A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective.[1]
An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be executed over a fixed period and within certain cost and other limitations".[2]
A project may be a temporary (rather than a permanent) social system (work system), possibly staffed by teams (within or across organizations) to accomplish particular tasks under time constraints.[3]: Section 1.2 [4]
A project may form a part of wider programme management[5]: 1 or function as an ad hoc system.[6]: 922
Open-source software "projects" or artists' musical "projects" (for example) may lack defined team-membership, precise planning and/or time-limited durations.
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Compare: "definition of project in English from the Oxford dictionary". English. Oxford Dictionaries. 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
Definition of project project in English: [...] An individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim [...]
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"What is a project? definition and meaning". BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
project [:] [...] Planned set of interrelated tasks to be executed over a fixed period and within certain cost and other limitations.
- ^ Project Management Institute 2021.
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Compare the somewhat circular definition:
Manning, Stephan (2008). "Embedding projects in multiple contexts – a structuration perspective". International Journal of Project Management. 26: 35. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2007.08.012. S2CID 111365140. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
Two theoretical propositions have been made: First, projects as temporary systems are characterized by certain structural properties, in particular task specifications, time constraints and team relations, that guide project activities.
- ^ Mittal 2009.
- ^ Kuijper 2013.