Over many years we have seen many committees debate the meaning of goals and objectives and their differences. The literature on the topic is abundant. Different words are used for the same concepts in different academic departments within the university. We do not intend to continue the debate but have decided to use one set of words to help us communicate within our group. If others require some transslation, then we shall attempt to do so. We believe that either goals or objectives can be uses but not both together. We have identified 7 types of objectives (or, for someone else, 7 types of goals). Differences in goals and objectives are notable in various groups. These are not "levels" because they are not parallel in concepts and are not necessarily heirarchial but are as follows:

• Type 1 - General - Very broad; typical of preambles and opening paragraphs of constitutions, bylaws, and legislation. (These are called goals by many groups recently.)
• Type 2 - Fundamental - Also large in scope, these express major needs of food, water, recreation, quiet, etc. (see Maslow and other writers)
• Type 3 - Success Criterion - The means of measuring success; e.g., to minimize risks; to maximize a B/C ratio; to gain a high score
• Type 4 - Policy/Constraints - The major statements such as "all while maximizing safety"; "subject to laws", "within the budget", etc.
• Type 5 - Primary - Specific achievements needed (often in a long set). For example, to minimize erosion, to maximize crime, to stabilize or increase land values.
• Type 6 - Actions - Called "goals" in many groups, these can be viewed as means to achieve primary objectives, e.g., to construct 20 road bumps; to build 1/4 mile of nature trail.
• Type 7 - Futuristic - Although all objectives are related to the future, this specialized type suggests the need for improving projections, actively working to accommodate projected or anticipated changes.