1.1 The Difference between Projects and Operations

The primary difference between projects and operations -- and this is a key concept in thinking about projects -- is that projects are unique. There is a fixed end-date and a fixed budget to achieve a defined product or service. Projects that go on and on into releases 29 through x are not one project; each release should be considered separate and consist of an entirely discrete set of phases, plans, and outcomes.

Another difference between projects and operations is that, in operations, we frequently manage or schedule in weekly or hourly increments, but in projects, we use a concept of progressive elaboration. We start at the highest level by defining project objectives, then we continuously elaborate or decompose down to progressively smaller increments until we have defined specific project outputs, such as deliverables or operating features, along with the execution tasks required to create those outputs.