Although it isn’t in the dictionary, the project management industry uses the term deliverables almost daily. I, for one am tired of MS Word underlining it as a spelling mistake.
Deliverables are the products, services, and results that a project produces. Thus, they are the cornerstone to project success.
Every project has to produce something. If you don’t have any deliverables, you don’t have a project.
Internal or External?
Deliverables can be for internal or external stakeholders. For example, an engineering design is a deliverable for a bridge design project (external), but the biologists might produce a fish habitat study for the design team (internal – assuming they work for the same company).
Tangible or Intangible?
At our engineering company, the deliverables are usually something tangible, like a report or design plans. But they can be intangible too. For example, a project to train the employees of a certain division of the company in a certain knowledge area still has the knowledge (or courses) as the deliverable.
Big or Small?
There is no guideline as to the size of a deliverable. It is simply whatever the client, or deliveree for lack of a better term, wants.
I’m from the province of Alberta, Canada, where many oil sands mines are currently under construction, several of them worth greater than $20 billion (construction cost). For the heavy industrial construction companies that are contracted to the oil companies to build the mines, the deliverable is the completed mine. When my small engineering firm does a $5,000 hydrologic study for them, it’s also a deliverable. Even when it’s a sub-deliverable, it’s still a deliverable.
Example Deliverables
Here is a list of some sample deliverables.
- Engineering report
- Proposal
- Design drawings
- Design documents
- Completed product (building, bridge, etc.)
- Technical interpretation
- Site investigation report
- Design review
- Tender document
- Manufacturing process improvement
- Product quality enhancement
- New equipment or tools
- Service report
- Strategic report
- Progress report
- Improved process efficiency
- Better customer service
- Faster response time
- Marketing study
- Web site/page
- Useability report
- Product prototype
- New knowledge or experience
- Improved filing and organization systems
- Improved response procedures
What unique deliverables have you had on your projects? I’d love to hear your responses in the comments below.
QUAUA FLAMES says
March 27, 2016 at 2:17 pmI am a student and my lecturer has giving me assignment on project management by developing a project plan for a wall construction. please help me through this email address: [email protected]
Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP says
April 12, 2016 at 9:22 pmCheck out our article on developing a project management plan: http://www.projectengineer.net/parts-of-a-project-management-plan/. Also, the biggest part of a project management plan is a schedule, so here’s a handy guide on that: http://www.projectengineer.net/professional-project-scheduling/. Good luck.
Arthur says
June 26, 2016 at 7:33 pmI am a student and have an assignment for a project description for a vocational training activity. What would be some of the deliverables.
Arslan Javed says
February 12, 2017 at 11:00 pmI am an employee and i am confronting a project of insurance company and have to make the deliverables of it. Please give me any ide of it that what contents are including in it.
THULWANA THABATA says
April 29, 2017 at 6:07 amGOOD AFTERNOON. MY LECTURER GAVE US AN ASSIGNMENT OF CREATING A PROJECT CHARTER FOR A ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. PLEASE HELP AS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO RESEARCH IT AND I CANT SEEM TO FIND THE INFORMATION.
Joyce says
September 3, 2017 at 2:14 pmHi
i am student and i am having an assignment to construct a swimming pull what are the deliverable and the tasks and light will assist
Jean says
November 6, 2017 at 5:15 amI am student, and have assignment for a project description of Merrall’s Airport Hotel-1, what could be some of the deliverables
Muhammad says
January 9, 2018 at 3:26 amI am employee a construction company as a store incharge i needs Key Deliverables points define the outcomes this position is expected to accomplish.
Betty says
August 2, 2018 at 5:14 pmWhat is an example of a WBS element name and a deliverable name for interior finishing
ALIYU AHMED says
March 26, 2019 at 8:46 amHi, I am an Immigration Officer. I am assigned as Project Coordinator to electronically register all migrants in my country, What are the deliverable, please
vincent chweya ariga says
June 30, 2019 at 7:45 amam a civil eng student at ksg msa kenya . i have been ask by my lecturer to write;
As a project planner expert in your organization you have been asked by the management of your organization to plan for and design a project that will be implemented in the community as part of co-operate social responsibility(CSR). This project will be implemented in the next 12 months. You are required to follow this format.. i want my proposal of constractiong arural road in a remote area.plz assist
Hadi Khaled Youssef says
October 30, 2019 at 10:40 amI’m trying to think of a practical example of how to differentiate between project Scope and deliverables? Can you help