A business must control costs while developing new information systems or improving existing ones. A key way to do this is through the project. The word may be self-explanatory, but think of a project as series of connected, related steps or events that all have a single overall goal in mind. A project may last one day or one year - really for any length of time, all depending on the objective. There are many project types and project management styles, but the point is, businesses rely on the project structure as a way to achieve maximum results with their investment of time and money.

A successful project can be characterized as follows:

• It will be well scoped. In other words, the overall expectations for the finished product, as well as any constraints, will be clearly established
• It will be well planned
• It will be accurately estimated
• It will consist of activities that are clearly defined and scheduled
• It will be well organized. Each individual involved in the project will have some understanding of his/her role and the relationship of that role to those of other people involved
• It will be carefully controlled and directed. Think of this as an on-going process, usually conducted by the project manager. As the project progresses, the project manager will continually measure interim results and status against overall goals and constraints

Of course, the extent to which the criteria above are deliberately managed during the project usually depends on the number of people involved, the amount of money and time required, and the kind of results expected. The presence of a project structure may be less noticeable on shorter projects that require fewer financial and human resources. Nevertheless, the outcome of even a one-day job can be greatly improved if the person(s) involved possesses some understanding of the points above.

Below is an example of a Gantt chart, also called a "swim lane" chart, a common project management tool that shows an information systems project broken down into key phases that are expected to last over a period of time. This particular example also indicates the percentage of work completed at present.