A project is anything that has a defined start, a planned end and at least one deliverable.  (Definitions of a project from professional bodies include:

• a temporary organization that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed Business Case  – PRINCE2®  [a registered trade mark of the Cabinet Office]
•  a unique, transient endeavour undertaken to achieve a desired outcome – from the Association of Project Management [APM]
• a project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources  – from the Project Management Institute [PMI.])

Projects are often the delivery mechanisms for change in an organisation and are often found be grouped into portfolios or programmes.

Whilst all projects deliver outputs (sometimes called deliverables or products) not all projects lead to outcomes or benefits.  Some, such as regulatory projects are set up to reduce or remove a potential risk to the organisation, whilst others are enabler projects (for example an implementation project delivering a new piece of technology) which are critical components of a wider piece of work which together will bring about change and realise benefits.