Here’s something to ponder: everything around us can be considered a deliverable, including the device you’re using to read this and the software it runs.
In project management, deliverables are defined as the tangible and intangible outputs within the project scope.
Whether it’s a document, a product, or a service, deliverables are integral to project implementation and completion. Understanding how to correctly define, track, and review them is essential for ensuring quality and reaching project goals.
Read on to learn how to achieve exactly that!
Table of Contents
1. Define goals, roles, and deadlines
Clear goals, roles, and deadlines are the three pillars of every deliverable.
The purpose of a deliverable has to agree with the project goals. This is closely related to requirements gathering — or, essentially, determining what the stakeholders need.
It can be challenging to understand and document the expectations of different stakeholders — so you need to keep them informed and engaged throughout the entire process.
This is important because projects suffering from vague objectives lead to confusion and failure.
Once you know what you are expected to produce and why, divide the work within the team. Well-defined roles bring benefits such as:
- Streamlined workflow,
- Enhanced accountability,
- Better collaboration, and
- Prevention of overlaps.
In addition, deadlines are necessary to ensure timely completion and boost motivation. Looking at the bigger picture, clear deadlines enable better planning and resource allocation and make sure that different parts of the project are synchronized.
2. Break down and prioritize deliverables
Breaking down any major assignment into digestible chunks has several benefits. To begin with, smaller tasks are easier to understand and work on, allowing for more precision and better time management.
Reaching short-term goals offers a sense of continuous progress, as well. This way, your team will stay engaged and motivated.
Segmenting large work also allows for the early detection of challenges and issues so that you can address them before they become major problems.
Once your deliverable work is divided into several attainable steps, prioritize them to make sure that critical tasks are addressed first and that your team members are aligned in their efforts.
💡 PLAKY PRO TIP
If you want to learn more about how to take a step-by-step approach to completing larger projects, check this out:
3. Track updates on deliverable progress
A regular progress monitoring procedure is vital when working on deliverables. This includes:
- Documenting new developments, issues, and changes,
- Having regular deliverable status meetings,
- Using a centralized repository where statuses can be updated, and more.
You maintain better control over project deliverables by keeping a close eye on everything. However, you don’t want to micromanage your team, so project management software with versatile features, automated notifications, and a history of updates is a good idea.
Data visualization tools — such as Kanban boards and Gantt charts — are also beneficial, helping you convey information more clearly, identify patterns, compare different data sets side by side, and ultimately make informed decisions.
4. Review and evaluate deliverables
Before the official submission, check your deliverables against predefined standards to confirm they meet project requirements. This is typically done through peer reviews and stakeholder feedback.
If there’s any part of a deliverable that can be improved, don’t shy away from altering your approach or even redoing a task. This ultimately provides feedback for improving company processes and future deliverables.
A team collaboration software solution that accommodates external and internal reviewers is the best choice in this situation, keeping discussions about deliverables accessible and organized.
Track deliverables effectively with Plaky
Meticulous deliverable tracking is the key to maintaining the quality and integrity of your projects — the foundation of a strong company reputation.
Throughout this process, you want your main focus to be on the actual output and its impact rather than getting overwhelmed with endless lists, manual updates, and inefficient tracking tools.
That’s where our PM software Plaky truly shines, allowing you to concentrate on what matters the most. Enjoy the modern design, customizable features, easy navigation, many pre-made project management templates, and transparent communication.
Plaky is particularly handy in deliverable implementation and assessment thanks to the following features:
- Comments — to discuss ideas, provide feedback, and more within the task,
- @Mention — to get a colleague’s attention,
- Notifications — to never miss comments, assigned tasks, and changes, and
- Files — to have all relevant files within reach.
Plaky offers a top-notch project management experience even in its free plan, but we have you covered if you need more advanced functionalities. Check out the pricing options for a detailed overview of the features available under each plan.
Rely on a single tool to track your deliverables and other project tasks from start to finish — sign up for Plaky today.
To enhance company productivity and save money, consider the CAKE.com Bundle, where Plaky joins forces with the time-tracking app Clockify and team communication tool Pumble.
