What is a Project?

Projects are the way in which human creativity is most effectively harnessed to achive tangible, lasting results. In the past they may have been called something different, but building a pyramid, painting a ceiling, or founding a nation all required vision, planning, and coordinated effort - the essential features of what we now call a project.

At its simplest level, a project is a "one-off" scope of work defined by three parameters - time, cost, and quality. In other words, it is the means by which a particular result is delivered using specified resources within a set timeframe.

The lifecycle of any project consists of six main phases: intiation, defenition, planning, control, implementation, and review.

INITIATION: Identifying the problem to be solved or opportunity to be exploited.

DEFINITION: Refining your understanding of what you want to achieve, by when, and with what resources.

PLANNING: Deciding in detail how to achieve the objective - timescales, resources, responsibilities, and communications.

CONTROL: Doing the work, monitoring progress, and adjusting the plan according to need.

IMPLEMENTATION: Passing what you have created over to those who will be using it, and helping them to adjust to any changes.

REVIEW: Assessing the outcome and looking back to see if there is anything you could have done differently or better.