Project (glossary)

(1) A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. (PMI 2008)

(2) a development effort consisting of both technical and management activities for the purpose of engineering a system. (extract from (ANSI/EIA 2003))

(3) an endeavor with defined start and finish dates undertaken to create a product or service in accordance with specified resources and requirements. (ISO/IEC 2008)

Source

(1) PMI. 2008. A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide). 4th ed. Newtown Square, PA, USA: Project Management Institute (PMI).

(2) ANSI/EIA. 2003.Processes for Engineering a System. Philadelphia, PA, USA: American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Electronic Industries Association (EIA), ANSI/EIA-632-1998.

(3) ISO/IEC. 2008. Systems and software engineering - system life cycle processes. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electronical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 15288:2008 (E).

Discussion

These three definitions, taken together define the essence of a project: namely, a group of coordinated work activities that utilizes resources to achieve specified objectives within a prescribed time frame. Objectives include requirements for a product, service, or enterprise endeavor but objectives may be broader than technical requirements; for example, an objective may be to develop a new product or product line or to support a new type of service for new customers. In addition to providing technical leadership, systems engineers often manage the technical aspects of projects.