After the aims are set by the organization, the next step is to formulate objectives.

Objectives are concrete targets or goals of the company, that needs to be fulfilled within a time frame and with limited resources. They are used in different context and are in the form of short sentences, explaining what you want actually. Objectives act as an instruction for the employees of the company, what they need to do, to attain the desired result.

They have a short range perspective, i. When it comes to specification, aims are a bit vague while objectives are very specific. Further, the aims and objectives of any entity must be concise and brief. They are prepared in such a way, that they should show a connection between what a company aspires, and how it is going to pursue those aims. There should be no contradiction between these two and they should not repeat each other in different ways. Moreover, they need to be realistic, i. Your email address will not be published.