Project life cycle

4 phases of the project management life cycle

The project management life cycle is usually broken down into four phases: initiation, planning,
execution, and closure. These phases make up the path that takes your project from the beginning
to the end.

Note: Some methodologies also include a fifth phase—controlling or monitoring—but for our
purposes, this phase is covered under the execution and closure phases.

Phases of the Project Management Life Cycle (Click on image to modify this template)

1. Initiation

First, you need to identify a business need, problem, or opportunity and brainstorm ways that
your team can meet this need, solve this problem, or seize this opportunity. During this step, you
figure out an objective for your project, determine whether the project is feasible, and identify
the major deliverables for the project.

Instead of waiting to have the project strategy decided for you, Moira Alexander advocates for a
mental switch from being a project "manager" to becoming a project "leader":

"Project managers must be able to sell business leaders on the intrinsic value they offer to the
business at a strategic level when they are at the table from the start of strategic planning instead
of after the fact decision-making. Project managers effectiveness is drastically muted when
offering a "fix-it" or "workaround" once high-level directional business decisions are made
without their expertise."

Clearly, it's worth it to do what it takes to make your voice heard early—before the strategy is set
in stone.

Project management steps for the initiation phase

Steps for the project initiation phase may include the following:

 Undertaking a feasibility study: Identify the primary problem your project will solve and
whether your project will deliver a solution to that problem
 Identifying scope: Define the depth and breadth of the project
 Identifying deliverables: Define the product or service to provide
 Identifying project stakeholders: Figure out whom the project affects and what their
needs may be
 Developing a business case: Use the above criteria to compare the potential costs and
benefits for the project to determine if it moves forward
 Developing a statement of work: Document the project’s objectives, scope, and
deliverables that you have identified previously as a working agreement between the
project owner and those working on the project

Dive deeper into tools that can help you accurately scope your next project.
Learn more

2. Planning

Once the project is approved to move forward based on your business case, statement of work, or
project initiation document, you move into the planning phase.

During this phase of the project management life cycle, you break down the larger project into
smaller tasks, build your team, and prepare a schedule for the completion of assignments. Create
smaller goals within the larger project, making sure each is achievable within the time frame.
Smaller goals should have a high potential for success.

Project management steps for the planning phase

Steps for the project planning phase may include the following:

 Creating a project plan: Identify the project timeline, including the phases of the project,
the tasks to be performed, and possible constraints
 Creating workflow diagrams: Visualize your processes using swimlanes to make sure
team members clearly understand their role in a project
 Estimating budget and creating a financial plan: Use cost estimates to determine how
much to spend on the project to get the maximum return on investment
  Gathering resources: Build your functional team from internal and external talent pools
while making sure everyone has the necessary tools (software, hardware, etc.) to
complete their tasks
 Anticipating risks and potential quality roadblocks: Identify issues that may cause your
project to stall while planning to mitigate those risks and maintain the project’s quality
and timeline
 Holding a project kickoff meeting: Bring your team on board and outline the project so
they can quickly get to work

Get started by mapping out all process steps and responsibilities in this workflow diagram
template.

Workflow Diagram With Swimlanes (Click on image to modify this template)

3. Execution

You’ve received business approval, developed a plan, and built your team. Now it’s time to get
to work. The execution phase turns your plan into action. The project manager’s job in this phase
of the project management life cycle is to keep work on track, organize team members, manage
timelines, and make sure the work is done according to the original plan.

Project management steps for the execution phase

Steps for the project execution phase may include the following:
  Creating tasks and organizing workflows: Assign granular aspects of the projects to the
appropriate team members, making sure team members are not overworked
 Briefing team members on tasks: Explain tasks to team members, providing necessary
guidance on how they should be completed, and organizing process-related training if
necessary
 Communicating with team members, clients, and upper management: Provide updates to
project stakeholders at all levels
 Monitoring quality of work: Ensure that team members are meeting their time and quality
goals for tasks
 Managing budget: Monitor spending and keeping the project on track in terms of assets
and resources
Scrum Board Example (Click on image to modify online)

Gantt Chart Example With Progress Bar (Click on image to modify online)

4. Closure

Once your team has completed work on a project, you enter the closure phase. In the closure
phase, you provide final deliverables, release project resources, and determine the success of the
project. Just because the major project work is over, that doesn’t mean the project manager’s job
is done—there are still important things to do, including evaluating what did and did not work
with the project.

Project management steps for the closure phase

Steps for the project closure phase may include the following:

 Analyzing project performance: Determine whether the project's goals were met (tasks

completed, on time and on budget) and the initial problem solved using a prepared
checklist.
 Analyzing team performance: Evaluate how team members performed, including whether
they met their goals along with timeliness and quality of work
 Documenting project closure: Make sure that all aspects of the project are completed with
no loose ends remaining and providing reports to key stakeholders
 Conducting post-implementation reviews: Conduct a final analysis of the project, taking
into account lessons learned for similar projects in the future
 Accounting for used and unused budget: Allocate remaining resources for future projects
Contact Sales
 The Knowledge Areas of Project Management

The Guide to the PMBOK classifies the processes that make up each project
management process group into nine Project Management Knowledge Areas.
These groupings, or knowledge areas, bring together processes that have things in
common.

For example, Project Cost Management involves all aspects of the budgeting
process, as you would suspect, such as Resource Planning, Cost Estimating, Cost
Budgeting, and Cost Control. These processes belong to different project
management process groups, but because they all involve costs and budgeting, they
share many aspects in common.

We will look at all nine Project Management Knowledge Areas and look at how
their role works within the five process groups as defined by the Project
Management Institute (PMI): Initiation, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and
Closing.

Project Integration Management

Project Integration Management is comprised of three processes: Project Plan
Development, Project Plan Execution, and Integrated Change Control.

The Project Integration knowledge area is concerned with coordinating all aspects
of the project plan and is highly interactive. Project planning, project execution,
and change control occur throughout the project and are repeated continuously
while working on the project. Project planning and execution involve
weighing(assessing) the objectives of the project against alternatives to bring the
project to a successful completion. Change control impacts the project plan, which
in turn impacts execution, so you can see that these three processes are very tightly
linked. The processes in this area also interact with other processes in the
remaining knowledge areas.

Project Scope Management

Project Scope Management has five processes: Initiation, Scope Planning, Scope
Definition, Scope Verification, and Scope Change Control. totality

Project Scope Management is concerned with the work of the project.  All of the
processes involved with the work of the project, and only the work that is required
to complete the project, are found in this knowledge area. adequately
Scope Planning, Scope Definition, Scope Verification, and Scope Change Control
involve detailing the requirements of the product of the project and the activities
that will eventually comprise the project plan, verifying those details using
measurement techniques, and controlling changes to these processes.

Project Time Management

The Project Time Management knowledge area also has five processes: Activity
Definition, Activity Sequencing, Activity Duration Estimating, Schedule
Development, and Schedule Control.

This knowledge area is concerned with estimating the duration of the project plan
activities, devising a project schedule, and monitoring and controlling deviations
from the schedule. A tool like Seavus Project Viewer can truly aid the project
manager in this area allowing for team collaboration and task updating. 
Collectively, this knowledge area deals with completing the project in a timely
manner.
In many cases, all of the activity processes described here along with schedule
development are completed as one activity. Sometimes, only one person is needed
to complete these five processes, and they’re all worked on at the same time. Time
management is an important aspect of project management as it concerns keeping
the project activities on track and monitoring those activities against the project
plan to assure the project is completed on time.

Project Cost Management

As its name implies, the Project Cost Management knowledge area around costs
and budgets. The processes that make up this knowledge area are as follows:
Resource Planning, Cost Estimating, Cost Budgeting, and Cost Control.

The activities in the Project Cost Management knowledge area establish estimates
for costs and resources and keep watch over those costs to ensure that the project
stays within the approved budget. Depending on the complexity of the project,
these processes might need the involvement of more than one person. For example,
the finance person might not have expertise in the Resource Planning area, so the
project manager will need to bring in a staff member with those skills to complete
the Resource Planning process.

Project Quality Management

The Project Quality Management knowledge area assures that the project meets the
requirements that the project was undertaken to produce. These processes measure
overall performance, and monitor project results and compare them to the quality
standards set out in the project-planning process to assure that the customer will
receive the product or service they thought they purchased.  It's critical that you
build project quality checkpoints into your project schedule and be sure to manage
them jointly with your team and even your client using a viewing and collaboration
tool such as Seavus' Project Viewer that works seamlessly and cost-effectively
with Microsoft Project.
Project Human Resource Management
Project Human Resource Management involves all aspects of people management
and personal interaction including leading, coaching, dealing with conflict, and
more. Some of the project participants whom you’ll get to practice these skills on
include stakeholders, team members, and customers. Each requires the use of
different communication styles, leadership skills, and team-building skills. A good
project manager knows when to enact certain skills and communication styles
based on the situation.

Project Communications Management

The processes that make up the Project Communications Management knowledge
area are as follows: Communications Planning, Information Distribution,
Performance Reporting, and Administrative Closure.

The processes in the Project Communications knowledge area are related to

general communication skills but aren’t the same thing. Communication skills are
considered general management skills that the project manager utilizes on a daily
basis. The processes in the Communications knowledge area seek to ensure that all
project information including project plans, risk assessments, meeting notes, and
more is collected and documented. These processes also ensure information is
distributed and shared with appropriate stakeholders.  Using a tool like Seavus
Project Viewer to ensure that everyone on the delivery team side as well as the
customer team side is on the same page even if they don’t have access to MS
Project is a great way to collaborate without spending enormous licensing fees.
Project Risk Management
Project Risk Management contains six processes: Risk Management Planning,
Risk Identification, Qualitative Risk Analysis, Quantitative Risk Analysis, Risk
Response Planning, and Risk Monitoring and Control.
As the name of this knowledge area implies, these processes are concerned with
identifying and planning for potential risks that may impact the project.
Organizations will often combine several of these processes into one step.

For example, Risk Identification, Qualitative Risk Analysis, and Quantitative Risk
Analysis might be performed at the same time. The important thing about this
process is that you should strive to identify all the risks and develop responses for
those with the greatest consequences to the project objectives.

Project Procurement Management

The Project Procurement Management knowledge area includes the processes
involved with purchasing goods or services from external vendors, contractors, and
suppliers. When discussing the Procurement Management processes, it’s assumed
that the discussion is taking place from the perspective of the buyer. As the project
manager, you would be the buyer purchasing the goods or services from a supplier
or contractor, so these processes should be examined from that perspective.

The processes in the Project Procurement Management knowledge area are as

follows: Procurement Planning, Solicitation Planning, Solicitation, Source
Selection, Contract Administration, and Contract Closeout.

Projects are executed in process group order, but the knowledge areas allow a
project manager to think about groups of processes that require specific skills. This
makes the job of assigning resources easier because team members with specific
skills might be able to work on and complete several processes at once.