objective
goal of effort an end toward which effort is directed and on which resources are focused, usually to achieve an organization's strategy. There is considerable discussion on whether objective, goal, target, and aim are the same. In general usage, the terms are often interchangeable, so it is important that, if an organization has a particular meaning for one of these terms, it must define it in its documentation. Sometimes an objective is seen as the desired final end result, while a goal is a smaller step on the road to it.

