Project Objectives - A Confused Concept

Project objectives are a core concept within the field of project management. This paper reports research findings that attempts to identify understandings of the term „project objectives”. Firstly, a review is undertaken of key project management literature pertaining to the concept of project obje...

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Main Author: Baccarini, David
Other Authors: Rick Best
Format: Conference Paper
Published: Bond University 2011
Online Access:http://epublications.bond.edu.au/aubea_2011/
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45576
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author Baccarini, David
author2 Rick Best
author_facet Rick Best
Baccarini, David
author_sort Baccarini, David
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Project objectives are a core concept within the field of project management. This paper reports research findings that attempts to identify understandings of the term „project objectives”. Firstly, a review is undertaken of key project management literature pertaining to the concept of project objectives. Secondly, a survey is conducted of 37 members of the project management community. The research highlights a myriad of definitions of the term „project objectives”. The most common definition is that project objectives refers to the time and cost objectives of the project. However, there is some support for distinct alternative interpretations, namely that project objectives refers to the deliverables of the project, or to the project's benefits. It is concluded that the project team needs to have a consistent understanding of project objectives to avoid miscommunication. Alternatively, the term „project objectives‟ should be avoided and less ambiguous terms used, such as deliverables, benefits and time and cost objectives
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-455762023-02-02T07:57:34Z Project Objectives - A Confused Concept Baccarini, David Rick Best Craig Langston Project objectives are a core concept within the field of project management. This paper reports research findings that attempts to identify understandings of the term „project objectives”. Firstly, a review is undertaken of key project management literature pertaining to the concept of project objectives. Secondly, a survey is conducted of 37 members of the project management community. The research highlights a myriad of definitions of the term „project objectives”. The most common definition is that project objectives refers to the time and cost objectives of the project. However, there is some support for distinct alternative interpretations, namely that project objectives refers to the deliverables of the project, or to the project's benefits. It is concluded that the project team needs to have a consistent understanding of project objectives to avoid miscommunication. Alternatively, the term „project objectives‟ should be avoided and less ambiguous terms used, such as deliverables, benefits and time and cost objectives 2011 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45576 http://epublications.bond.edu.au/aubea_2011/ Bond University restricted
spellingShingle Baccarini, David
Project Objectives - A Confused Concept
title Project Objectives - A Confused Concept
title_full Project Objectives - A Confused Concept
title_fullStr Project Objectives - A Confused Concept
title_full_unstemmed Project Objectives - A Confused Concept
title_short Project Objectives - A Confused Concept
title_sort project objectives - a confused concept
url http://epublications.bond.edu.au/aubea_2011/
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45576