The Project Management Book

Defining your project

What is this about and why is it important?

Projects exist to deliver a defined outcome, in an agreed time and within cost. As a project progresses the outcome may be modified, as may the constraints under which it is delivered. But such changes need to be done in a controlled and agreed manner, against a clearly understood, accepted and documented baseline.

Different styles of project management place varying emphasis on the level of detail and time horizon in objectives, use differing names for objectives and scope, and have a range of approaches to changing them. But all forms of project management have some concept of objectives and scope.

Various commentators on project management use different terminology – and can ...