What is Project?

What is Project?
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to accomplish a unique purpose. Usually Projects involve several people performing interrelated activities, and the main sponsor (the body paying) for the project is often interested in the effective use of resources to complete the project in an efficient and timely manner.

• The major goal of a project is to satisfy a customer’s need.
• When the Project Objectives are met in a specified duration or Project terminated. In either of the case there will be Start date and End date.

It is important to identify the attributes of a project as listed below:

• Has a unique purpose.
• Is temporary.
• Is developed using progressive elaboration.
• Requires resources, often from various areas.
• Should have a primary customer or sponsor.
• The project sponsor usually provides the direction and funding for the project.
• Involves uncertainty.

Every project is constrained in different ways by it’s:

• Scope goals: What work will be done?
• Time goals: How long should it take to complete?
• Cost goals: What should it cost?
• Quality often required

It is the project manager’s duty to balance often-competing goals.

Initially a project is looked at a high-level, but later detailed as the project moves forward, which is termed progressive elaboration.