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An Introduction to
PMI\u2019s Project
Management Life

Cycle

1-800-COURSES

www.globalknowledge.com

Expert Reference Series of White Papers

The Project Management Life Cycle.

This paper provides a review of the steps and stages associated with project management according to the
Project Management Institute\u00ae(PMI). It is a primer for anyone new to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge\u00ae (PMBOK\u00ae) and who is preparing to take the PMP exam.

In order to understand how the Project Management Institute (PMI) recommends that projects be run it is necessary to understand the project management life cycle. The project management life cycle is the framework around which project management activities are structured. It is a key concept in formal project management according to PMI.

In this paper the structure and function of the project management life cyle is introduced along with a num-

ber of related terms that are commonly confused.

What Is a Life Cycle?

The term \u201dlife cycle\u201d implies two things: that a process is perpetual and that the sequence of events is obliga-

tory or uni-directional.

A typical life cycle is depicted below. There is no beginning or end to a life cycle and the sequence of events

cannot change. A seed cannot go directly to being a mature plant nor revert back to the blossom stage.

Brian Denis Egan, Global Knowledge Instructor, PMP

An Introduction to PMI\u2019s Project

Management Life Cycle

trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

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Seeds

Mature plant

Blossoms

Seedling

The Project Management Life Cycle

The term \u201clife cycle\u201d is misleading, because it is neither a perpetual circle of events nor is the sequence of

events rigidly fixed.

There are five stages to the project management life cycle:

The five stages usually occur in sequence. If the project is relatively simple and there is no need to rethink or

re-plan the project, the sequence of stages may be as simple as that depicted above.

If there are problems with the original project plan, then the controlling function leads back to planning.
Execution may be delayed while additional planning takes place or may continue during re-planning. The new
or modified project plan is then executed.During execution controlling processes are undertaken to ensure
that the correct work results are being achieved.

Below is a project management life cycle that has been forced by problems to return to planning.

During large complex projects it is often necessary to return to planning several times. In this case, the project

management life cycle can become very complex with multiple repeats of planning and even initiating

processes.

Below is an illustration of a complex project management life cycle involving multiple returns to the drawing

board.

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