Inheritance in Project Management – Definition and Meaning
Inheritance, in the context of hierarchical structures (such as a project structure plan or object orientation in software), refers to the concept where subordinate elements automatically adopt certain properties, attributes, or values from their directly superior element. This principle is used to simplify data entry, ensure consistency, and avoid redundancy by defining common attributes only at a higher level, which are then automatically passed on to subordinate elements.
Example, best practice, and further information on the term
In a project structure plan, for example, all work packages and tasks under a specific sub-project could automatically inherit its cost center or the responsible sub-project manager as information. A proven best practice is the conscious and deliberate use of inheritance mechanisms where appropriate to ease data maintenance. This aligns with data management principles aimed at reducing redundancy and improving data consistency. However, it is important to clearly define inheritance rules and understand when inherited values can or should be overridden.