Projects are temporary undertakings that are different from ongoing programmes as they have a desired beginning and end. Projects can last years or decades such as feeding the world’s hungry or finding a cure for HIVAIDS. However, most of your everyday projects at work may last a few hours to weeks or possibly months.
A project begins with a person or group in authority authorizes its beginning. The initiating party has the authority, the budget and the resources to enable the project to be fully realized. Once project goals are completed, the project ends and is replaced by another one.
The efforts of the stakeholders and the effective use of funds are directed toward the success of the project and completed as scheduled in an appropriated manner. During the project there may be interim due dates in which “deliverables” must be completed. These deliverables could be a report, provision of a service, a prototype, an actual product, a new procedure or any one of a number of forms. Each one of them will ensure that the overall project will be completed on time and within budget.
