Guide to Project Deliverables: 6 Types of Project Deliverables

A project deliverable is a specific output produced during a project. Common types of deliverables include tangible or intangible (like hardware or a number-based target), internal or external (works created for internal use or external stakeholders), and final or process (main goal or small outputs that help the team achieve it). Each deliverable should be concrete and measurable to allow project managers to track progress and so team members can contribute to the goal.

Project deliverables are a key aspect of project management. When a team outlines their desired deliverables in a particular project, they have a better sense of the project scope and can design progress to meet their goals.

There are a few different designations of deliverables that can help your project team understand its goals:

1. 1. External: External deliverables are outputs produced for clients, customers, or other external stakeholders.
2. 2. Final: Deliverables can come during many stages of a particular project—final deliverables are the end-goal deliverables of a project (such as a finished website).
3. 3. Intangible: Intangible deliverables are measurable conceptual outcomes for a project, such as a certain number of new end-users.
4. 4. Internal: Internal deliverables are outputs produced within your organization for internal stakeholders, like managers or other leadership—examples include training program goals or budget sheets.
5. 5. Process: Process deliverables are the smaller outputs along the way that help your team reach the final goal (such as a website mockup or project plan).
6. 6. Tangible: Tangible deliverables are physical or digital objects that a project can produce, such as a piece of hardware or a website wireframe.

There are many different project deliverables in the business world:

1. 1. Gantt chart: A Gantt chart is a horizontal visual bar graph that shows your project goals, tasks, timeline, and milestones over time. This chart allows you to visualize the project and focus on its essential components.
2. 2. Mockup: A mockup is a draft of a website that offers an approximation of the site’s functionality and look and feel. A mockup can also refer to a physical product created for demonstrations, presentations, or promotional purposes.
3. 3. Mood board: A mood board, sometimes called an inspiration board, is a tool to help you hone your visual ideas at the start of a project. This collage of images, material samples, color palettes, and sometimes descriptive words and typography can help guide your work.
4. 4. Pitch deck: A pitch deck is a presentation that provides an overview of the project to potential investors or key stakeholders. This visual document provides investors with essential information about your business plan, product or services, fundraising needs, and key metrics like valuation, target market, and financial goals.
5. 5. Project charter: A project charter is a document that outlines the entire project management plan, including objectives, deliverables, roles, and responsibilities.
6. 6. Project schedule: A project schedule is a timeline that details when milestones need to be completed. A project milestone is a checkpoint that tracks the progress of a project.
7. 7. Prototype: A prototype is a mock-up of a product that is developed during the early essential phase of product development and the design process.
8. 8. Statement of work: A statement of work is a legal contract between parties (usually client and vendor) to outline expectations for a project.
9. 9. SWOT analysis: A SWOT analysis is a four-point analysis that businesses use to evaluate internal and external positives and negatives. The first two components of a SWOT analysis—strengths and weaknesses—refer to internal factors within an organization. The latter two components of a SWOT analysis—opportunities and threats—represent external factors that might affect the organization.
10. 10. Wireframe: A wireframe is a visual guide or blueprint created by user experience designers (UX designers) to show the basic functionality of websites, mobile apps, or any screen-based product that involves a user interface.
11. 11. Work breakdown structure (WBS): A WBS is a plan that organizes the work of a project into manageable segments.

Here are some tips for effectively developing and tracking your deliverables:

1. 1. Focus on the project’s objective. Before you start planning out your deliverables, make sure you have a focused idea of the result of your overall project. With a clear end goal in mind, you can decide how to prioritize the deliverables.
2. 2. Make a list of all deliverables. Keep a running list of deliverables in your project to help you understand just how much work the project will require and avoid letting essential components slip through the cracks.
3. 3. Clearly define project deliverables. Ensure that your deliverables are concrete and measurable. Providing as much clarity as possible will help your team members understand the metrics for success.
4. 4. Establish a project timeline. Design a clear and concrete timeline that outlines the due date for each deliverable. This timeline will help keep the entire life cycle of the project on track and highlight components that you can tweak if a particular deliverable falls behind.
5. 5. Use project management software (PMS). While it’s possible to keep track of complex projects on your own, project management software can be a beneficial resource for project management professionals (PMPs). PMSs have several project management tools that allow project managers (and the project management office, or PMO) to track progress, filter project views, and organize key deliverables in one place.

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