Faculty of Technology

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

(Lesson 04)

Dr. (Eng.) T. Manori Perera

manori@sjp.ac.lk
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this session, students should be able to:

• LO- 2 Discuss the role of the project manager and the stages of the project lifecycle
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Content
• What is Project Life Cycle?
• Initiation Phase
• Some Steps in the Initiation Phase
• Planning Phase
• Some Steps in the Planning Phase
• Execution Phase
• Some Steps in the Execution Phase
• Closure Phase
• Some Steps in the Closure Phase
• Characteristics of Generic Life Cycle Structure
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

What is Project Life Cycle?

The series of phases that a project passes through from its initiation
to its closure

• It is a collection of logical sequence of activities to accomplish the project’s goals or

objectives
• While every project has a start and end, the specific deliverables and work that take
place vary widely depending on the project
• The life cycle provides the basic framework for managing the project, regardless of
the specific work involved
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Project Life Cycle

Initiation Planning Execution Closure

Some may also include a fifth “monitoring and controlling”

phase between the executing and closing stages
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“Should we do the project?”

Initiation Phase
In this stage,
• Client is setting the foundations for later success
• It is required to figure out an objective of project, determine whether the project is
feasible, and identify the major deliverables for the project
• The project manager is appointed and in turn, he selects the team members based on
their skills and experience

This is a crucial phase to the project’s success. Without clarity around what needs to be
achieved and why, the project runs the risk of not accomplishing the end goals and
meeting the expectations of stakeholders
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Some Steps in the Initiation Phase

• Communicating with stakeholders to understand the purpose and desired outcomes
of the project
• Identifying project scope
• Clarifying resources like budget and time constraints
• Confirming team size and roles required
• Determining how often and which stakeholders will be involved throughout the
project
• Compiling a project proposal and project charter

Approval is then sought by the project manager to move on the detailed

planning phase
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

What is a Project Charter?

A project charter is a formal, typically short document that describes your project in
its entirety — including what the objectives are, how it will be carried out, and who the
stakeholders are. It is a crucial ingredient in planning the project because it is used
throughout the project lifecycle.

The project charter typically documents:

 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Project Charter Example

 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Planning Phase
In this stage,
• Should include a detailed identification and assignment of each task until the end of
the project
• Break down the larger project into smaller tasks, build project team, and prepare a
schedule for the completion of assignments
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Some Steps in the Planning Phase

• Deciding on milestones that lead up to goal completion
• The project's tasks and resource requirements are identified, along with the strategy for producing
them
• A project plan is created outlining the activities, tasks, dependencies and timeframes
• The project manager coordinates the preparation of a project budget; by providing cost estimates for
the labor, equipment and materials costs
Once the project team has identified the work, prepared the schedule and estimated the costs, the three
fundamental components of the planning process are complete

• Then, it is an excellent time to identify and try to deal with anything that might pose a threat to the
successful completion of the project
• To identify all project stakeholders, and to establish a communication plan describing the information
needed and the delivery method to be used to keep the stakeholders informed
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Execution Phase
In this stage,
• The project plan is put into motion and performs the work of the project
• In any project a project manager will spend most of their time in this step
• Progress is continuously monitored, and appropriate adjustments are made and
recorded as variances from the original plan
• People are carrying out the tasks and progress information is being reported through
regular team meetings
• Project sponsors and other key stakeholders should be kept informed of project
status according to the agreed upon frequency and format
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Some Steps in the Execution Phase

• Creating tasks and organizing workflows
• Briefing team members on tasks
• Communicating with team members, clients, and upper management
• Monitoring quality of work
• Managing budget
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Closure Phase
In this last stage,
• The project manager must ensure that the project is brought to its proper completion
• Although the tasks of the project are done, the project manager still has some final
tasks to complete
• Project Manager should handover the project to the clients
• Clients will check whether the outcome of the project has been achieved as agreed
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Some Steps in the Closure Phase

This phase is characterized by a written formal project review report
containing the following components:
• Formal acceptance of the final product by the client
• Weighted critical measurement – matching the initial requirement specified by the client with the final
delivered product
• Reward the team- based on the team performance analysis
• List of lessons learnt- to examine what went well and what didn't. Through this type of analysis, the
wisdom of experience is transferred back to the project organization, which will help future project
teams
• Release project resources
• Formal project closure notification to higher management
Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Characteristics of Generic Life Cycle Structure

• Cost and staffing levels are low at the start, increase as
the work is carried out, and drop rapidly as the project
draws to a close

• Risk is greatest at the start of the project and these

factors decrease over the life cycle of the project as
decisions are reached and as deliverables are accepted

• The ability of stakeholders to influence the final

characteristics of the project’s product, without
significantly impacting cost and schedule, is highest at the
start of the project and decreases as the project
progresses toward completion

• The cost of making changes and correcting errors

typically increases substantially as the project approaches
completion
 Faculty of Technology
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

References
• Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of
knowledge (PMBOK guide). Project Management Institute, Inc., Newtown Square,
Pennsylvania, USA.
• Global Text Project, Andrew R. Barron, Merrie Barron, etc. (2019). Project
Management 101. OpenStax, Rice University, USA.
THANK YOU !