What is the project family tree?

A hierarchy that breaks the project from its broad purpose down to individual tasks

A list of team members' relatives

Which order is correct from top to bottom?

Goal, objective, sub-project, activity/task

Task, sub-project, objective, goal

Objective, goal, task, sub-project

Sub-project, goal, task, objective

What does the tree lead to?

The work breakdown structure (WBS)

In the rural electrification example, which is a sub-project?

Supply power to 2,000 households

What does the 'A' in SMART require?

Achievable with available resources and technology

2067 Asar (old course) · 4+4 marks

Project family tree and goal criteria

Short answer

The project family tree is a hierarchy from mission or goal down to objectives, sub-projects and tasks, showing how every lower level supports the level above. Example: goal to improve rural livelihood through electricity, objective to supply 2,000 households in 3 years, sub-projects micro-hydro, distribution and connections, then specific tasks. Goal setting applies SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant and Time-bound.

Explain the project family tree with a suitable example. Explain also the criteria of goal setting in any project.

Project family tree

The project family tree is a hierarchy that breaks the project down from its broad purpose to individual tasks. It shows how each lower level supports the level above.

Mission / Goal
  |
  +-- Objective 1
  |     +-- Programme / Sub-project 1.1
  |     |     +-- Activity / Task 1.1.1
  |     |     +-- Activity / Task 1.1.2
  |     +-- Sub-project 1.2
  +-- Objective 2
        +-- Sub-project 2.1

Example (rural electrification):

Goal: improve rural livelihood through electricity.
Objective: supply power to 2,000 households within 3 years.
Sub-projects: micro-hydro plant; distribution line; household connection.
Tasks: civil works, turbine installation, pole erection, wiring, training.

The tree makes the link between goals and work clear and leads to the WBS.

Criteria of goal setting

A goal is turned into objectives, and each objective is tested against the SMART criteria:

Letter	Criterion	Meaning
S	Specific	Clear and unambiguous; says what, where and for whom
M	Measurable	Quantity, quality or cost can be checked
A	Achievable	Possible with available resources and technology
R	Realistic / Relevant	Matches the need and the organisation's capacity
T	Time-bound	Has a deadline or time frame

Example

Poor objective: "Improve the road to the village."

SMART objective: "Construct a 12 km, 5.5 m wide black-topped road from X to Y, within 24 months, at a cost not exceeding NRs 40 crore, meeting Department of Roads standards."

Specific: 12 km black-topped road from X to Y.
Measurable: length, width, cost and standard are given.
Achievable: the equipment, contractor and budget are available.
Realistic: the village needs year-round access.
Time-bound: 24 months.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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