A project manager should not define a project based on budget, size or duration. A good definition of a project is that it is a temporary work effort made over a finite period of time to create a unique product, service or result. The work effort is also a series of interconnected dependent activities with a start and end date. This definition stands for all projects and all organizations. Any organizations using a definition that is significantly different from this, is using an improper definition. It is worthwhile to assign a project manager, a team and follow a methodology to complete the work.
\nAn initiative which involves multiple people (i.e. a team, even if it is only 2 people) and has an anticipated completion date, it is a project. In that sense, one’s wedding can be managed as a project.\u00a0If there is no anticipated end date, then it is an ongoing operation, regardless of how many people are involved or how complex it is.\u00a0If it is a simple initiative, short-term (less than 2-3 weeks estimated completion) and can be done by one person without needing PM guidance, then it is not treated as a project even though it actually is one.\u00a0If it is a relatively short-term and relatively simple project, we would use a simplified project management methodology to manage it, but it would have both a Project Sponsor and a Project Manager. A Project Request and a Business Case would be required (with standard, online templates filled out, usually less than two pages each). The Project manager would then build a project plan\/schedule and go from there.<\/p>\n
For large projects (6 months or longer, involving 5-50 people), the project manager should use a more comprehensive PM methodology requiring more project artifacts such as Project Charter, automated progress reporting dashboards and reports, a formalized WBS (Work Breakdown structure), workflow management for Sponsor or Stakeholder approvals.\u00a0However, using a PM methodology can be costly and for that reason many organizations use a specific set of criteria to decide when is necessary and cost effective for an effort\/initiative\/capital investment to be called, and treated, as a project.\u00a0Everything below the defined threshold was usually treated as operational efforts and be subjected to a simpler (and less expensive) control scheme.<\/p>\n
Small projects are often managed locally and in a very informal manner, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t projects. Or putting in another way, it doesn’t mean that they are standard operational activities.<\/p>\n
A project is typically a piece of work which requires such focus, that it cannot be done as part of the normal operations activities. It generally involves a set time for delivering the required outcomes and a specific resource skill set in order to achieve the desired outcomes. There is no magic formula as far as quality, cost and scope is concerned.\u00a0If an organization can’t define what a project is, they are in serious troubles, mostly because top-management isn’t fit for their work. So, this question is the last of their problems.<\/p>\n
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A project manager should not define a project based on budget, size or duration. A good definition of a project is that it is a temporary work effort made over a finite period of time to create a unique product, service or result. The work effort is also a series of interconnected dependent activities with a start and end date. This definition stands for all projects and all organizations. Any organizations using a definition that is significantly different from this, is using an improper definition. It is worthwhile to assign a project manager, a team and follow a methodology to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":220,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1280],"class_list":["post-12481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-project-management","tag-project-management-5"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"profile_24":false,"profile_48":false,"profile_96":false,"profile_150":false,"profile_300":false,"tptn_thumbnail":false,"web-stories-poster-portrait":false,"web-stories-publisher-logo":false,"web-stories-thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Aditi Malhotra","author_link":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/author\/aditi\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A project manager should not define a project based on budget, size or duration. 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