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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/202.1.192.11|202.1.192.11]] to last version by SchfiftyThree (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
{{selfref|For Wikipedian Projects, see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject]]}}
: ''For all other uses, see [[Project (disambiguation)]].''
A '''project''', as defined in the field of [[project management]], consists of a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a [[Product (business)|product]] or [[Service (economics)|service]].<ref name="PMBOK">
''A Guide to the [[Project Management Body of Knowledge]]'' (PMBOK Guide), Third Edition, [[Project Management Institute]].
</ref>
More generically, the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] suggests that [[business]] and [[science]] projects involve
"a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully [[plan]]ned to achieve a particular aim".
==Origin ==
The word ''project'' comes from the [[Latin]] word ''projectum'' from the Latin verb ''proicere'', "to throw something forwards" which in turn comes from ''pro-'', which denotes something that precedes the action of the next part of the word in time (paralleling the [[Greek language|Greek]] πρό) and ''iacere'', "to throw". The word "project" thus actually originally meant "something that comes before anything else happens". When the English language initially adopted the word, it referred to a plan of something, not to the act of actually carrying this plan out. Something performed in accordance with a project became known as an "[[object (task)|object]]". This use of "project" changed in the 1950s{{Fact|date=January 2008}} with the introduction of several techniques for [[project management]]. Use of the word "project" evolved slightly to cover both projects and objects. However, certain projects continue to include so-called ''objects'' and ''object [[leadership|leaders]]''.
==Applicability ==
[[As of 2008| Contemporary]] [[western culture| Western]] [[business]] — characterized by a modern [[matrix management|matrix]] organization and a cooperative [[culture]] — [[as of 2008| currently]] particularly favors project-based approaches. [[Authoritarianism| Authoritarian]], [[bureaucracy| bureaucratic]] organizations with rigid, hierarchical structures show less enthusiasm about project-based work, which may not operate as expected in their environment due to conflicts between different [[organizational culture|cultures]].{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
==Notable projects==
* the [[Manhattan Project]], which developed the first [[nuclear weapon]]
* the [[Soviet atomic bomb project]]
* the [[Polaris missile|Polaris missile project]]: an [[ICBM]] control-system
* [[Soviet Moonshot| Soviet manned lunar projects and programs]]
* [[Project Apollo]], which landed humans on the [[moon]]
* [[genome project]]s
* the [[Human Genome Project]], which mapped the [[human genome]]
== School Usage ==
Within public schools in the United States, a '''project''' is an assignment given to a student which generally requires a larger amount of effort than normal homework assignments. They can range anywhere from simple written projects to elaborate and well-constructed Science Fair Projects.
== See also ==
{{Wiktionarypar|project}}
* [[Association for Project Management]]
* [[Megaproject]]
* [[Process]]
* Project [[cost overrun]]
* [[Project governance]]
* [[Program (management)]]
* [[Project Management Institute]] (PMI)
* [[List of project management topics]]
* [[Project planning]]
* [[Enterprise Project Management]] (EPM)
* [[Project management software]]
* [[Gantt Chart]]
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Project management]]
[[Category:Collaboration]]
[[af:Projek]]
[[bg:Проект]]
[[ca:Projecte (economia)]]
[[cs:Projekt]]
[[da:Projekt]]
[[de:Projekt]]
[[el:Έργο]]
[[es:Proyecto]]
[[fa:پروژه]]
[[fr:Projet]]
[[ko:프로젝트]]
[[it:Progetto]]
[[io:Projeto]]
[[lv:Projekts]]
[[lt:Projektas]]
[[hu:Projekt]]
[[mk:Проект]]
[[nl:Project]]
[[ja:プロジェクト]]
[[pl:Projekt (zarządzanie)]]
[[pt:Projeto]]
[[ru:Проект]]
[[scn:Pruggettu]]
[[simple:Project]]
[[sk:Projekt]]
[[sl:Projekt]]
[[fi:Projekti]]
[[sv:Projekt]]
[[ta:செயற்றிட்டம்]]
[[th:โครงการ]]
[[vi:Dự án]]
[[tr:Proje]]
[[zh:项目]]