The project, in layman’s terms: Projects are all those endeavors that have a beginning date and end date, and are taken to complete a single unique product, service, or result. A project includes a set of planned activities, resources, and constraints that act to achieve certain specific outcomes under a defined time and budget.
Most projects are complex interdisciplinary undertakings requiring collaboration and coordination of work among individuals or teams.
Examples of Projects:
Construction of a Bridge
Building a bridge is a temporary enterprise that connects two different places. It takes architects, engineers, construction workers, and many resources to deliver this structure within the scope, budget, and timeline defined for the project.
Software Development
Building a software application is targeted at producing a unique product. It needs the attention of software developers, designers, testers, and project managers to collaborate in delivering the application within a set time and resources allocated and according to requirements.
Characteristics of a Project include the following:
1. Specific and Distinct Objective
Projects are initiated to achieve certain characteristic goals, deliverables, or performance measures that differentiate them from routine operations. Each project has its particular purpose. Such purposes may include developing a new product or implementing a new system.
2. Temporary Disposition
They have a starting and ending point. Everything is time-bound and ends when the objectives are being attained or are no longer possible to meet.
3. Defined Scope
Each project has a defined scope and boundaries of work within which the project is to operate. The scope identifies what should have been included and excluded so that the focus is kept and the expectation managed.
4. Defined Deliverables.
The deliverable outputs of the projects can either be tangible-a building or intangible-a software application. These outputs serve as the metrics for measuring the deliverables since they are aligned with the goals of the project.
5. Cross-Functional Teams
Involves project team members from different disciplines or departments working together to contribute their expertise. This has to be effective through collaboration and communication in order to achieve success in the project.
6. Resource Constraints
Project constraints include time, budget, and rresources It would be the duty of project managers to assign and optimize these resources in such a way as to achieve project objectives without exceeding available resources.
7. Risk And Uncertainty
There are unavoidable risks and uncertainties in projects; for instance, technology changes, requirement changes, and influences from the outside. It is very important to identify and thereby manage these risks so that they minimize the negative effect they might have on the project outcome.
