THE NATURE OF PROJECTS

This book deals primarily with software development projects, although much of what is said here will be applicable to projects in any discipline. In particular, the definition of "project" that I am going to use is that any combination of a noun and verb together constitute a project. Thus, using this definition, any of the following could be a project:

• be the first person at the South Pole

• get a promotion and a raise

• achieve record sales of a new product

• set up a new business division

• cost-reduce a manufacturing process

• build an oil refinery

• put a man on the moon

• develop a new computer system

• build the A-12 airplane

Note that this definition is recursive: it defines the thing in terms of itself. For example, the project "develop a new computer system" in itself consists of a number of projects:

• develop the hardware

• develop the software

• integrate the hardware and the software

• release the system

Each of these projects can be further broken down. For "develop the software" we might have:

• identify the requirements

• do the high-level design

• do the functional specification

• etc.

The key factor about projects is that they have a birth, a life and a death. They are not ongoing sorts of things. Identifying the birth, life and death – particularly the death – are key to the success of a project. In the course of this book I will use various analogies when talking about projects.

The project as a journey

A project is like a journey; it involves identifying a destination, setting out, traveling and ending up somewhere – hopefully the place you intended to be.

The project as a state change

A project is all about achieving some goal. The universe is in one state before the project, a different state afterwards, and the difference is the goal. In the examples given previously the destinations/goals/state changes are:

• a person has stood at the South Pole

• you have received the promotion and raise

• you have achieved record sales of the new product

• the new business division is up and running

• the cost of the manufacturing process has been lowered

• the oil refinery has been built

• a man has landed on the moon

• the new computer system is available

• the A-12 is operational

This book presents a methodology called Structured Project Management for handling projects. In the terminology used above, structured project management will help you to identify where you want to go. It will then give you the wherewithal to plan your journey, carry out the journey, arrive at your destination. To put it another way, you will achieve your goal.