For every completed project, there are project deliverables. These are the tangible outcomes from the work done on the project. For example, a new product, a new website, or sometimes even a document.
Project deliverables are tied to project goals, scope and tasks, and are intrinsically tied to project management. Typically, deliverables are planned and tracked via milestones within the project’s timeline.
Good project planning identified deliverables ahead of time. This transparency ensures that all project stakeholders have a thorough understanding of the goals and what should be done once it’s completed.
Project deliverables are all the achieved outputs from a project’s completion. These outputs can be both tangible and intangible products or results. Deliverables can vary from a final report, to a software product, to milestones that signify the completion of a project’s phase.
Defining explicitly which deliverables are expected from a project is fundamental to its success. The project’s scope, objectives, and tasks all inform the deliverables, which are all outlined in the project charter. The project schedule or timeline provide the expected delivery dates, facilitating efficient project planning and execution.
Meeting each deliverable’s criteria is crucial to a successful project completion that meets stakeholder expectations.
Why are project deliverables so important? To put it simply, without deliverables, the project cannot be considered complete. Whereas projects goals can be measured over a longer period of time, deliverables are direct outcomes of a project’s work.
Deliverables help stakeholders get a sense of how the project is going, and which milestones have been completed in the project’s timeline. They are linked to specific tasks and clarify the project’s requisites and aims for all involved stakeholders. The alignment around deliverables guarantees that everyone involved understands what is a project’s output and the project’s plan.
Project deliverables are tangible or intangible goods or services that come out of a project. These can fall under various categories: project outputs, project milestones, and the project completion itself.
Outputs could be software products or a constructed building, milestones represent significant stages or events in the project timeline, and the project completion marks the final product or service.
The project charter kicks off the project, defining the project scope and objectives. Project tasks and the project schedule drive planning and execution, guiding the project management process in getting the deliverables done.
Understanding the difference between internal and external deliverables is key to successful project execution. Internal deliverables are primarily project outputs developed for internal stakeholders within the project planning and project execution stages. These may include project schedules, project tasks, or interdepartmental updates.
External deliverables, however, are presented to the project stakeholders—like clients—outside the organization upon project completion. These typically align with the project objectives and are outlined in the project charter. Some examples include final products, services, or project milestones.
Both internal and external deliverables are integral to the project delivery and success, as they directly contribute to the project's goals.
.png)
Throughout the project, you’ll encounter tangible and intangible deliverables for each key phase of the timeline. It’s normal in project management to have a mix of both.
Tangible deliverables are concrete, like a new product, website or even a physical device. They are easy to measure and typically define the major project milestones, including its eventual completion.
On the other hand, intangible deliverables are more abstract, like stakeholder satisfaction or the attainment of the objectives defined in the project charter. They are key components of the project planning and execution but are hard to quantify and evaluate directly at the project’s completion.
Both tangible and intangible deliverables are integral to the project scope and are critical indicators of a project's progress and success.
Project deliverables, a key component of project management, refer to the tangible or intangible products or services created during the project’s execution. As mentioned above, these take into account outputs such as software product, a report, or physical devices. They are informed by a clear scope and are set against a project schedule and timeline.
An important part of deliverables are project milestones, which are goals set throughout the timeline. They help to understand the project progress of tasks.
.png)
Project deliverables vary from team to team. Below you’ll find examples of typical project deliverables per team and industry.
Like for all teams, deliverables in a marketing project will vary depending on the project’s objectives and scope. Often, outputs include a completed marketing plan, research report, campaigns and marketing performance analysis. These deliverables are directly connected to specific tasks completed to achieve them.
Milestones such as the launch of a campaign, the completion of a market research study, mark clear milestones in the project schedule.
Throughout the project, it’s important to keep these stakeholders informed. Not only does it provide proof you’re moving along on schedule, but it also allows them to provide feedback or input as the project progresses.
In a software development project, defined project deliverables play a crucial role in project management. These deliverables vary from initial prototypes to final finished software. They're clearly outlined in the project charter, which covers the project objectives and project scope in detail.
Software development teams work closely with other teams such as design or even marketing. That’s why staying on top of tasks and the project’s schedule is key to the project success. To facilitate the monitoring of the project progression, milestones are defined. These serve as significant markers in the project timeline, indicating the start or completion of key parts of each project.
Through effective project planning, deliverables are achieved, stakeholders are satisfied, and the project seamlessly moves towards project completion. Therefore, understanding project requirements is fundamental to the successful delivery of the software development project.
In a design project, defining clear deliverables is vital for managing the project's success. These deliverables can include everything from initial concept ideas to the final design outputs. The project brief thoroughly outlines these deliverables along with the objectives and scope of the project. Since design teams often work in tandem with development, marketing, and other departments, maintaining an organized approach and adhering to the timeline is crucial. Setting key milestones helps track progress and marks significant phases within the project.
Effective project planning ensures that all deliverables are achieved, stakeholder expectations are met, and the project progresses smoothly towards its final goal. Understanding the project requirements is, therefore, essential for the successful completion of a design project.
As you know by now, project deliverables are critical components in project management. They encompass specific project outputs that meet project objectives and are delivered according to a project timeline. Key project stakeholders rely heavily on these deliverables to monitor project completion.
Effective project deliverables must be well defined within the project charter and align with the project scope. They are tangible project tasks, which are marked by project milestones aligning with the project schedule. Hence, their importance in project planning, project execution, and satisfying project requirements cannot be underestimated.
Project management is significantly easier if you set clear objectives. These objectives should align with the project scope and directly influence project tasks. As a part of project planning, these objectives steer the project schedule and timeline towards the end goal; project completion.
They live side by side project deliverables and outputs, providing measurable project milestones for all the project stakeholders. A well outlined set of objectives are a vital part of the project charter and serve as the foundation of all project requirements.
The project charter will guide the project scope and requirements and define project tasks, timeline, and the predefined project milestones. This serves a roadmap for project execution and binds project stakeholders to a mutual understanding and agreement of project objectives.
Creating the project scope and project outputs are good examples of critical internal project deliverables. It's essential to carefully account for these elements in the project planning phase to facilitate progress monitoring and management.
Establishing quality standards is integral to project management, project objectives, project scope, and project deliverables. These standards offer guidelines to ensure that project outputs meet the desired quality while still following the project schedule and budget.
The quality standards should be clearly defined in the project charter which acts as a reference throughout the project planning and execution stages.
To ensure project completion in alignment with these standards, it's important to periodically review project tasks and milestones, and facilitate necessary changes in tune with project requirements.
The goal of project management is to create and monitor the project deliverables. Monitoring project deliverables is a key responsibility in project execution.
The project timeline is defined and based on these deliverables, and project stakeholders often measure progress by achieved project milestones, which usually mark the completion of major deliverables. Regular tracking of deliverables against the project schedule is instrumental for smooth project completion.
It requires tight focus to track and monitor deliverables. Putting together a project charter, project schedule and timeline help maintain focus and alignment throughout the project.
Take the time to break down your scope, break down your tasks where everyone in your team and all stakeholders can follow along.
Not only do these help in maintaining focus on project outputs, but they also allow project stakeholders to stay informed on the project's progress up until project completion. It is important to remember each deliverable is a stepping stone to meeting project requirements.
.png)
Effective project management is crucial for achieving project objectives, meeting project milestones, and ensuring successful project completion. Tools like Bonsai can greatly enhance project execution by aiding in project planning, tracking project tasks, and monitoring project deliverables.
Bonsai helps agency teams to manage project scope and schedule thanks to its flexible features, simplify task planning and monitoring. In one place you can set up your project tasks, follow deliverables, track your time and budget and make sure you're delivering within schedule.
Bonsai empowers project stakeholders with the necessary information, ensuring team collaboration and efficient workflow.
Project execution requires a clear process to achieve project tasks, consistent review of the project timeline, and alignment with project objectives. Effective project management helps to monitor and control project deliverables to follow the project scope defined in the project charter.
Understanding project requirements is essential for establishing relevant project milestones and delivering the expected project outputs. Robust project planning is characterized by transparent communication with project stakeholders and strict adherence to the project schedule.
Clear and ongoing communication with project stakeholders is a cornerstone of effective project management. This communication takes into accountdiscussions on project scope, deliverables, and milestones as integral components of project planning.
Regular meetings provide a platform for updates on project execution, including the status of project tasks within the established project timeline.
When the project is completed, a thorough review of project outputs ensures that the project objectives, as detailed in the project charter, have been met according to the set requirements.
The review and approval of project deliverables are critical stages in project management. This process entails a detailed examination of project deliverables against project requirements and objectives. At this moment, project outputs are assessed for their alignment with and fulfillment of the expectations outlined in the project charter.
Key elements such as project milestones, tasks, and outputs are checked in relation to the project scope. The project management team is responsible for ensuring compliance with the project timeline and schedule. This phase is pivotal in laying the groundwork for project completion.
Proper project planning and execution are instrumental during this phase. Additionally, valuable input from project stakeholders is sought to refine the deliverables prior to their final approval.
Managing project deliverables poses numerous challenges for many project managers. Key issues range from defining clear project objectives, executing the project tasks within the stipulated project timeline, to ensuring project completion against the given project requirements. These concerns often stem from poor project planning and unclear project scope, which leads to confusion during project execution.
Miscommunications with project stakeholders might lead to shifting project milestones. The inaccuracy of project outputs also complicates the project schedule, creating an overextended project charter. Thus, effective project management necessitates diligent oversight, planning and communication.
Scope creep occurs when there are unplanned changes or continuous increase in project scope. This can happen when the project requirements aren't effectively communicated or documented. It can lead to setbacks in project milestones and project timeline, causing a deviation from the original project objectives and project tasks.
To prevent scope creep, project management must provide a clear project charter and provide precise project deliverables during the project planning phase. Stakeholder involvement is crucial in understanding and managing expectations concerning the project outputs and overall project completion.
Quality Control is a critical step in providing the best project deliverables. It not only guarantees the consistency of project outputs but also ensures meeting project objectives. The process involves reviewing project tasks against the project scope and project milestones.
Quality control plays a pivotal role in project execution since ensuring quality adherence builds trust among project stakeholders. It's a key parameter to achieve project completion in sync with the project schedule. The standards for quality control are typically outlined in the project charter based on the project requirements.
In conclusion, project deliverables play a critical role in successful project management. They act as tangible outputs, contributing significantly towards achieving project milestones and overall project objectives. They define the project scope and are integral to project tasks, forming a key part of project planning and execution.
Explore the benefits and challenges of working on retainer in 2024. Manage recurring projects and retainer agreements efficiently.
Understand the "out of scope" meaning in project management and learn how to avoid scope creep. Discover tips to keep your project on track and within budget!
Learn the key differences between a statement of work and a scope of work. Learn how each document defines project boundaries to ensures project execution.
