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?
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The PMBOK Guide favors the term Activity over Tasks but like you, I don't differentiate between the two.
Work packages would break down into activities (or tasks).
If you are using User Stories as a method of describing Work Packages, those could be disaggregated into Tasks.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Mahalmadane TouréEngineer| National Headquarters of Geology and Mines of Mali (Bamako)Mali
I can't remember exactly in which book I read it but it's said there that the decomposition of an "activity" leads to "tasks". In other words TASKS MAKE ACTIVITY. In my opinion a task is smaller than an activity. For instance supposing the project is to build a big house and a work package is 3 toilets available one activity is the installation of plumbing tube. This activity can have tasks like the installation of big tubes first then the small ones.
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1 reply by Truc Pham Trung
Sep 21, 2017 7:59 PM
Truc Pham Trung
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Yup, but tasks not necessarily create a result. I think so.
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Truc Pham TrungCEO & Founder| GTARGET CONSULTANT CO., LTDHo Chi Minh, Viet Nam
From my view, activity: when we finish an activity, it necessarily produced a result (whether deliverable or not). Task not like that, just finish some actions, not necessarily produce results. Saving Changes...
Truc Pham TrungCEO & Founder| GTARGET CONSULTANT CO., LTDHo Chi Minh, Viet Nam
Sep 21, 2017 7:18 PM
Replying to Mahalmadane Touré
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I can't remember exactly in which book I read it but it's said there that the decomposition of an "activity" leads to "tasks". In other words TASKS MAKE ACTIVITY. In my opinion a task is smaller than an activity. For instance supposing the project is to build a big house and a work package is 3 toilets available one activity is the installation of plumbing tube. This activity can have tasks like the installation of big tubes first then the small ones.
Yup, but tasks not necessarily create a result. I think so. Saving Changes...
Both are same it depends on what convention you follow Is you are a heavy user of ms project you I tend to use task but pmbok consistently uses only activity. In fact there are some differences between project activities and schedule activities. I have written a blog post on this please follow the link
https://atulgaurprojectmanagement.blogspot...to-use.html?m=1 Saving Changes...
Morne BeeslaarManaging Director| Faolan ConsultingPretoria, South Africa
I agree they refer to the same thing. Perhaps born from software applications, MSP names activities tasks and this can be connected to tasks in Outlook to keep track of resources progress. Primavera calls it activities but the term is interchangeable. Packages is a grouping of activities/tasks around a common concept, i.e all the civil activities in different areas are collected into 1 package to be awarded to a civil's contractor. Saving Changes...
Ramachandran SwaminathanRegional Delivery Manager| Oracle Consulting IndiaBangalore, Karnataka, India
I agree with Mahalmadane. Tasks are more granular version of activity
eg; "System Integration Testing" is an activity. "Creation of SIT Test Scripts" is a task Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
If you go to the PMI´s Lexicon of Project Mangement Terms you will find that the term "task" is not there. So, you will not find the use of "task" into the PMBOK, PMBOK Guide and others. But when you go to some domains to work as project manager you will find the use of task (for example I found it into government). What I find in those cases is that "task" is a piece of work to be done in a determined time while "activity" is related to a function to be performed by a business unit. The important thing, at least what I do with this type of things and others, is to stay clear about the common terms we will use with all the team along the whole organization. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
An activity is a collection of tasks. Saving Changes...
Truc Pham TrungCEO & Founder| GTARGET CONSULTANT CO., LTDHo Chi Minh, Viet Nam
Same idea with Andrew Craig. Add some more words: An activity is a collection of tasks that in completion it creates one or more intentional results. Saving Changes...
