Project Characteristics

1. Temporary

Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. The end is reached when the project's objectives have been achieved, or it becomes clear that the project objectives will not or cannot be met, or the need for the project no longer exists and the project is terminated. Temporary does not necessarily mean short in duration; many projects last for several years. In every case, however, the duration of a project is finite. Projects are not ongoing efforts.

In addition, temporary does not generally apply to the product, service or result created by the project. Most projects are undertaken to create a lasting outcome. For example, a project to erect a national monument will create a result expected to last centuries. Projects also may often have intended and unintended social, economic and environmental impacts that far outlast the projects themselves.

The temporary nature of projects may apply to other aspects of the endeavor as well:

• The opportunity or market window is usually temporary some projects have a limited time frame in which to produce their product or service.
• The project team, as a working unit, seldom m created for the sole purpose of performing the project will perform that project, and then the team is disbanded and the team members reassigned when the project ends.

2. Unique Products, Services, or Results

A project creates unique deliverables, which are products, services, or results. Projects can create:

• A product or artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either an end item in itself or a component item
• A capability to perform a service, such as business functions supporting production or distribution
• A result, such as outcomes or documents. For example, a research project develops knowledge that can be used to determine whether or not a trend is present or a new process will benefit society.

Uniqueness is an important characteristic of project deliverables. For example, many thousands of office buildings have been developed, but each individual facility different owner, different design, different location, different contractors, and so on. The presence of repetitive elements does not change the fundamental uniqueness of the project work.

3. Progressive Elaboration

Progressive elaboration is a characteristic of projects that accompanies the concepts of temporary and unique. Progressive elaboration means developing in steps, and continuing by increments 1 . For example, the project scope will be broadly described early in the project and made more explicit and detailed as the project team develops a better and more complete understanding of the objectives and deliverables. Progressive elaboration should not be confused with scope creep (Section 5.5).

Progressive elaboration of a project's specifications needs to be carefully coordinated with proper project scope definition, particularly if the project is performed under contract. When properly defined, the scope of the proj the work to be d ld be controlled as the project and product specifications are progressively elaborated.

The following examples illustrate progressive elaboration in two different application areas:

• Development of a chemical processing plant begins with process engineering to define the characteristics of the process. These characteristics are used to design the major processing units. This information becomes the basis for engineering design, which defines both the detailed plant layout and the mechanical characteristics of the process units and ancillary facilities. All of this results in design drawings that are elaborated to produce fabrication and construction drawings. During construction, interpretations and adaptations are made as needed and are subject to proper approval. This further elaboration of the deliverables is captured in as-built drawings, and final operating adjustments are made during testing and turnover.
• The product of an economic development project may initially be defined as: Improve the quality of life of the lowest income residents of community As the project proceeds, the products may be described more specifically as, for exam and water to 500 low-income residents in community xt round of progressive elaboration might focus exclusively on increasing agriculture production and marketing, with provision of water deemed to be a secondary priority to be initiated once the agricultural component is well under way.

The Components of a Project Scope Statement

Project scope is defined in a document called a scope statement. The scope statement directs and focuses the project and provides a documented basis for making future project decisions. A scope statement promotes efficient decision making and planning by ensuring that stakeholders have a common understanding of the project.

The scope statement combines various components, four of which are essential to resource planning: justification, objectives, product description, and deliverables.

• Justification
  The first component of the scope statement necessary to resource planning is the project justification. Project justification is the need that the project was undertaken to address.
  
  The project justification also provides the basis for evaluating trade-offs. Trade-offs are made between the cost of a project and the benefit of completing it. Unforeseen future issues may have a negative effect on this cost-benefit analysis, and new decisions will have to be made.
  

• Objectives
  Project objectives are the second component of a scope statement. To be of value, project objectives must be quantifiable, that is, they should have a numerical value associated with them (dates, percentages, financial figures, etc). This will enable you to determine when those objectives have been met.
  
  At the very least, your project scope statement should include measurable cost, schedule, and quality objectives.
  

• Product description
  Another component of the scope statement necessary to resource planning is a description of product of the project.
  
  The scope statement should include a summary of the product description that includes the features of the product or service and the relationship between the product or service and the need that gave rise to it.
  

• Deliverables
  The last component of the project scope necessary to resource planning are the deliverables. The deliverables are subproducts whose delivery marks the completion of the project. The subproducts are important because they must be completed fully and to the client's satisfaction before the project is considered finished.
  

Every project needs a scope statement which includes the project justification, objectives, product description, and deliverables. Furthermore, every stakeholder should have a copy of this important document to ensure that everyone involved in the project has a common understanding of the project's scope. This common point of reference is essential as the project progresses and the scope is revised and updated.

Components of the Project Scope Statement

Matt, an experienced project manager, is ready to begin scope definition, but he wants his key project team members to have a common vision for defining the scope of the project. How can he ensure they're all starting on the same page?

As an input, the scope statement must contain certain components to define the scope of the project. Although these components may vary somewhat from project-to-project and from client-to-client, the scope statement must contain at least the following four components.

1. Project justification
The project justification is used during scope definition to help team members understand the business need that the project must meet. Since it is important for the project manager to ensure that the scope of the project meets that need, project justification can be used to provide the basis for evaluating future trade-offs.

2. Product description
The product description is used during scope definition to help team members understand the defining characteristics of the product or service to ensure that the scope will meet the client's expectations.

3. Project deliverables
The project deliverables are used during scope definition to present a summary-level list of the project activities whose delivery marks the completion of the project. Project managers must understand what is involved in each activity so they can break activities down into smaller, more manageable components.

4. Project objectives
The project objectives are used in scope definition to provide quantifiable objectives that must be met for the project to be considered successful. At a minimum, the project should meet cost, schedule, and quality measures.

Never underestimate the importance of scope statements when defining the project scope. If you clearly define the scope up-front, your project will progress as smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

Project Objectives

Project objectives define target status at the end of the project, reaching of which is considered necessary for the achievement of planned benefits. They have to be formulated as S.M.A.R.T.

• Specific, with
• Measurable (or at least evaluable) achievement,
• Achievable (recently Acceptable is used regularly as well),
• Realistic and
• Time terminated(bounded).

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