objective specification PERSON: Alan Ruttenberg A directive information entity that describes an intended process endpoint. When part of a plan specification the concretization is realized in a planned process in which the bearer tries to effect the world so that the process endpoint is achieved. In the protocol of a ChIP assay the objective specification says to identify protein and DNA interaction. PERSON: Jennifer Fostel Answers the question, why did you do this experiment? PERSON: Barry Smith PERSON: Bjoern Peters 2009-03-16: original definition when imported from OBI read: "objective is an non realizable information entity which can serve as that proper part of a plan towards which the realization of the plan is directed." OBI_0000217 OBI Plan and Planned Process/Roles Branch objective specification goal specification 2014-03-31: In the example of usage ("In the protocol of a ChIP assay the objective specification says to identify protein and DNA interaction") there is a protocol which is the ChIP assay protocol. In addition to being concretized on paper, the protocol can be concretized as a realizable entity, such as a plan that inheres in a person. The objective specification is the part that says that some protein and DNA interactions are identified. This is a specification of a process endpoint: the boundary in the process before which they are not identified and after which they are. During the realization of the plan, the goal is to get to the point of having the interactions, and participants in the realization of the plan try to do that. directive information entity ready for release