What is a Deliverable in Project Management?

When you're studying for the PMP certification exam, it's essential to learn about deliverables. A deliverable is an outcome produced by a project manager that meets a customer's or sponsor's needs.

Deliverables Defined

A deliverable is a piece of work/result that is produced by a project in the form of a product, service, or other outcomes. A deliverable falls under the project management deliverables, including the product requirements document, project proposal, project scope statement, and more.

Project deliverables and objectives are often linked but can also be different. For example, a deliverable is an item created to advance a project, whereas an aim is an overall goal.

For example, that would be an objective if you wanted to gain more insights into your market base. If you prepared a report to achieve this objective, that would be a deliverable.

Deliverables also differ from milestones, which are significant markers for completing a project or goal. You can move on to the next project stage or plan when you reach a milestone. With deliverables, however, you must submit the final product to an individual or team.

A deliverable is a key output for a project. It's something the client expects to receive once the project is complete. 

Deliverables can be one or multiple documents presented in a consistent format, such as an annual report or marketing plan. A deliverable often depends on another deliverable being completed first, which is common when managing projects with multiple milestones, such as events. 

Gantt charts can help you visualize and track interlinked deliverables.

But, deliverables are tangible action items you must deliver to complete a project.

Types of Deliverables

Internal deliverables aren't a part of the final product delivered to the client. Instead, they are internally developed to support a project to run and are only used by the project team. The final deliverables and the following activities, such as bug fixing and code testing, are based on completing the internal deliverables.

External deliverables are the items provided to end-users or clients. In the same example, the mobile application will be an external deliverable. Clients may also receive future updates and patches supporting the application's running smoothly.

Why are Deliverables Necessary?

A deliverable is a tangible result of a project. It can be anything from a report to a prototype to a final product.

Deliverables are essential because they help the project manager and team stay on track. For example, suppose you're managing a software development project. In that case, a deliverable might be a user story that has been completed and reviewed by all stakeholders.

You'll want to ensure that you have all of these deliverables organized in some way so that you can easily see what's been done and what needs to be done next.

If you're managing an IT project, deliverables might include:

• A list of features for each release.
• Detailed specs for each feature.
• A list of bugs or issues with each release.

Project Management and Deliverables

The terms "deliverable" and "project management" are often used in the same sentence. A deliverable is a product created by a project that helps achieve its goal. There are many methods to manage projects. 

For example, process-based management uses a phased approach, critical chain project management relies on a crucial chain, and product-based planning focuses on products instead of tasks. 

Regardless of the method used, the basic process is generally the same. The process groups include initiating, planning, production or execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing. In the initiating stage, the product breakdown structure – a hierarchy of deliverables – is created.

The responsibilities of each person are given according to the tasks they must do. In project planning, we identify the activities and deliverables needed to finish the project. 

Thus, we can create the schedule and budget for the project. When the tasks are executed, monitoring and controlling groups check that all the activities are done well and give maintenance as needed.

We can say the project is complete if all functions are appropriately finished and successfully meet all criteria.

Conclusion

The idea of a deliverable in project management is pretty straightforward. But, unfortunately, there isn't anything to it at all.

A deliverable is something you do at some point in your project and then give to someone else. This could be a report you write and then hand to another team member, or it could be a prototype or product you build for potential clients or for your internal use.

It doesn't matter whether it's physical or digital. It just matters that you go to the effort of making something, whatever it may be, and then give it to someone else as a part of your project.