What are Projects?
This is how the Project Management Institute (PMI) describes what a project
is. Project Characteristics
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create
a unique product, service, or result.
Temporary
Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite
end. The end is reached when the project’s objectives have been achieved,
or it becomes clear that the project objectives will not or cannot be
met, or the need for the project no longer exists and the project is terminated.
Temporary does not necessarily mean short in duration; many projects last
for several years. In every case, however, the duration of a project is
finite. Projects are not ongoing efforts.
In addition, temporary does not generally apply to the product, service
or result created by the project. Most projects are undertaken to create
a lasting outcome. For example, a project to erect a national monument
will create a result expected to last centuries. Projects also may often
have intended and unintended social, economic and environmental impacts
that far outlast the projects themselves.
The temporary nature of projects may apply to other aspects of the endeavor
as well:
• The opportunity or market window is usually temporary—some
projects have a limited time frame in which to produce their product or
service.
• The project team, as a working unit, seldom outlives
the project—a team created for the sole purpose of performing the project
will perform that project, and then the team is disbanded and the team
members reassigned when the project ends.
Unique Products, Services, or Results
A project creates unique deliverables, which are products, services,
or results.
Projects can create:
• A product or artifact that is produced, is quantifiable,
and can be either an end item in itself or a component item
• A capability to perform a service, such as business functions
supporting production or distribution
• A result, such as outcomes or documents. For example,
a research project develops knowledge that can be used to determine whether
or not a trend is present or a new process will benefit society.
Uniqueness is an important characteristic of project deliverables. For
example, many thousands of office buildings have been developed, but each
individual facility is unique—different owner, different design, different
location, different contractors, and so on. The presence of repetitive
elements does not change the fundamental uniqueness of the project work.
Progressive Elaboration
Progressive elaboration is a characteristic of projects that accompanies
the concepts of temporary and unique. Progressive elaboration means developing
in steps, and continuing by increments. For example, the project scope
will be broadly described early in the project and made more explicit
and detailed as the project team develops a better and more complete understanding
of the objectives and deliverables.
Progressive elaboration should not be confused with scope creep.
Progressive elaboration of a project’s specifications needs to be carefully
coordinated with proper project scope definition, particularly if the
project is performed under contract. When properly defined, the scope
of the project—the work to be done—should be controlled as the project
and product specifications are progressively elaborated. The relationship
between product scope and project scope will be discussed in a later article.
The following examples illustrate progressive elaboration in two different
application areas:
• Development of a chemical processing plant begins with process engineering
to define the characteristics of the process. These characteristics are
used to design the major processing units. This information becomes the
basis for engineering design, which defines both the detailed plant layout
and the mechanical characteristics of the process units and ancillary
facilities. All of this results in design drawings that are elaborated
to produce fabrication and construction drawings. During construction,
interpretations and adaptations are made as needed and are subject to
proper approval. This further elaboration of the deliverables is captured
in as-built drawings, and final operating adjustments are made during
testing and turnover.
• The product of an economic development project may initially be defined
as:
“Improve the quality of life of the lowest income residents of community
X.”
As the project proceeds, the products may be described more specifically
as, for example: “Provide access to food and water to 500 low-income residents
in community X.” The next round of progressive elaboration might focus
exclusively on increasing agriculture production and marketing, with provision
of water deemed to be a secondary priority to be initiated once the agricultural
component is well under way.
The e-Project Coach Website
 I
have been involved in Projects and Project Management for
many years. This site is an attempt to spread project knowledge
to as wider audience as possible.
Projects are becoming increasingly important in the way we work and the
way we live our lives. I have discovered that treating
your life as though it were a project, enables you to get
much more out of it. Life is a project, according to the
PMI definition, because it has a definite start, definite
finish, and it produces something unique.
I hope you will find the project information on these pages useful, and
that you will apply it in both your work projects and your
life projects.
e-Project Coach Site Organisation
 The
links from this page lead to various sub-categories of project
information. As the site grows I intend to cover information
from many aspects of projects and project management. I will
cover some project management subjects in technical detail
but also from a practical project management point of view.
I will also attempt to identify material from other project
and project management experts, and include that within the
site.
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