I see project managers (and even most blogs) use words like activity and task differently. Some believe that activities are born from tasks, some consider tasks work packages, some use the words interchangeably.... so what's the real story?
What are tasks? ...and what are activities? ...and how do they relate?
Thanks! Saving Changes...
Antonio LouroDirector Africa| Insight InternationalLuanda, Luanda, Angola
Agree with Anton. But whatever are your conventions the key factor is to know what you have to do to complete the project! Saving Changes...
Waheeb AlkubatiHead of projects- Northern areas| HSA GroupYemen
Great discussion, by other hands in MS project or Primavera all inserting with tasks no activities used Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
It seems to me that a task is a unit of work necessary to achieve a specific, useful deliverable. Whereas an activity is not necessarily related to producing a useful outcome thus the saying - "lots of activity but no progress". Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Well, maybe it is a matter of individual understanding.
Drinking coffee or waiting for the bus are activities but mostly not tasks for me. You can delegate a task but would normally not think about delegating activities. Describing a task involves talking about the outcome, describing an activity is more concerned about the duration and effort.
The culprit is MS project, as it talks about tasks not activities. Saving Changes...
Mark WarnerProject Manager| AURATucson, Az, United States
I believe the answer to this depends on your industry, company culture, and even the software that you use. There is no one right answer. For example, if you’re an MS Project person, a schedule is created via a series of “tasks.” But if you’re a Primavera user (like I am), then schedules are built from “activities.”
I personally like the idea of schedules built via “activities,” and then the day-to-day plan-do-check-adjust work required to perform that activity being constructed from smaller, granular (and adaptable) “tasks.”
I.e., Devolve your WBS scope (deliverables) into planned Activities that are captured in your big-picture schedule, and then on a day-to-day basis, devolve these Activities into specific Tasks and To-Do's that you and your team individually tackle. Saving Changes...
