Goals and Objectives

Goals are broad; objectives are narrow.
Goals are general intentions; objectives are precise.
Goals are intangible; objectives are tangible.
Goals are abstract; objectives are concrete.
Goals can't be validated as is; objectives can be validated.

Examples:
Goals: knows about the human body.Objectives: LWBAT name all of the bones in the human body as stated in the medical textbook "The Human Body".

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"The difference between where we are (current status) and where we want to be (vision and goals) is what we do (target objectives and action plans)."

As this statement shows, setting goals and objectives builds on the previous steps of visioning and taking stock. Goals are simply a clearer statement of the visions, specifying the accomplishments to be achieved if the vision is to become real. The target objectives are clearer statements of the specific activities required to achieve the goals, starting from the current status.

At this point, strategic planning begins to produce lots of ideas and action steps. A common practice for keeping individual workloads to a manageable level is to delegate different topics to different teams. For example, there could be a curriculum team, a facilities team, a budgeting team, etc.

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Q: Which are more general, goals or objectives? What is the accepted difference between the two? In other words, assuming they are Not conceptuallythe same thing, do the goals of an organization lead to its objectives, OR do the objectives lead to the goals? Also, it is accepted that strategies lead to morespecific tactics. Following this line of reasoning, what do tactics lead to? Is there an accepted termfor "sub tactics?"

A: There are different definitions, but here is one I have found very useful. From the most general to the most specific: Goals are where you want to get to (eg- go public; dominate my industry); Objectives are measurements that tell you if you are attaining your goals (eg- revenue of $100 mm; market share of 55%); Strategies are how you will attain your objectives (eg- improve product A; make inroads into the medical market); Tactics are what you do to fulfill the strategies (eg- outsource development to an R&D firm; hire a medical market bus dev and sales team). Every Goal must be supported by at least one Objective. Every Objective must support at least one Goal. And likewise down the chain. If you chart it out and you fail in a tactic you can track back and see what Goals are at risk (for want of a nail). Sometimes, companies have "sub-tactics", but those are usually the action plans that you hire good people to execute in support of your strategic plan as laid out above.