vision, mission, overall and specific aims
The terms
These terms help you answer questions like ‘What do I want to achieve?’ or ‘Why does my project or organisation exist?’. In everyday English, we use them interchangeably. In planning and evaluation, however, each word tends to mean something slightly different.
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Vision
The ideal state a project or organisation wants the world to be in. What the world will look like if the project or organisation is successful in achieving its mission. More detail
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Mission or Overall Aim
Why an organisation or project exists and the broad effect that it wants to have.
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Aims
Particular changes or differences the project or organisation plans to bring about for its users. More detail
Note one: Charity law uses the word ‘purposes’ to describe why a charity exists, so you may also hear this word.
Note two: In everyday English you may also hear the words ‘objectives’ and ‘goals’ used to describe what an organisation or person wants to achieve. In evaluation, the word ‘objective’ means something different from this. We define it in the section called: ‘What you do and what happens when you do it‘.
Note three: Planning, evaluation and performance management also use the word ‘target’. This word describes a particular level of achievement that a project or organisation wants to achieve in a set time, or has been asked to achieve. We discuss this word in more detail in the section called ‘How you know how well you are doing‘.
Note four: Planning and evaluation usually use the words mission and vision only for the work of whole organisations.