Project

Definitions

A project consists of a concrete and organized effort motivated by a perceived opportunity when facing a problem, a need, a desire or a source of discomfort (e.g., lack of proper ventilation in a building). It seeks the realization of a unique and innovative deliverable, such as a product, a service, a process, or in some cases, a scientific research. Each project has a beginning and an end, and as such is considered a closed dynamic system. It is developed along the 4 Ps of project management: Plan, Processes, People, and Power (e.g. line of authority). It is bound by the triple constraints that are calendar, costs and norms of quality, each of which can be determined and measured objectively along the project lifecycle. Some projects produce some level of formal documentation, the deliverable(s), and some impacts, which can be positive and/or negative.

Some projects are designated as "major projects" because of their scale and significance, while extremely large-scale construction and investment projects may be referred to as "megaprojects". In Canada, the Major Projects Office's role focusses on projects designated by the government as "national interest projects", while the UK's Major Projects Authority, which existed before 2016, covered "around 200 major projects with a total whole life cost approaching £500 billion".

Specific uses

School and university

At schools, educational institutes and universities, a project is a research assignment - given to a student or group of students - which generally requires a larger amount of effort and more independent work than that involved in a normal essay assignment. It requires students to undertake their fact-finding and analysis, either from library/internet research or from gathering data empirically. The written report will typically contain sections on the project's inception, analysis, findings and conclusions.

Project management

In project management, a project consists of a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. Another definition is a management environment that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to a specified business case. Projects can also be seen as temporary organizations.

Project objectives define target status at the end of the project, reaching of which is considered necessary for the achievement of planned benefits. They can be formulated as SMART criteria: Projects are often guided by a steering group.

• Specific
• Measurable (or at least evaluable) achievement
• Achievable (recently Agreed to or Acceptable are used regularly as well)
• Realistic (given the current state of organizational resources)
• Time terminated (bounded)

The evaluation (measurement) occurs at the project closure. However, a continuous guard on the project progress should be kept by monitoring and evaluating.

Civil and military construction and industry infrastructure

In civil, military and industry (e.g. oil and gas) infrastructure, capital projects refer to activities to construct and install equipment, facilities and buildings. As these activities are temporary endeavors with clear start and end dates, the term "project" is applied. Because the results of these activities are typically long-standing infrastructure, with a life measured in years or decades, these projects are typically accounted for in financial accounting as capital expenditures, and thus they are termed "capital projects".

Computer software

In computer software, a project can consist of programs, configuration definitions and related data. For example, in Microsoft Visual Studio, a "solution" consists of projects and other definitions.

Corporate finance

In corporate finance, "project" is often used to refer new capital investments; these will span a spectrum of size and / or purpose (money making or cost saving). "Projects", then, are usually major strategic decisions (to enter new areas of business or new markets), or acquisitions of other firms, but may include new ventures within existing businesses or markets, or decisions that may change the way existing ventures are run.

State project

It can be defined as "a set of state policies and/or agencies unified around a particular issue or oppression". Therefore, these kinds of projects involve constant change and dynamism due to the social constructions that evolve among time. State projects have to adapt to the current moment. They are mostly community services based.

Infrastructure code

In the context of infrastructure code, a project is a collection of code used to build a discrete component of the system. There is no rule on how much a single project or its component can include.

Types

Some analyses of project-oriented activity distinguish - using military-style terminology - between grandiose strategic projects and more trivial or component operational projects: tactical projects.

Examples

• Human Genome Project, which mapped the human genome
• Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapon
• Polaris missile project: an ICBM control-system
• Apollo program, which landed humans on the Moon
• Soviet atomic bomb project
• Soviet crewed lunar programs
• Project-706
• Great Pyramid of Giza
• SDGs

Topics associated with projects

• Megaproject
• Program management
• Project governance
• Software project management
• Project Management Institute (PMI)
• International Project Management Association (IPMA)
• Project management software
• Project planning
• Small-scale project management
• PRINCE2