As a result of feedback received by PM4K followers across the growing PM4K online communities, Mathew will be starting a series of posts discussing the basics of Project Management (PM BASICS). Hope it'll be of help to all those looking to acquaint themselves to the world of Project Management.
The 1st post on the PM Basics series looks at the most basic question for all those new to Project Management. What is a Project?
As per PMBoK; "A Project is a Temporary endeavour undertaken to create a Unique product, service or result". The keywords here (as you would notice) are Temporary & Unique:
* Temporary because every project (to be classified as a project) needs to have a 'definitive start' & a 'definitive end'. These start & end dates may change (and in real life DO change), however, its presence is mandatory for a project. In other words, a Project cannot be an operational task with an open ended timeline.
* Unique because each project is expected to deliver a one-of-a-kind result. This result could be a service or product or anything else as long as its not repetitive in nature. Having said that, we must keep in mind that the presence of repetitive elements in the tasks carried out in the project does not change the fundamental uniqueness of the project.
Another fundamental characteristic of a project (apart from 'Temporary' & 'Unique') is Progressive Elaboration. As per PMBoK, "Progressive Elaboration means developing in steps, and continuing by increments". In simpler words, a project by definition does not expect everything to be 100% cast-in-stone & crystal clear right at the onset of the project. It is expected & acceptable for the project to have grey areas, however the project team is expected to be clear of exactly what needs to be done, before it is started to be done. This means plans & requirements can be gradually (progressively) enhanced (elaborated). Beware; Progressive Elaboration must not be confused with Scope Creep (see Mathew's post titled 'ARREST THAT SCOPE CREEP' to understand what is Scope Creep).
To sum it up; A project is a temporary endeavour (as long as it is legal) undertaken to create a unique result, that can be progressively elaborated to achieve its final objective.
Hope this short post acquaints you all to a phrase that is being used more often that ever before (PROJECT).
[Mathew@PM4K]
13 Comments:
nice idea (pm basics)... interesting reading. hope you continue till the end.
Ahmed Abdullah
Great Idea. Looking for more.
Mathew, this is a great start to what should turn out to be a very helpful series. Keep it up and best of luck.
Joseph Jameson PMP
@Ahmed-@Jenna-@Joseph: Thanks for your kind words of appreciation. Mathew sincerly hopes you find PM4K interesting enough to come back for more :)
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[Mathew@PM4K]
Mathew the PM Basics is a rocking idea!!! Keep it up.
cheers..Thomas Markinson
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