A project is a temporary endeavor, carried out individually or collaboratively, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal. It involves a set of interdependent tasks that have a common goal and a clear start and end date. Projects can be managed by a single person or hundreds of people, and they require resources such as labor, materials, and equipment. Projects can be part of wider program management or function as an ad hoc system. Key characteristics of a project include:
- Uniqueness: Every project is unique, producing something that did not previously exist.
- Boundary: A project operates within certain constraints of time, money, quality, and functionality.
- Temporary: Projects are temporary efforts to create value through unique products, services, and processes.
- Goal-oriented: A project is a set of tasks that must be completed to attain a certain outcome.
Projects can be found in various fields, such as engineering, construction, software development, and research. They can be managed using project management methodologies such as PMBOK, Lean Six Sigma, and TQM.
