Phase 1: Prepare
Step 1 Warm-up recall
Name one piece of routine work and one project you have seen at work, and say how they differ.
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Step 2 Learning goal
By the end of this lesson you can:
- state what makes work a project (Foundation);
- describe scope, time and cost as constraints (Core);
- write a one-sentence goal (Core).
Phase 2: Teach
Step 3 A familiar example
Processing invoices every week is routine. Moving the accounts team to a new system by March is a project: it has an end, a purpose and a change to deliver.
Step 4 Clear explanation
A project is temporary work to deliver a specific result. It has a start and an end, a purpose, limits and an owner. Routine work repeats; a project ends when its result is delivered.
Every project is limited by three linked constraints.
| Constraint | Question it answers | Typical trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | What exactly will be delivered? | Adding scope usually adds time or cost |
| Time | By when? | Squeezing time usually adds cost or cuts scope |
| Cost | With what budget and effort? | Cutting cost usually cuts scope or stretches time |
Because the three are linked, changing one usually moves another. Experienced leads therefore agree the priority at the start: which of scope, time and cost is fixed, and which can flex. A good goal is one sentence that says what will be delivered, for whom and by when, for example: “Move the 20-person accounts team to the new system by 31 March without missing a payment run.” The article on defining project scope and managing risk expands on this.
Step 5 Worked example (4 marks)
Improve the goal “make the intranet better”.
- It does not say what will be delivered. (1 mark)
- It names no user or deadline. (1 mark)
- Rewrite: “Relaunch the staff intranet with a new search and layout for 300 staff by 30 June.” (1 mark)
- Which constraint is fixed? The date; scope may flex. (1 mark)
Phase 3: Practise
Step 6 Learner practice (instant-marked)
1. Which is a project?
It has an end and a specific result.
2. The three linked constraints are scope, time and:
The third is cost.
3. Adding scope while holding the date usually:
The constraints are linked.
4. A good goal states what, for whom and:
A deadline makes it testable.
Phase 4: Close
Step 7 Recap
- A project is temporary work with a purpose, limits and an owner.
- Scope, time and cost are linked constraints.
- A good goal says what, for whom and by when.
Step 8 Exit ticket (ungraded)
Write a one-sentence goal for a project you could lead.
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Step 9 Go further (Extension)
Read Defining Project Scope and Managing Risk and note one thing it adds.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it fails |
|---|---|
| A vague goal | State what, for whom and by when. |
| Treating all three constraints as fixed | Agree which can flex. |
| No named owner | Someone must be accountable. |
Limits. Different organisations use different words for these ideas; the concepts are the same.