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IT Project Management

Project Management Glossary

Definitions

Project
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK, Fourth Edition).

What follows is guidance on whether an activity is a project or is an operational activity: *

• One core distinction between these two is whether or not the activity is unique.
  • In general, unique activities are not repeated and thus not routine or operational in nature.
  • Although operational activities do not fall under the project management framework, the tools and techniques may and often do prove useful in performing those activities.
• The following table helps demonstrate the differences between projects and operations.

IT Project	Routine Operational Activity
Installing a new software application or a full version upgrade	Installing maintenance patches of .x ("point") releases
Redoing the campus network infrastructure	Replacing failed network equipment
Creating a new technology-enabled classroom	Adding or removing a software application from the classroom software build

Exclusion: Research Projects, Research Initiatives, and Instructional Programs
In accordance with University policy, research projects, research initiatives, and instructional programs are excluded from this project definition. The guidance provided on this website does not attempt to address unique aspects of those endeavors.

Stakeholder
A stakeholder is a person or organization (e.g., customer, sponsor, performing organization, or the public) that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK, Fourth Edition).

• Examples of stakeholders: project manager, project team members, business unit manager, impacted population (students, faculty, staff), help desk.

* The information was derived from George Mason University's definition of a project.