Regardless of your sector, you have surely heard the word “deliverable.” Well, deliverables are required for all projects. And delivering the deliverables to the client signifies the conclusion of the project. They clarify the project’s objectives and the necessary tasks to achieve them. Project deliverables are also essential to the project management process because they inform the project manager, clients, and other stakeholders of the team’s progress.
There’s no doubt that project deliverables are a key part of managing to finish projects on time, on budget, and with as little trouble as possible. But, do you know what is project deliverable in project management? In this guide, we will uncover everything you need to know about project deliverables!
The Definition of Project Deliverables #
Project deliverable is a tangible or intangible outcome that is submitted within the project’s scope. To put it simply, a deliverable is an element of output produced as part of a project’s overall objective. It is the consequence of goal-oriented project effort that has been accomplished.
Understanding deliverables, objectives and milestones #
Often, project deliverables and objectives are linked, although there is a significant distinction between the two. A deliverable is a tangible product created to further a project, while an objective is an overarching objective. Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of your market base would be an objective. As an example of a deliverable, if you wrote a report to meet this target, that would count as the deliverable.
Likewise, a deliverable is not the same as a milestone. A milestone is a defined marker or point in a project at which considerable progress has been made. When a project’s milestone is met, the transition to the subsequent phase is straightforward. With a deliverable, however, you must submit the final product to a person or group.
One project can have multiple deliverables. Sending a deliverable signifies that a significant deadline or milestone has been fulfilled. Frequently, project deliverables are dependent on the completion of another delivery. This is common for project that has several milestones. These interdependent deliveries can be simply visualized using a Gantt chart, which updates dependencies whenever a project deadline is modified.
Types of Project Deliverables #
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Internal deliverable #
An internal deliverable is work performed within your organization and it is not visible to outsiders (your clients). The client normally doesn’t care about these parts. But they’re needed for the project to work and stay in-house. Internal deliverables such as submitting taxes and managing accounts are necessary for the operation of a business.
Internal deliverable example: You are resigning to your job as an accountant, and the accounting manager has asked you to prepare a handover document for the talent that are going to be your replacement.
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External deliverable #
An external deliverable is the deliverable that the project made available to various external stakeholders and clients. Work that is done for the purpose of earning revenue for a client, customer, or stakeholder is an example of an external deliverable.
External deliverable example: If you are a digital marketers expert working for a digital marketing agency. There’s a time you need to create a communication audit for your client to build their brand. This communication audit is the example of an external deliverable.
Process Deliverable VS Product Deliverable #
Project deliverables can be process or product deliverables depending on whether they meet project requirements. Both are necessary components that come together to form the total, but the process deliverables are not as impressive as the final product. That doesn’t mean they’re any less valuable to us.
Process deliverables are intermediary outputs that advance a project without immediately meeting a requirement. The examples of process deliverables could be the bug report on the application you are trying to develop, Gantt chart to visualize the workflow of the project, customer’s onboarding checklist, or even initial design or framework of project management for customer to review.
Product deliverables are the final outputs of the product that actually meet some or all of the requirements of the project. These are a little more exciting than process deliverables. They signify milestones that everyone is keen to examine and evaluate. The example of product deliverables could be the game application, the company website, the marketing strategy, architectural blueprint, and more.
Presenting Deliverables to Project Stakeholders #
Clients and your project stakeholders see these deliverables in project management reports. Usually, stakeholders have different reporting requirements or preference on what should be present on the reports, therefore reporting must be flexible and customizable. To put it simply, in order to meet their requirements, project management software must be capable of filtering the numerous data inputs and generating the appropriate output.
The great news is that FoxPlan reporting features and even the dashboard are just like that!
Presentations to stakeholders can be facilitated by project management tools such Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and project calendars. FoxPlan reporting captures information on project deviation, time, and cost, among other metrics.
And on top of that, because FoxPlan is a cloud-based software, your project’s report can be accessed in real time. If they desire an overview, provide them with access to the live dashboard. Sign up for FoxPlan for free today!
How to Define Project Deliverables? #
There are at least 4 quick steps to help you define the project deliverables.
1. Ask the questions regarding project #
Step back and see the big picture by asking the right questions. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to better understand the project’s higher-level goals and the metrics for success. Ask yourself the following:
- What is the project’s objective?
- What is the client’s desired outcome?
- What must you generate to reach this objective?
- How to achieve the objective?
- How much is the project budget?
- When will be the deadline or the timeframe of the project?
- How crucial is this component to the overall success of your project?
2. Gather additional information about the requirements #
The requirements determine if a deliverable is acceptable. Incomplete requirements will result in modification requests and revisions, which will ultimately result in scope creep. So, this means that you must identify relevant stakeholders and their priorities for this deliverable. It is also crucial to examine the end-users and what would make the product successful for them.
3. Identify the KPIs and metrics for the project deliverables #
At this step, the project manager examines each deliverable in detail and verifies that they are correct and realistic. This can be accomplished by dividing deliverables into phases and smaller portions. What you need to do is to establish the measurements, timeframes, and objectives for each step. It is essential to define these indicators while keeping in mind the project’s scope and budget.
4. Ask for review and approval from key stakeholders #
Once the deliverables and project management KPIs and metrics have been created, it is essential to collaborate with appropriate stakeholders to review and obtain approval for them. Any of these omissions will reduce the project’s quality and increase its costs.
Checklist to Manage Project Deliverables #
Here is a straightforward checklist for managing project deliverables:
- Identify and define deliverables as well as their needs prior to your project team beginning work. Adding new deliverables in the middle of a project might alter its scope and increase its cost.
- Include all major stakeholders when defining the deliverables. Learn their contributions and acceptance requirements.
- Monitoring progress by using periodic meetings to track the project’s progress will allow you to discover red flags early on. This will assist the internal team with pacing and course correction if they fall behind.
- Utilize FoxPlan project management software to monitor activities, deliverables, and key project milestones.
6 Big Mistakes to Avoid in Project Deliverables #
1. Not defining and listing your project deliverables #
Establishing a summary of your project’s deliverables is essential. Make an orderly list of all the deliverables as soon as the project begins, and go back to the specifications as needed. This list will act as a reference for both the client and your team, who can review it whenever necessary.
2. Lack of stakeholder’s validation of deliverables #
It is essential for the client or key stakeholders to approve the deliverables. As soon as the project is initiated, you must establish with the client their delivery expectations. It’s better to spend more time at the start of the project to establish the client’s expectations than to provide non-compliant deliverables.
3. Lacking attention to detail #
The level of detail in a deliverable will vary depending on who it is meant for. It is essential to communicate with the client the anticipated level of information. Should the desired output be more technical and include explicit explanations, or should it be generic deliverables?
4. Don’t keep a record of all the different versions of deliverables #
As the project progresses, deliverables may change. It is crucial to establish a filing system for the many versions of a deliverable from the beginning of the project. This system must always be shared with the client so they are aware of changes and have an updated copy. This allows you to prevent misunderstandings, and to prevent you and your team to work on the incorrect version of deliverables and waste time.
5. Ignore user’s comments and feedback #
After delivering your project to the client, you must carefully consider the user feedback. Ensure that the team is readily available to answer inquiries and implement changes in your timetable. Before delivering the final product, if possible, plan a series of test sessions with a group of people who will actually use the product. Thus, you can alter the deliverables based on the feedback you re
6. Not keeping any record of changes #
Archive your documents! It is not necessary to maintain all revisions of each deliverable, but a copy must be kept in the project archives. You may be responsible for an identical project in the future and will appreciate having existing documentation to refer to. This information could also be beneficial to another project manager.
Manage Your Deliverables with FoxPlan #
You need to keep a tight eye on the data and keep track of the tasks in order to guarantee that the deliverables will be finished on time. The problem presented here is that you will need to evaluate risks, set up communication channels, and produce thorough reports for your customers.
When managing your project status report with FoxPlan, you can have visualization on the entire project for the key stakeholders. You can also Indicate which members of the team are bearing the highest responsibilities.
FoxPlan variance reports can be tailored to provide simply summary tasks, completion percentages, and a comparison of the project’s actual progress to the anticipated progress.
Not only that, FoxPlan timesheets reports offer a high-level overview of the amount of time spent by each individual on a certain project. They also demonstrate the importance of the tasks that have been assigned to the various members of the team, each employee’s hourly wage, as well as numerous other variables relating to resources, time, and cost.
Using FoxPlan project management software, you can develop templates for project deliverables, keep track of essential activities, manage resources, fulfill project deadlines, and stay within project budget. So, are you ready to manage your project deliverables today? If so, check out FoxPlan FREE TRIAL or contact our representative and experience FoxPlan in action!
FAQ #
When are project deliverables agreed upon? #
Answer: To correctly define expectations and assign resources, project deliverables must be agreed upon early in the planning phase and documented in a governing project charter so that they may be referred to throughout the length of the project.
Can project deliverables change during a project? #
Answer: Yes, project deliverables can change during a project! During the course of a project, many things can happen, and as a result, the deliverables can be a little bit different. To keep the project on track, it’s important to keep an eye on any risk of “scope creep” and keep track of any changes. This could mean adding to the list of project deliverables that were made when the project was planned.
Who oversees project delivery? #
Answer: Project manager is the one who oversees project delivery because their responsibility is to supervise and also to ensure that the project is completed on time and on budget successfully.
