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Project Management - Definition Soup
September 10, 2007 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Plan Development
Project Management - Definition Soup (#8 in the series Project Management Guide)
By Lasa Information Systems Team
Mission and values; objectives and outcomes; benefits and deliverables: these terms are the stock in trade of the Project Manager and provide the key headings of the Project Definition. But their meanings are anything but clear.
Different people use the same term to mean different things; some funders for example use ‘objectives’ to describe broad strategic vision, others use it to mean more precise measurable goals. Our meanings for these terms are defined below. But be aware that others will have different definitions and you may have to translate some terms when using them for external purposes like application forms.
There is a clear hierarchy of scale involved here:
- Vision deals with the broad view of the project.
- Outcomes describes the difference the project will make.
- Objectives set out the key activities of the project.
- Deliverables are the specific things produced.
- Tasks are the activities needed to produce them.
| Term | Description | Example Form |
| Vision | A sense of what the project aims to achieve in the broadest terms | Reduce social exclusion |
| Outcomes | Broad view of the aims of the project | Improve service delivery of information to the public |
| Objectives | What the project will do – should be readily measurable | Develop a website. Produce a pamphlet. Set up a telephone help-line |
| Deliverables | What the project will produce. | A website. A pamphlet, a helpline. Nouns. The ‘what’ |
| Tasks | The activities that are required to produce the deliverable - usually many tasks per deliverable. |
Design the pamphlet, Commission content, Select typesetter etc.Verbs The ‘how’ |
| Method of approach/values | Useful in voluntary sector projects. May encapsulate an organisation’s values. |
Consult widely. Involve Users. |
For more details contact the Information Systems Team at Lasa – ist@lasa.org.uk, 020 7377 1226.
Lasa Information Systems Team provides a range of services to community and voluntary organisations including ICT Health Checks and consulting on the best application of technology in your organisation. Lasa IST is responsible for maintaining the ICT Hub Knowledgebase.
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