Introduction | Lynda's Suggested Update | A Historical Perspective
The Real Problem | Definitions by Various Authors | Summary Conclusions

Summary Conclusions

There appears to be no doubt that the current definition of the term "Project" is unsatisfactory in the eyes of many project management practitioners. Indeed, we think that the definition of Project in the context of project management should at least reflect, and form the basis of, what we do as project managers. It is true that much of what we do can be found in the management of Business as Usual, but that applies to any management responsibility.

So managing a football team is no exception. In any case, the assembly of a football team for a one-off match in a competition may well be viewed as a project.[20] And the manager of such a team may one day be referred to as a project manager.

Who knows? After all, the discipline of project management is expanding rapidly. But by the same token, a team that belongs to an owner as a part of a franchise expected to play repeated games is definitely not a project but rather Business as Usual and represents a valid contrast.

Still, before we get carried away with games of football, let us make a real effort to come up with a more comprehensive definition of the term "Project", given the terms in Table 2 as a framework. We need a definition that will better underpin the concepts of our professional project management responsibilities.[21]

Definitions by Various Authors

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