Assignment

Term Definition
Assignment is a general term, which has various meanings. An assignment can be a job or task; in computer programming an assignment is the modification of the value of a variable; in legal terminology it refers to the transfer of rights or property from one person or entity to another, and in education an assignment is homework.

In most imperative computer programming languages, the assignment statement is one of the basic statements. It sets or re-sets the value assigned to a variable. This means that the same variable name will possibly stand for different values at different times. For example, Business Process Management software would define automatic work assignment rules for every business process. Sub-processes might be created to manage sequential or parallel assignments, approvals and tasks that are inherent in more intricate business processes.

In project management, an assignment is a task or job given to a person, department or team for completion. The assignment can be a simple task or encompass a series of activities, and events required in order to reach a pre-defined goal. Project Management software is often used to manage and track assignments. Budgets can be allocated in terms of time, cost or billings at project, activity or assignment levels. Assignments can be integrated with other applications or business processes such as timesheets and expense reports, which facilitate project management and client invoicing.

With some project management softwares, resources are allocated to assignments by skill and the system is able to search for staff having the required skill and experience profile. The result of a search provides a list of available staff, displaying their location, group and other data, at which point a manager can either directly assign resources, or reserve them pending further developments.

Managing assignments is a critical component of project management, as well as overall workforce management.

Area of Application
Project Management
Workforce Management

Related Terms
Project Management Software
Time Sheet
Web Based Time Sheet

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