Temporary nature of the projects
As mentioned in the first article in the introduction every project has a definite beginning and a definite end - this is what temporary word means in terms of project characteristic. The definite end is when project meets its objectives that were previously set, or when it is clear that it is impossible to meet project's objective due to different reasons. These reasons can include:
- decreased budget for the project
- new management decided not to continue the project
- no more business need for the project
- bad planning and wrongly defined project's objective
In every case the duration of a project has its own time frames and is finite so that projects are not ongoing efforts. Most projects are undertaken to create lasting result. Saying about a project to build a new bridge over the river divinding two countries we have to remember that such a project will create a result expected to last centuries. Also such a project can be impacted by economic, environmental or social circumstances. That is why to achieve a strategic objective a series of projects and/or complementary (sometimes even parallel) projects may be required.
We also mentioned that operations and projects are different because of their nature. The main objective of a project is to meet its objective / objectives and close the project. The operations' objecive is to sustain the business, keep its normal functionality and meet day to day responsibilities of the company's department.
The temporary nature of projects may apply to other aspects of the endeavor as well:
source: PMP® Resources
published: 2009-05-06 10:32:56