Establishing Project Deliverables for A Successful Outcome
- Boost Midwest
- Nov 20, 2020
- 2 min read
An essential part of any project plan is the list of project deliverables. A deliverable is any output created as the result of work done during a project. Deliverables are defined, measurable and verifiable. A deliverable can be as big as the final outcome of a project and as small as meeting minutes. Either way, defining, tracking and managing project deliverables are important responsibilities of a project manager.
Boost Midwest knows that client satisfaction depends on meeting objectives and deadlines and can help you establish a deliverable strategy that meets those objectives within the agreed-upon deadlines.
Each phase of a project has its own set of deliverables, whether the final outcome is the rollout of a new software upgrade, a custom-built sailboat or a new shampoo. While there are standard deliverables associated with each project phase, PMs may tailor them to their specific client or project. Here are the standard deliverables for the five main project phases:
Initiation: Project charter, project kickoff presentation.
Planning: Key stakeholder list, project plan, risk log, communication plan, KPI definitions, work breakdown structure.
Execution: Work products.
Performance/Monitoring: Status reports, change requests, project plan updates, risk identification and mitigation.
Closure: Project overview presentation, transition plan, project retrospective, final reports.
Deliverables fall into three categories:
Recurring deliverables may be status or budget reports to stakeholders that are delivered to the client at regular intervals.
Interim deliverables will act as inputs for the development of your final deliverable.
The Final deliverable is the project’s ultimate goal.
**
Industry-specific deliverables are usually developed during the execution phase of a project and, as you might expect, vary widely.
If your project is a marketing campaign, deliverables could include:
Brand strategy report
Collateral, or the media material used to promote products or services
Website and /or social media copy
Campaign definition/metrics
Sales literature
For a technology or software project, your deliverables would include:
Requirement documents
Technical/functional specifications
Wireframes/mockups
User journeys
Executable code
Test scripts
Test results
In Construction and Engineering, these deliverables are standard:
Blueprints
Design drawings
Engineering report
Site survey
Completed projects/products
For Strategy and Operations projects, deliverables may include:
Business cases
Business plans
Competitor analysis
Process flow documentation
Future state recommendations
Deliverables should be the focal point of a project or a project phase, with all planned activities directly tied to the production of a deliverable. Any project activity that does not directly contribute to the production of a high-quality deliverable should be restructured or removed from the project plan.
When defining deliverables, first answer the following:
What are your client’s objectives and expectations?
What are the specific targets they hope to achieve?
Then, for each defined deliverable:
Determine what work needs to be completed to meet the deliverable.
Build the deliverables into the project contract with an estimated number of hours tied to the development of each deliverable.
Boost Midwest can help bring your project to a successful closure by working with you to define the deliverables required for your project and then help you achieve them. After all, the probability of meeting a project's goal increases as you complete the deliverables outlined in the project plan. Therefore, project deliverables are the key to a project's success.
Comentarios