Creating the desired product [service, outcome] to satisfy a business need is the core work of the project team. Until the product of the project is defined and commonly accepted – by both the stakeholders and the team – the work of the project should be limited to developing the product description. Generally speaking, the product description should be evaluated by how well it solves the business need, or how well it leverages the business opportunity, presented to the project team by the stakeholders.

The product description can take many forms or be called by many names depending upon the type of outcome desired. For example, a technical specification is often a product description for projects that create hardware, software or other tangible products. User requirements may be the product description for developing a new service, while a detailed process flow diagram plus user requirements and technical specifications may combine to become the product description for a business process-restructuring project. The key point, regardless of the for the product description takes, is that it EXISTS and can be evaluated to determine how well the finished outcome satisfies the needs of the project’s stakeholders.

The product description should also conform to reality in that the outcome described is:

1. achievable within the required timeframe,

2. the desired quality level is technically feasable,

3. the cost of development, maintenance and long term operations is in line with desired ROI,

4. the skills, funding, material resources, etc. to bring the product to fruition, within the above constraints, are available and sufficient to the task.

Very preliminary template for defining the product(s) of the NTIP project:

	Individual Requests: 80/20 Tom C. leads this effort	Renovations: 20/80 Brian S. leads this effort	New Construction	Large Scale Renewal
Simple Get-Its	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Define Current & Future	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Define Current & Future	Out of Scope NTIP project	Out of Scope NTIP project
Complex Get-its	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Current & Future	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Current & Future	Out of Scope NTIP project	Out of Scope NTIP project
Get-It Projects	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Define Current & Future	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Define Current & Future	Put Rep. On Planning Board W. Fitzgerald = Rep.	Out of Scope NTIP project
Non-Conforming Installations	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Define Current & Future	W, S, O, M/R, P, D Define Current & Future	Put Rep. On Planning Board W. Fitzgerald = Rep.	Out of Scope NTIP project

Legend: W= Work Steps; S= Systems [technical and social]; O= Organizational Boundaries; M/R= Measurements & Rewards; P= People [headcount, skill levels, roles and responsibilities]; D= Data Elements that flow through the process. 80/20 = 80% of the volume, 20% of the problems and vice versa.