I found the following definition in the Oxford English Dictionary which I think encompasses many of the elements of a project:
“a collaborative enterprise, freq. involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.”
(Oxford English Dictionary Third edition, July 2010; online version November 2010)
The “collaborative” bit suggests a project team. Obviously one can undertake a solo project, but generally in the workplace I have found that there is usually a wider project team (e.g. commissioners, stakeholders etc) even if it is one person responsible for delivering the project outputs.
“Carefully planned” suggests some form of project management and that all aspects of a project should be considered (e.g. cost, time, quality, risks etc). Obviously the more carefully planned the better!
“A particular aim” suggests that there should be a planned output (or outputs) so that all members of a project team know what they’re working towards. It also means you will know when the project is finished!
I also found this joke about projects which I’m sure we all can identify with!:
“At the heart of every large project is a small project trying to get out.”
(Funny-haha.co.uk (2010) Project Management. Bitscape Ltd.)
How would you define a project? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Posted by Anthea (FOLIOz Team)
