PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Chapter 2: Project Life

Cycle

Project Phases and

Project Life Cycle
A project life cycle is a collection of
project phases that defines:
What work will be performed in each
phase.
What deliverables will be produced and
when.
Who is involved in each phase.
How management will control and
approve work produced in each phase.

Project Life Cycle

A phase is a collection of related project activities that end up
in the completion of one or more deliverables.
A project may be divided into any number of phases (design /
construct / test) for better execution and control (efficiency).

Phases are generally sequential (but not always) , and their

names and numbers are determined by the management.

Attributes of Phases over

Project Life Cycle
In the early phases of a project life cycle:
Resource needs are usually lowest.
The level of uncertainty (risk) is highest.
Project stakeholders have the greatest opportunity to
influence the project.

In the middle phases of a project life cycle:

The certainty of completing a project increases.
More resources are needed.

In the final phase of a project life cycle:

The focus is on ensuring that project requirements were
met.
The sponsor approves completion of the project.

Process Groups vs Project

Phases

Project Management
Process

PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

(PHASES OF THE PROJECT)

PROTOTYP
E

TEST 1

TEST 2

DEPLOY

MC

MC

MC

MC

MC

DESIGN

C
E

C
E

C
E

C
E

C
E

The five process groups (IPECC) are applied to each phase in the
project. This means that no matter what project life cycle or phase
you structure for your project, the five project management process
groups will be executed withing each phase of your project. While
Project Management Life Cycle is immutable and alway consists of

Project Phases
A phase is a collection of logically related project activities
that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables.
A project may be divided into any number of phases.
Different phases typically have a different duration or effort.
Phases are used when the nature of the work to be performed
is unique to a portion of the project, and are related to the
development of a deliverable.
Phases typically are completed sequentially, but can
overlap in some project situations.

Project Phases
Phases allows the project to be segmented into related activities
for ease of management, planning, and control.
The need and number of phases and the degree of control
applied depend on the size, complexity, and potential impact of
the project.
Phases are time limited, with a start and ending or control point.

Project Structure
Projects structure refers to how the phases of a project are
organized to achieve the project objective.
There is no ideal structure that apply to all projects.
Although industry common practices will often lead to the use
of a preferred structure, projects in the same industry (or even
in the same organization) have significant variations in how
they are structured to meet the project requirements.

Project Structure

Project Structure
Phase-to-Phase Relationships: When projects have more
than one phase, the phases are designed to ensure proper
control of the project and attain the desired product, service,
or result: Sequential and Overlapping relationships are
Phase-to-Phase Relationships.
Sequential relationship: A phase starts only when the
previous phase is complete. The step by-step nature of this
approach reduces uncertainty, but may eliminate options
for reducing the overall schedule.
Overlapping relationship: A phase starts prior to
completion of the previous one. Overlapping phases may
require additional resources to allow work to be done in
parallel, may increase risk, and can result in rework if a
subsequent phase starts without information from the

Project Structure
SEQUENTIAL RELATIONSHIP

Project Structure

Predictive Life Cycles

Predictive life cycles are ones in which the project scope,
and the time and cost required to deliver that scope,
are determined as early in the project life cycle as
practically possible.
The work performed in each phase is usually different in
nature and the skills required of the project team may vary
from phase to phase.

Predictive Life Cycles

Iterative and Incremental Life

Cycles
Iterative and incremental life cycles are ones in which project
phases (also called iterations) intentionally repeat one or
more project activities as the project teams
understanding of the product increases.
Changes to the scope of an iteration are carefully managed
once work begins.
Large and complex projects are frequently executed in an
iterative fashion to reduce risk by allowing the team to
incorporate feedback and lessons learned between iterations
(designing and producing new airplanes, new war machines,
research & development in medicines)

Adaptive Life Cycles

Adaptive life cycles (also known as change-driven or agile
methods) are intended to respond to high levels of
change and ongoing stakeholder involvement.
Adaptive life cycles are generally preferred when dealing with
a rapidly changing environment (requirements and
scope are difficult to define in advance), and when it is
possible to define small incremental improvements that will
deliver value to stakeholders.
Sponsor and customer representatives are continuously
engaged with the project to provide feedback on deliverables
as they are created and to ensure that the product reflects
their current needs.

Costs and Staff Levels

Project Life Cycle:

Characteristics

Cost and staffing levels are low at

the start, peak as the work is
carried out, and drop rapidly as
the project draws to a close.

Project Management Outputs

Project Life Cycle:

Characteristics
Risk and
Uncertai
nty

Risk and uncertainty are

greatest at the start of the
project.
But they decrease over the life
of the project as decisions are
reached and as deliverables
are accepted.

Project
Time

Project Life Cycle:

Characteristics
Cost of
Changes

Cost of making changes and

correcting errors typically increases
substantially as the project
approaches completion.

Project
Time

PROJECT CHARTER: PMIs Definition

A Project Charter is the process of developing a document

that formally authorizes a project or a phase and
documenting initial requirements that satisfy the
stakeholders needs and expectations.
It establishes a partnership between the performing
organization and the client.
The approved Project Charter formally initiates the project.
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Project Charter
The Project Charter is used to set the project direction and

defines the measures of success.

A Project Charter is created at the beginning of a project,

approved by the stakeholders, and signed off before work can

begin.

There is no official project without an approved Project Charter

The Project Charter provides a high-level overview of the project.
It allows all stakeholders to agree and document project scope,

objectives, timeframe, and deliverables.

A Project Charter will be the single most important tool the project

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manager/lead utilizes for managing the expectations of the project

sponsor and all other stakeholders.
For internal use only

Key Sections on a Project Charter

Project Goal/s
Scope Statement
Deliverables
Key Stakeholders
Assumptions
Constraints
Initial Risks
Schedule Estimates
Cost Estimates
Success Criteria
Signatures

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Key information from the Project Charter

Project Purpose or Justification

Measurable Project Objectives
High-level Requirements
High-level Project Description
High-level Risks
Summary Milestone Schedule
Summary Budget

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Benefits of Using a Project Charter

Stakeholders are clearly defined

Communication channels are defined
Roles and Responsibilities are outlined
Scope is Defined Helps prevent Scope Creep
Improved Project Management Processes in later
Phases

Increased Probability of project Success

BUY IN from Project Team Members
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PROJECT CHARTER Summary

A Project Charter officially initiates a Project

Project Charters are a High-level view of the Project
objectives, deliverables, and scope

Project Charters are living documents and need to be

updated as the Project moves forward

Important tool for a PM/PL to manage requirement

(expectations)

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For internal use only

Planning Process Group

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Planning Process Group

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Project Planning
Keyn purpose of project planning is to guide execution.
Every knowledge area includes planning information.
Key outputs include:

A team contract.
A scope statement.
A work breakdown structure (WBS).
A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt chart with all

dependencies and resources entered.

A list of prioritized risks (part of a risk register).

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For internal use only

Plan a list of prioritized Risks

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For internal use only

Executing Process Group

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Project Executing

Project execution usually takes the most time and

resources.

Project managers must use their leadership skills to

handle the many challenges that occur during project

execution.

Table 3-9 on page 99 lists the executing processes

and outputs. Many project sponsors and customers focus

on deliverables related to providing the products,
services, or results desired from the project.

A milestone report (see example on page 100) can

keep the focus on completing major milestones.

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Part of Milestone Report

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Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

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For internal use only

Project Monitoring and

Controlling

Involves measuring progress toward project objectives,

monitoring deviation from the plan, and taking corrective
action to match progress with the plan.

Affects all other process groups and occurs during all

phases of the project life cycle.

Outputs include performance reports, requested changes,

and updates to various plans.

Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

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Closing Process

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Project Closing

Involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of

the final products and services.

Even if projects are not completed, they should be formally

closed in order to reflect on what can be learned to
improve future projects.

Outputs include project archives and lessons learned,

which are part of organizational process assets.

Most projects also include a final report and presentation

to the sponsor or senior management.

Project Information / Reports

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For internal use only

Project Stakeholders
A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization with interest in a
decision, activity, or outcome of a project.
Stakeholders may have interests that may be positively or negatively affected
by the performance or completion of the project and may be actively involved
in the project .
Different stakeholders may have competing expectations that might create
conflicts within the project (conflict of interests).
Stakeholders may also exercise influence over the project, its deliverables,
and the project team in order to achieve a set of outcomes that satisfy their
own interest or needs.
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Project Stakeholders
A project can be perceived by the stakeholders as having positive or
negative results over their interests.
Overlooking negative stakeholder interests can result in an increased
likelihood of failures, delays, or other negative consequences to the
project. When some members of a community benefit from an
industrial expansion project in the form of additional jobs and supporting
infrastructure. But, other members may lose their property, be forced to
relocate or accept unwanted changes in the environment ( adversely
affected by the project).
An important part of a project managers responsibility is to manage
stakeholder expectations,
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Project Stakeholders

Stakeholders also include all members of the project team as well as all
interested parties that are internal or external to the organization.
The project team identifies stakeholders in order to determine the project
requirements and the expectations of all parties involved.
The project manager should manage the influences of these various
stakeholders in relation to the project requirements to ensure a
successful outcome.

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Project Stakeholders

Stakeholder identification is a continuous process throughout the entire project life

cycle.

Identifying stakeholders, understanding their relative degree of influence on a

project, and balancing their demands, needs, and expectations are critical to the
success of the project.

Failure to do so can lead to delays, cost increases, unexpected issues, and

other negative consequences including project cancellation.

An example is late recognition that the legal department is a significant

stakeholder, which results in delays and increased expenses due to legal
requirements that are required to be met before the project can be completed or
the product scope is delivered.
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Project Stakeholders

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Project Governance

Project governance the alignment of the project with stakeholders

needs or objectivesis critical.
Project governance provides a framework in which the project
manager and sponsors can make decisions that satisfy

stakeholders needs and expectations, and

organizational strategic objectives .

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