ACCA Strategic Professional · Strategic Business Leader · Leading and managing projects

Zenara Foods plans to launch a new regional distribution hub. The board describes it as a one-off undertaking with a defined start and end date, a specific budget, a unique set of deliverables and a dedicated team drawn from several departments. Which conclusion is most appropriate?

The hub plan is a project because it is temporary, has a defined start and end, produces unique deliverables and is run within a set budget. Using staff from several departments does not make it a programme or portfolio, and it is not routine business-as-usual work.

AIt is a project, because it is temporary, unique and organised to achieve specific objectivesCorrect
BIt is a business-as-usual operation, because it involves staff from existing departments
CIt is a programme, because it involves more than one department
DIt is a portfolio, because it has a budget and a defined set of deliverables

Explanation

A project is a temporary, unique endeavour with defined objectives, time, cost and resources. Involving several departments does not make it a programme; a programme is a group of related projects managed together. Nor is it routine operations, which are ongoing and repetitive.

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