What makes a Project different?
Projects are the means by which we introduce change into an organisation, this change could be anything from a new process, an office move, a new division, a business merger or a new product, or anything else that substantially shifts focus away from normal business as usual activities.
So what distinguishes a project from Business as Usual?
Projects are how we introduce Change into an organisation. As stated above, that Change could be any number of things.
Projects are Temporary in nature. There should be a defined start and a defined end as well as a defined scope. Once we the deliverable has been handed over to the business, business as usual resumes.
Projects are often Cross Functional. They usually involve teams of people from across the business or from across the stakeholders. These people come together to work on a specific project for a temporary period of time. This collection of individuals can be both an opportunity and a threat as you’ll work with people that have differing skill sets, differing objectives and differing motivations. This is one of the areas that being a Project Manager really shines through as you’ll have the responsibility for managing and delegating work and activities to a team that are not always as focused on the same things as you.
Projects are Unique, it may be that the organisation has many similar projects and may develop and use a familiar, proven, pattern of project activity, but each project is in some way unique. This uniqueness may not only be the end deliverable but it could be the location, the team members, the budget or even a different customer. All of these minor changes introduce new opportunities and threats and each creates a unique environment.
Projects have a level of Uncertainty. All of the characteristics listed above created some level of unknown, each offers some opportunity or threat beyond what is typical experienced in Business as Usual activities.