Question

Explain what happens in the three (3) stages of the conventional Project Life Cycle and Identify the particular phase in which each falls.

Answer 1

The project manager and project team have one common objective: to carry out the project's work in order to achieve the objectives of the project. The project has a start, a middle phase during which activities push the project towards completion, and an ending (either successful or unsuccessful). Usually, a typical project has the following four main phases (each with its own mission and problem agenda): creation, preparation, execution, and completion. Taken together, these stages reflect the course that a project takes from start to finish, and are commonly referred to as the "life cycle" process.

Initiation Phase- The implementation process, the project goal or need is established during the first of these phases; this could be a business challenge or opportunity. In a business case with recommended solution options a suitable response to the need is documented. A feasibility study is carried out to investigate whether each option addresses the objective of the project, and a final recommended solution is identified. The questions of viability and justification are dealt with. Once the recommended solution has been approved, a project to deliver the approved solution is initiated, and a project manager is appointed. The key objectives and the participating working groups are established, and the project team is starting to take shape. The project manager then seeks approval for moving on to the detailed planning phase.

Planning Phase- The next phase, the planning phase, is where the project solution is further formulated in as much detail as possible and the required steps are taken to fulfill the purpose of the project. The team identifies all of the research to be done in this phase. The tasks and resource requirements of the project are identified, together with the strategy to produce them. It is also referred to as "path management." A project plan is generated which details the activities, tasks, dependencies and timelines. The project manager coordinates project budget preparation by providing cost estimates for the costs of labor, equipment, and materials. The three fundamental components of the planning phase are complete once the project team has defined the task, planned the schedule and calculated the costs. This is an excellent time to identify and try to deal with anything that could present a threat to the project's successful completion. That is called managing risk. Through risk management, potential "high-threat" issues are listed along with the action to be taken on each potential high-threat issue, either to minimize the likelihood of the issue occurring or to reduce the effect on the project if it happens.

Implementation (Execution) Phase- The project plan is put into motion and the project work is carried out during the third phase , the implementation phase. During implementation it is important to retain control and communicate when appropriate. Progress is tracked continuously, and suitable changes are made and reported as variances from the original plan. In any project, the majority of the time a project manager spends in this phase. People are carrying out the tasks during project implementation, and information on progress is reported through regular team meetings.

The project manager uses this information to maintain control over the project path by contrasting the progress reports with the project plan to assess the project operation output and take corrective action as appropriate. The first step will always be to get the project back on track. When this is not feasible, the team will document and report deviations from the initial plan, and publish improvements to the plan. During this phase, project sponsors and other main stakeholders should be kept updated about the status of the project according to the contact frequency and format agreed. The plan should be updated on a regular basis, and published.