Introduction

An excellent indicator of the experience level, professionalism, and overall project management maturity of an individual is how much effort and thought this person gives to the management of the actual project work products (deliverables).

Why do I say this? This area of project management is one of the most neglected, yet it is a foundational element of managing risk, quality, and stakeholder expectations on any project. Without it, you will inevitably incur additional work efforts, lower quality, and more costs—which generally leads to missed project objectives and disappointed stakeholders.

We clarify what we mean by “managing project deliverables,” emphasize the key principles of a project deliverable management system, review the best tips and techniques for keeping your deliverables under control, and discuss how to avoid the common challenges faced by most project managers in this area.

 Tip

Other terms related to configuration management include document management, software configuration management, and content management, to name a few.