Purpose, goals & strategic direction · Core
Mission
Also called: mission statement
ELI5
What the organisation does and whom it serves.
Used in conversation
“The mission needs to be specific enough to guide priorities.”
Definition
A concise statement of what an organisation does, for whom and toward what broad outcome.
Here “Mission” means: A concise statement of what an organisation does, for whom and toward what broad outcome.
Pitch context
You will see “Mission” in strategy decks, market analyses, business plans and planning workshops when the discussion reaches purpose, goals & strategic direction.
Why it matters: It helps a reader interpret purpose, goals & strategic direction without confusing the measure, decision, role or evidence being discussed.
Connected terms
- VisionMission describes the organisation’s present purpose; vision describes the future it wants to help create.
- Brand missionThe search label “mission statement” can route to both entries.
Sources & evidence · 5
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- Strategyzer — Business Model Canvas resourcesSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- Strategyzer — Value Proposition Canvas resourcesSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- LEANSTACK — Lean CanvasSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division — Herfindahl-Hirschman IndexSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Census Bureau — Business and economy dataSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16