Business As Usual – What is a Project?

In this video, director of Knowledge Train, Simon Buehring, answers the question, 'What is a Project?'

To help define a project, we will compare the characteristics of a project to those of the day-to-day work we might call 'Business As Usual' (BAU).

This question is important because business owners and project managers must quickly identify when a 'business as usual' task becomes a project. If we don't, there's a chance that time and resources might be wasted on a job that would have benefited from oversight and planning.

It's also important to identify when something isn't a project. Sometimes the best way of achieving a goal is to let staff 'get on with it' - without interference or micro-management from senior staff.

Some key features of a project are:
• Projects create a single product. BAU reproduces the same item. A project may introduce a new IT. BAU would be using the system after release.
• Projects are temporary. BAU continues indefinitely.
• Projects have bespoke plans created to meet the deliverables of the project. BAU follows general internal procedures that maintain the business.
• Projects are funded from the capital budget after the business case is accepted by stakeholders. BAU is funded from the operational budget.
• A project is fundamentally a change initiative, bring in something new that will benefit the organisation. BAU simply maintains the consistency of an organisation.

If you're interested in earning a recognized project management qualification, click the link below to see a selection of project management online courses:
https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/project-management/project-management-courses-online-uk

Knowledge Train helps organizations improve their capacity to manage projects through high-quality training solutions. We've helped tens of thousands of candidates learn to manage projects, programmes, portfolios, and change initiatives.

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