Answer to Question #177686 in Management for Phumla

Question

In addition to the project success and failure identification that the minister has requested for, she also asked that you detail the project lifecycle to her. Discuss the steps in the lifecycle of your project so that the minister can understand the process involved in the delivery of the project.

Answer 1

A standard project typically has the following four major phases (each with its own agenda of tasks and issues): initiation, planning, implementation, and closure. Taken together, these phases represent the path a project takes from the beginning to its end and are generally referred to as the project “life cycle.”

During the first of these phases, the initiation phase, the project objective or need is identified; this can be a business problem or opportunity.

The next phase, the planning phase, is where the project solution is further developed in as much detail as possible and the steps necessary to meet the project’s objective are planned. In this step, the team identifies all of the work to be done. The project’s tasks and resource requirements are identified, along with the strategy for producing them.

During the third phase, the implementation phase, the project plan is put into motion and the work of the project is performed. It is important to maintain control and communicate as needed during implementation. Progress is continuously monitored and appropriate adjustments are made and recorded as variances from the original plan.

During the final closure, or completion phase, the emphasis is on releasing the final deliverables to the customer, handing over project documentation to the business, terminating supplier contracts, releasing project resources, and communicating the closure of the project to all stakeholders.