Definitions
When we study the meaning of the words “Project” and “Process”, it turns out to become more recurring the focus on the project management atmosphere. However, it is more convenient to emphasize how the PMBOK®, in its sixth edition deals with the issue in a very detailed and instructive way, but to understand exactly the points we have to get focused in order to avoid misunderstanding when these concepts becomes needed to be settled.
In this article, we take a look at these terms with an approach that has as purpose to make clear the differences and to get the perception sharped for these two words taking into account how they make part of the same universe. The mentioned guide, which is named PMBOK® 6° edition, is published by PMI (PMI (Project Management Institute) https://www.pmi.org.
Thus, Project and Process have their definitions taken below, based on PMBOK® 6th edition:
• Project: is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.
• Process: A series of systematic activities directed to achieve a final result in such a way as to act on one or more inputs to create one or more outputs.
It turns out to be such interesting thing to note that the within the PMBOK® 5th edition we had the word “process” defined as a group of actions and activities interrelated to create a product, service or a specific result.”
In the sixth edition of the guide, is used the approach more focused into the interrelations mentioned on fifth edition, as well as the orientation to achieve the final result of the Project, with deliverables (output) that serve as input for the processes.
Differences
Concerning to the main differences, it is placed below the relevant itens to settle down the matters related to these concepts, owing to the constant use by the process and project management community.
Differences taking into account the frequency behavior of each item:
• Project: unique, has start and an end; serves to the realization of a specific result, product or service;
• Process: concerning to its frequency it can be from different types, being unique, punctual, occurring only one time in a project. There is the one that can be continuous, used throughout the project; the one used periodically as needed.
The process has as realization, a deliverable (output), which serves as input to another process. It is clear the direction to achieve the product of Project (specific result) during the execution and its relationship with the other processes.
Being objective, some statements can be done as follows related to the differences:
• Used to improve Process;
• Used for Project management.
• PROJECT CREATES products, services, improvement, results.
• PROCESS ARE PERFORMED to create products, services, improvement, result.
It is a consensus in the project management community that projects which are executed without the application of knowledge and proper skills tends to fail. Thus, we can have a Project that has as goal an improvement for a process that needs more efficiency.
Below, it’s placed a very objective approach of Project and Process.
