Differences between goals, requirements and deliverables

What is a goal?

A goal is an overarching statement that is meant to provide overall context for an outcome of a project. (Mochal) This outcome is a summary statement of the business value of the project.

An example of a goal within a company would be: “To make all warranty documents and all technical service processes related to warranties electronic.”

A goal differs from a requirement in its complexity and audience. The goal is defined at the beginning of the project while a requirement is meticulously collected by the project manager to meet that goal afterwards in the planning phase.

What is a requirement?

A requirement is a detailed requisite collected by a project manager from stakeholders through surveys, questionnaires, analysis and other tools to meet a project goal.

An example of a requirement for an electronic warranty project would be the existence of a workflow which allows documents to be signed by various stakeholders electronically instead of through mail.

A requirement is usually a component of a project activity that meets a project goal. It is more complex in its definition and lays the ground work for a project deliverable.

What is a deliverable?

A project deliverable is the intended outcome of an approved task stemming from a project requirement. Project deliverables are developed in the implementation phase of the project and are made available for stakeholders to verify whether they meet pre-defined acceptable criteria for the intended goal. (McConnell, 2010)

An example of a project deliverable would be a database and workflow which hosts warranty documents and allows warranties to be emailed in a workflow via a signing application like DocuSign. If this deliverable meets the requirements acceptable criteria, it will lead in aiding the success criteria of the overall goal of the project.

References:

McConnell, E. (2010, July 2). Boundaries, Deliverables and Requirements as Key Components of Project Scope. Retrieved October 22, 2017, from https://www.mymanagementguide.com/project-boundaries-project-deliverables-and-project-requirements-as-key-components-of-project-scope/

Mochal, T. (n.d.). Defining Project Goals and Objectives. Retrieved October 22, 2017, from https://kidasa.com/defining-project-goals-and-objectives/

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