Deliverable

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Deliverable in project management is a tangible or intangible object produced as a result of project execution, as part of an obligation. The term can be either a noun: an item, product or artifact which must be created and then delivered as part of an obligation, or an adjective: describing something which must be delivered as part of an obligation. Like many terms common in corporate usage, the word is considered corporate jargon or corporatese, referring specifically to goals.

A deliverable is normally an accepted thing or purpose that can be the result of a task execution - a "thing" in terms of tangible (item, article, entity) and a "purpose" in terms of intangible (point, idea, goal, intention). A deliverable can be created from multiple smaller deliverables. In short, it is an outcome. A deliverable may be:

Something that can be done, esp. something that is a realistic expectation: The corporation says that making a profit this year is a deliverable.
Something, as merchandise, that is or can be delivered, esp. to fulfill a contract: All deliverables are to be shipped within 30 days.

A deliverable is different from a project milestone in the sense that a milestone is a way of checking to what extent you are making progress to an outcome. A milestone can be completing the planning phase of the project while a deliverable includes things like design documents, testing scripts, requirement documents etc.

In technical projects, deliverable can further be classified into hardware, software or design deliverable. Documentation can also be a deliverable of projects (technical or non-technical).

Within the world of consulting, consulting deliverables are generally defined as any item that the consultancy or client have determined necessary to the success of the project. Deliverables would include presentation slideshows, requirement documentation, design documentation and more.^[1]