WHAT IS A PROJECT?

Projects are tasks performed by people, constrained by limited resources, describable as processes and subprocesses, that are planned, executed, and controlled within definite time limits. Above all, they have a beginning and an end. Projects differ from operations primarily in that operations are ongoing and repetitive while projects are temporary and unique. A project can thus be defined in terms of its distinctive characteristics ” it is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite ending point. Unique means the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products or services.

Projects are undertaken at all levels of the organization. They may involve a single person or many thousands. They may require less than 100 hours to complete or over 10 million. Projects may involve a single unit of one organization or may cross organizational boundaries as in joint ventures and partnering. Examples of projects include:

1. Developing a new product or service

2. Effecting a change in structure, staffing, or style of an organization

3. Designing a new product

4. Developing a new or modified product or service

5. Implementing a new business procedure or process

Temporary means that every project has a definite ending point. The ending point is when the project's objectives have been achieved, or when it becomes clear that the project objectives will not or cannot be met and the project is terminated . Temporary does not necessarily mean short in duration. It means that the project is not an ongoing task, therefore is finite. This point is very important, since many undertakings are temporary in the sense that they will end at some point, but not in the same sense that projects are temporary.

For example, assembly work at an automotive plant will eventually be discontinued, and the plant itself decommissioned. Projects are fundamentally different because the project ceases work when its objectives have been attained, while non-project undertakings adopt a new set of objectives and continue to work. The temporary nature of the project may apply to other aspects of the endeavor as well:

• The opportunity or market window is usually temporary ” most projects have a limited time frame in which to produce their product or service.

• The project team seldom outlives the project ” most projects are performed by a team created for the sole purpose of performing the project, and the team is disbanded and members reassigned when the project is complete.

A project or service is considered unique if it involves doing something that has not been done before and is therefore unique. The presence of repetitive elements does not change the fundamental uniqueness of the overall effort. Because the product of each project is unique, the characteristics that distinguish the product or service must be progressively elaborated. Progressively means "proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments ," while elaborated means "worked out with care and detail; developed thoroughly" ( American Heritage Dictionary , 1992). These distinguishing characteristics will be broadly defined early in the project and will be made more explicit and detailed as the project team develops a better and more complete understanding of the product.

Progressive elaboration of product characteristics must not be confused with proper scope definition, particularly if any portion of the project will be performed under contract. In contrast to a project, there is also a program. A program is a group of projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually (Turner, 1992). Most programs also include elements of ongoing operations, as well as a series of repetitive or cyclical undertakings. (It must be noted, however, that in some applications program management and project management are treated as one and the same; in others, one is a subset of the other. It is precisely this diversity of meaning that makes it imperative that any discussion of program management versus project management must have a clear, consistent, and agreed-upon definition of each term .)