Surroundings of Projects

CNM Cyber suites

Nature of Projects (hereinafter, the Lectio) is the lesson part of Project Work Essentials lesson that introduces its participants to project management concepts. This lesson belongs to the CNMCT Entrance section of the CNM Cyber Placement.

Content

The predecessor lectio is Developments at the Wiki.

Script

Any development of a unique work product can be defined as a project. An adjective, unique, means one-of-a-kind and indicates something that this developer has never created before. Landing a new job, modification of a business, and re-designing a website could serve as examples of projects.

Developments of those work products that this developer has already created are called operations. Production of thousands of smartphones of the same model is an operation. Launching a new model of a smartphone is a project.

In real life, each of us has worked on various projects even without realizing that. Have you ever bought something that lasts for long time? Let say, a bicycle? That was a project. Have you ever sold your old bike? Unless you work as a seller in a used bike store, that was a project as well.

In the corporate world, projects usually involve several people; some of them last many years. Projects vary because their work products, budgets, schedules, enterprise factors, project assets, and environments vary.

A work product is any output from any endeavor. Usually, a work product is a deliverable, but not every work product becomes a deliverable. A deliverable is any work product that one party has agreed to deliver to another.

Work products are too diverse to have a single classification, but, when it comes to their development, the main question is whether the developers know how to develop it.

Scripted-work products are those work products that development process is structured and known in details. They would include constructions, non-designer clothing, and foods prepared according to recipes.

Unscripted-work products are those work products that development process is unstructured or unknown. They would include first ever radio, first ever airplane, and first ever computer. If developers have no instructions for developing something, development of this something is unscripted.

Creative works such as content development and design always include both scripted and unscripted aspects. Exclusive web-design can take years and millions dollars to develop. It can also take one hour and couple of bucks to clone some existing design. Since schedules for creative works cannot be calculated, project budgets and/or schedules are simply setup.

Project budget

, enterprise factors, project assets, and environments

Key terms

Work product, project budget, project schedule, enterprise factors, project assets

Closing

The successor lectio is What Project Work Is.