Product description

A product descriptions (PDDs) in project management is a structured format of presenting information about a project product. It is a management product (document) which is usually created by the project manager during the process "Initiating a Project" in the "Initial Stage" of the PRINCE2 methodology and is approved by the project board as part of the Project Plan documentation.^[1]

It should not be confused with the Project Product Description(PPD), which was generated in the StartUp process of the Pre-Project stage, and forms part of the Project Brief. While the PPD is related to "finalist products" - those which are handed over to the client at the end of the Project - , the PDD refers to all project products, including those intermediate which may be necessary in the project life and need definition. For example, in a project where the purpose is to build a plane wing, the finalist product will be the actual wing, and will have acceptance criteria etc. defined in the corresponding PPD. However, simulations may be required and even a made-to-scale wind-tunnel prototype and a custom made testing rig. Those are intermediate products, not handed over to the client, however they are subjected to definitions and quality Criteria which will be detailed in the corresponding PDDS.

Therefore, all product contained in the PPD are also in the PDDS, but not the other way.

The structure of product description, according to PRINCE2:

• Identifier
• Title
• Purpose
• Composition
• Derivation
• Format and presentation
• Development Skill Required
• Quality criteria
• Quality tolerances
• Quality method
• Quality skills required
• Quality Responsibilities

See also

• List of project management topics
• Project plan

References

1. ↑ PRINCE2 Components Jay Siegelaub