The project deliverables refer to output elements of a project schedule or the project activities team members complete to work toward the project’s objectives.
Two major kinds of deliverables exist in project management. Still, both refer to team members completing tasks and activities aligned with project objectives.
Project management statistics show that 80% of companies spend at least half of their time on costly rework, and 44% of projects fail because the business and project goals don’t align.
Good project management will reduce and prevent these risks. However, deliverables play a key role in effective project management. Let’s show you how, why, and how to perfect every project deliverable.
What is a Deliverable in Project Management?
A project deliverable refers to an output element within a project scope or the result of a project activity. Deliverables can be a marketing campaign, a feature update, a new product, an increased NPS score, or a sales deck. However, the deliverable refers to the result of project activities focused on the goals.
Project deliverables are the results of objective-focused work team members complete within the project process. A project objective directs the project team’s process deliverables, activities, and tasks. Still, more than one type of project deliverable exists within a project schedule.
What Are Project Deliverables Examples?
Some examples of project deliverables include an outlined marketing campaign marketing teams follow, with specific tasks and project activities they must complete to meet the project’s deliverables or goals. Marketing teams follow the actionable objectives of a project outlined during the planning phase.
The project plan may also include process deliverables like a sales strategy that details inbound and outbound sales initiatives. Alternatively, the promotion of a new product with its launch is a form of deliverable marketing teams will complete to ensure the launch results in objective-focused outcomes.
Two Types of Project Deliverables
A manager may focus on conceptual or intangible deliverables that aren’t measurable, but they’ll mostly use concrete or tangible deliverables a project team can measure and effect. Still, managers focus on two primary kinds: internal project deliverables and external project deliverables.
What Are Internal Project Deliverables?
An internal project deliverable refers to project artifacts and activities that benefit your company but don’t necessarily influence your customers. An example of an internal deliverable is when you design training program software for your staff. The tasks are internal to your company.
What Are External Project Deliverables?
On the other hand, an external deliverable refers to software you develop to influence customers so that end users enjoy it. A project manager will define the deliverables for activities necessary for developers to complete your end-user-focused software, like marketing campaigns or sales decks.
When Are Project Deliverables Agreed Upon?
Project deliverables, whether external or internal deliverables are typically agreed upon during the earliest stages of the planning phase. Well-defined deliverables in project management could distinguish success from failure, so product owners must agree on them during the planning phase.
Learn how to gather requirements to better define external or internal deliverables for approval.
Can Project Deliverables Change During a Project?
Indeed, project deliverables change just like requirements do. Learn how to create a successful requirements management plan to implement change management with project deliverables agreed upon. Key deliverables could change as business objectives redirect to a new vision. The failure to recognise that deliverables can change is a reason why software development projects fail.
Who Oversees Project Delivery in Software Project Management?
A project manager oversees project delivery, including the task and activity allocation necessary to meet the project’s deliverables. Project management oversees the entire project team, process deliverables, and project-related output to ensure project success. Defining deliverables is about focusing on a project’s objectives, and a good manager engaging stakeholders will zoom their focus.
How to Distinguish and Define Project Deliverables
Understanding project deliverables and how they differ from project objectives and milestones in project management will help you clearly define external and internal deliverables. Project teams or professional services teams need clearly defined deliverables in project management.
Project Deliverables vs. Project Milestones
What are project deliverables and project milestones in project management? Project milestones refer to the scheduled milestone deadlines to prioritize tasks and activities within that timeframe, whereas project deliverables refer to the actionable steps a project team takes to reach those milestones.
Project Deliverables vs. Project Objectives
Project objectives help managers or agency teams outline an internal or external deliverable. Project objectives also capture the benefits or outcomes you wish to see from deliverables. An example of a project goal is to increase company security with two-factor authentication.
Project Deliverables vs. Project Requirements
Project requirements outline the vital components a software product needs, which could reveal a key deliverable necessary for creative teams to explore and design. However, the product deliverables are the methods, actions, and steps creative teams take to make transform requirements based on goals.
Project Deliverables vs. Product Deliverables
Product deliverables refer to vital components for hardware, software, mobile apps, or websites. Meanwhile, project deliverables in the project management process refer to budget reports, progress reports, a project plan, or the project schedule that helps the team align with project objectives.
What Project Documents Define Deliverables?
Project managers supply a range of deliverables documents for internal deliverables and external deliverables. Let’s cover a few examples of project deliverables in documents and other quantifiable aspects project managers use to help stakeholders visualise the plan and stay on the same page.
Project Charter
The project charter is a brief document to outline the project’s purpose, which will greenlight the initial plans once approved. It will also include a comprehensive implementation plan to bolster team productivity by showing stakeholders, teams, and clients each actionable deliverable as a project execution roadmap. The roadmap will show project artifacts and the types of project deliverables.
Project Scope Statement (PSS)
A PSS is a document showing the final project deliverable that aligns itself with the project’s objectives, whether a product or service. Project managers spend time defining deliverables in detail for the PSS so that all stakeholders understand deliverables effectively and stay on the same page. You can measure success by tracking progress with this statement.
Project Status Reports
A project status report lets managers track progress, deliver progress reports, and ensure all types of project deliverables are tasked efficiently. Fortunately, Requiment lets you send output reports from our software. You can also customise a status report or progress report to a project’s objectives and keep track of the project schedule from one platform. Deliverables in project management become simpler.
Timesheet Report
Project teams, agency teams, creative teams, and professional services teams can benefit from a timesheet report. Project management will use a timesheet report to guide the entire team, assign tasks, and track milestones for task completion. Let your project team align with perfection by using our software with task-generation tools. A project team will thrive with an efficient timesheet to follow.
Variance Report
Good project management keeps stakeholders updated throughout an entire project. A variance report helps managers show stakeholders and clients the progress agency teams make toward delivering the agreed-upon internal deliverables or external deliverables. The project management process should outline progress, and a variance report should show summary versions of deliverables, milestones, etc.
Work Breakdown Structure
A work breakdown structure is one of the key project deliverables graphs used by efficient managers. All project management deliverables must be broken into specific and individual tasks that teams can complete to deliver the final product to key stakeholders. Process deliverables for internal deliverables or external deliverables require sufficient detail and actionable steps.
How to Identify Project Deliverables With a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A WBS can help you identify and manage project deliverables while identifying other quantifiable aspects. However, it will help you outline actionable progress and tasks teams must undertake to finish the internal deliverables or external deliverables.
List Your Project Activities
Start by listing your activities and tasks to determine which outcomes you want from them. Activities refer to the “how” of completing tasks. Ultimately, list the overall activities the deliverables will require.
Group Tasks By Project Phases
Next, you’ll group tasks by phases to list the steps teams will take to complete the activities. The phases include initiation, planning, execution, control, and closeout.
Determine Which Project Tasks Produce Product Deliverables
Finally, deliverables are the outcomes that completed activities will provide. Some tasks won’t lead to product deliverables, and processing your deliverables with a WBS will show which are and which aren’t.
Tips to Manage and Track Deliverables Effectively
A key deliverable will produce an intended outcome based on goals if you follow a few tips to manage and track them effectively. Prioritize tasks, produce visuals, and manage the project’s deliverables thoroughly as professional services teams would to result in success.
Clearly Define Deliverables
How you define the deliverables will let you measure and manage them properly. Ask yourself questions about any key deliverable to determine whether you’ve defined it well.
What’s the purpose or endgame of this project?
What does success mean in this project?
Are we looking at internal or external deliverables?
What’s the ultimate result I wish to deliver?
Coordinate Work With Visual Tools and Software
Visual project management is essential. Kanban boards, budget reports, Gantt Charts, project calendars, or social media content calendars can help you and the internal or external team understand the deliverables. For example, Gantt Charts help to track product launches. A visual project management tool like Requiment lets you provide output reports for the entire team.
Share Deliverables With Key Stakeholders
Sharing deliverables in project management helps you manage and track progress better as you become more accountable for what you must deliver to internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. Internal and external stakeholders can provide feedback on the plans for a successful project. Understanding project deliverables on the project plan could also boost approval rates.
Update Team Members With Status Reports
Team members require frequent updates on the project schedule to work toward project success, whether designing a training program or preparing for a product launch. A weekly or bi-weekly project status report keeps teams understanding project deliverables to ensure a project delivers what internal and external stakeholders expect. It also helps you manage and track progress on product deliverables.
Measure Success With Project Management Software
Measuring progress and success with key deliverables will benefit your management skills. Project management software like Requiment could help you measure progress on key deliverables and aim for success in every completed task. Also, you can update easily should deliverables change.
How to Present Project Deliverables to Stakeholders and Team Members
Examples of project deliverables in visuals can certainly sway clients and external stakeholders. Process deliverables should be presented in detail so that everyone knows what to expect. More examples of project deliverables presentations include data inputs, outlined scopes, diligent boards, and a document. Be sure to outline the project objective in whichever visual you present to clients.
Project Management Software to Manage and Define Project Deliverables
Project management tools like Requiment have benefits for your deliverables and requirements. Learn about us to see how we can ensure your project delivers quality and leads to a successful project.
We have demo videos and a guided process to help you succeed, even without project management experience. You could even create wireframes and use task-generation tools. Moreover, you’ll gain access to our output reports to deliver progress and status updates.
Our pricing suits every manager, but you can sign up for a free trial to test our software first. Alternatively, book a demo to watch the software and tools in action, capable of working for all examples of project deliverables you may need in software development.
Summing Up Project Deliverables
A project deliverable is far easier to understand now, whether internal deliverables or external project deliverables. External project deliverables include software that aims to benefit clients but not their customers, while internal project deliverables aim to benefit internal stakeholders.
Either way, good project management regarding project deliverables is within your grasp. Master project management with our tips, guidelines, and visual aids, or use our tools to automate process deliverables. Sign up for our free trial today, or book a demo for more information.
What Are Project Deliverables FAQs
What Are Some Examples of Deliverables in a Software Project?
An internal deliverable in software example would be developing a training package for a client’s employees. Meanwhile, an external deliverables example would be developing a new software product the client launches with the intention of serving their customers.
What Are the 5 Key Project Deliverables?
Good project management starts every project with five deliverables: a first meeting, designing the plan, providing communications plans and platforms, keeping meeting notes, and delivering ongoing reports on statuses, progress, etc.
What Are Project Goals in Project Management?
A project deliverable must align with the project’s goals and objectives. The goals define the outcomes each activity or task must achieve once complete. However, the project deliverable defines how teams will achieve the goal-orientated tasks.