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Finding and Defining The Project

A project is defined as a temporary endeavor with a clear beginning and end, undertaken to create a unique product or service. It consists of a set of interdependent tasks that must be completed by a certain deadline and within budget constraints to achieve the desired outcome. Projects can range greatly in size, duration, resources required, and complexity, from small individual tasks to large-scale construction or software development with international teams. All projects operate within boundaries of scope, schedule, resources, and people involved to transition from initiation to completion.

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32 views

Finding and Defining The Project

A project is defined as a temporary endeavor with a clear beginning and end, undertaken to create a unique product or service. It consists of a set of interdependent tasks that must be completed by a certain deadline and within budget constraints to achieve the desired outcome. Projects can range greatly in size, duration, resources required, and complexity, from small individual tasks to large-scale construction or software development with international teams. All projects operate within boundaries of scope, schedule, resources, and people involved to transition from initiation to completion.

Uploaded by

jha-jha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is a Project in Project Management?

A project is defined as a sequence of tasks that must be completed to attain a certain


outcome. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the term Project refers to ” to
any temporary endeavor with a definite beginning and end”. Depending on its complexity, it can
be managed by a single person or hundreds.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROJECT

A project is a set of interdependent tasks that have a common goal. Projects have the
following characteristics:

 A clear start and end date – There are projects that last several years but a project
cannot go on forever. It needs to have a clear beginning, a definite end, and an
overview of what happens in between.
 A project creates something new – Every project is unique, producing something
that did not previously exist. A project is a one-time, once-off activity, never to be
repeated exactly the same way again.
 A project has boundaries – A project operates within certain constraints of time,
money, quality, and functionality. We’ll see more about this in later sections.
 A project is not business as usual – Projects are often confused with processes. A
Process is a series of routine, predefined steps to perform a particular function, say,
expense reimbursement approvals. It’s not a one-off activity. It determines how a
specific function is performed every single time.
THE DIVERSE NATURE OF PROJECTS

Projects come in a wide range of shapes and sizes.

A project can:
 Be big: Like the construction of the Hoover Dam, take years to complete, and have a
humongous budget.
 Be small: Like your weekend project of installing a pathway in your lawn
 Involve many people: Like planning a wedding
 Just yourself: rearranging the photos in your wedding album

TYPES OF PROJECTS

Projects can be diverse in the ways in which they are implemented. Here are some
examples of projects:

 Traditional projects: These are run sequentially in phases. These phases are typically
initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. Most high-cost infrastructure
projects make use of traditional project management.
 Agile projects: These are used mainly in software development. They are people-
focused and adaptive. They also typically have short turnaround times.
 Remote projects: Remote project management is usually used by distributed teams
that seldom meet in person. Handling freelance contributors is an example of a remote
project.
 Agency projects: Agency projects are outsourced to an agency that is likely to have
projects with multiple clients. Marketing and design projects are commonly outsourced
to agencies.

THE BOUNDARIES OF A PROJECT

Every project operates within certain boundaries called constraints:

 Project scope
 Project schedule
 People
 Resources
All of these project constraints depend on what the project aims to achieve and when.
The outcome of a project results in deliverables. Anything that’s produced during the project’s
development such as documents, plans, and project reports is considered a deliverable. A
deliverable may also be the result of the project itself.

Having a final deliverable, as well as a finite timespan, distinguishes project


management from business-as-usual operations. Since projects are unlike routine operations,
most people involved are those who usually don’t work together. Sometimes, the professionals
involved will come from different organizations and geographies. If the desired outcome is
achieved on time and within budget, a project is considered to be a success.

REFERENCE: https://kissflow.com/project/what-is-a-project/

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