Project management is on everyone’s lips, with the term “project” often used in an inflationary manner. The consequence of this is that all manner of things are declared projects, even where these are individual tasks at best.
Projects in contrast, which require structured management, should fulfil a number of key criteria. This presents situations in which butterflies are broken on wheels. Project management itself requires additional effort and resources, with these only justified where the overall resources employed are lower.
Key criteria can be defined as follows:
1. Projects enter new territory, they realise solutions that do not yet exist in the targeted form.
2. Projects have a limited duration, meaning that both beginning and end are defined.
3. Projects are unique, they are not suitable for the reproduction of existing things (process management is significantly better suited).
4. Projects are equipped with limited resources.
5. Projects pursue a clearly specified and positively formulated goal.
6. Projects are interdisciplinary and cross-divisional in form.
7. Projects require a sufficient degree of complexity (otherwise the additional effort and expense of the project management is not worthwhile)
8. Projects imply the risk of failure.
9. Projects require their own organisation (at the minimum an independent project team)
If these project criteria fail to be fulfilled, then no true project normally exists. This does not mean that project management methods cannot be employed effectively outside of project work. However, this should not be referred to as project work in order to avoid confusing the concepts.