A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Key characteristics:
Examples:
Operations are ongoing, repetitive activities that keep an organization running.
Project vs Operations:
Examples:
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
In simple words: it is planning, organizing, directing, and controlling resources so that the project objectives are achieved.
Objectives are measurable targets the project aims to achieve.
Typical objectives:
Success criteria (how we judge success) may include:
Important exam point: A project can be “on time and on budget” but still fail if it does not meet stakeholder needs.
A constraint is a limitation that affects project planning and execution.
If one constraint changes, at least one other will be affected.
Modern project management also includes:
Access the complete note and unlock all topic-wise content
It's free and takes just 5 seconds
Get instant access to notes, practice questions, and more benefits with our mobile app.
Download this note as PDF at no cost
If any AD appears on download click please wait for 30sec till it gets completed and then close it, you will be redirected to pdf/ppt notes page.
A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Key characteristics:
Examples:
Operations are ongoing, repetitive activities that keep an organization running.
Project vs Operations:
Examples:
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
In simple words: it is planning, organizing, directing, and controlling resources so that the project objectives are achieved.
Objectives are measurable targets the project aims to achieve.
Typical objectives:
Success criteria (how we judge success) may include:
Important exam point: A project can be “on time and on budget” but still fail if it does not meet stakeholder needs.
A constraint is a limitation that affects project planning and execution.
If one constraint changes, at least one other will be affected.
Modern project management also includes:
A stakeholder is any person/group that can affect or is affected by the project.
Examples:
Why stakeholders matter:
A project manager (PM) is responsible for achieving project objectives by managing scope, time, cost, quality, risks, and stakeholders.
Key responsibilities:
Think of PM as the person who “connects” all parts of the project.
In exams, mention both hard skills (planning tools) and soft skills (leadership).
Common documents you will see throughout the subject:
We will study these in detail in later topics.
Avoiding these issues is a key goal of project management.
Scope ↔ Time ↔ Cost
(Changing one impacts the others; quality sits at the center)
Plan → Execute → Monitor/Control → Close
(Communicate + manage team + manage risks across all stages)
From this topic
Key characteristics (any three):
These features distinguish projects from routine operations.
Project is temporary and delivers a unique output; operations are ongoing and deliver repetitive output. Projects end after delivery; operations continue to sustain business. Examples: app development (project) vs daily customer support (operations).
A project is a temporary effort to create a unique output, while operations are continuous and repetitive activities that sustain the business.
Project: Start → Work → Deliver unique output → End
Operations: Repeat → Repeat → Repeat (continuous)
Thus, projects end after delivery, while operations continue to deliver routine value.