Unit 2: Project Life Cycle
Every project has a life cycle, or a series of milestones and accomplishments that must be met throughout the project. The first stage of the project management life cycle (PML) is initiation. In this stage, the project is chartered and mission statements as well as the project's overall goals are defined. The project manager is identified and the team is assembled. In this stage, some organizations draft a mission statement just for the project.
The next phase is the planning phase. During this second phase, tasks are assigned and details are provided to describe each task. Project deliverables are also identified. In phase three, prototypes are developed, the project is tested, quality is reviewed, and production is initiated. This is called the execution phase. It is also referred to as the control or implementation phase.
The last phase of a project is closure. Reviews are held when the project is complete. During this last phase, one has the opportunity to review lessons learned and to archive data and records. Customer feedback is sought regarding the life cycle and delivery of the system. In this unit, you will learn that projects should follow a systematic approach with a defined beginning and ending.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- identify each phase of the project life cycle;
- discuss the activities found in each phase of the project; and
- apply best practices when determining project success or failure.
2.1: What Is a Project Life Cycle?
Read this chapter, which reviews organizational structure and the phases of a project. At what stage of a project are problems most liable to grow and have long-lasting negative consequences? Be sure to complete the exercises at the end of each section.
Read this article, which details the processes involved in carrying out the tasks in the various phases that help the organization meet the project's objectives.
Watch this lecture, which covers the life cycle that is typically followed by project and product management.
Read this article, which will help you understand the sequential flow of a project and how it differs from the traditional project life cycle. Communication is a vital component of this model. What is the benefit of good communication for a project? How can communication be improved among members of virtual teams using this model?
2.2: Initiation Phase
Read this chapter, which discusses the first phase of the project management lifecycle. We will discuss this in more depth in Unit 4.
2.3: Planning Phase
Read this chapter, which discusses the planning phase of the project lifecycle. What are some of the pain points in this part of the project management process? What tools do project management professionals typically use to plan projects?
Read this section, which discusses the planning stage of the life cycle, including budgeting, allocating resources, scheduling, and creating the project plan.
Although this video is brief, it gives a thorough summary of the majority of the PMBOK-G and PRINCE2 approaches to planning in project management. This video is skills-focused, so be sure to take notes.
2.4: Execution Phase
Read this section on project execution and keeping resources on track throughout the project life cycle.
Read this chapter, paying particular attention to the section on the execution phase, which may also be called the implementation phase. All the planning a project team did in the previous phase is set in motion in this phase.
Read this section as a review of the phased approach to project management. Did you know some organizations opt not to follow a phased approach to project management? Can you think of why this might be? Pay attention to the implementation and follow-up phases since they are new.
2.5: Closure Phase
This chapter demonstrates how to close out projects effectively. Can you think of any other important steps to closing out a project that are missing here?
This chapter presents some of the same information as the previous resource but includes key takeaways and a section on remembering to celebrate your success upon closing out a project!
2.6: Project Success vs. Failure
Read this article and the two case studies linked at the end. Have you ever had one of your projects fail? What did you do about it?
Think about the characteristics of an effective team, as described in this video. Can you think of an additional quality or two that could improve the effectiveness of a team? What about project teams specifically – how are they unique?
The benefit of good communication to successful project management should be clear to you. We discover daily how technology is bringing teams closer, whether virtual or not, from email and video conferencing to text messages and in-person meetings. What is your preferred communication tool, and why? Think about what you consider to be your "best practices".
In this section, you have the opportunity to explore risk in project management through the experiences of three different designers.
Properly planning for and managing risk is a huge predictor of the success of a project. When trouble comes, and it likely will, how do you get out of it? This chapter has some tried and tested methods. How will you track the issues, and what will you do to address them?
Unit 2 Discussion and Assessment
- Make forum posts: 1
Consider responding to the following questions in this discussion forum. You may also respond to other students' posts.
- What is a project life cycle? Describe each project phase with one example.
- Have you experienced any project failures as a project manager? If so, what lessons have you learned? If not, what successful experiences would you like to share? If you haven't had any project management experience, answer this question based on the course content so far.
- According to subunit 2.6, what key project management processes and knowledge areas are covered in PMBOK (2008)? How do they represent your real-world project management experiences?
- As a project manager, what techniques, tools, or strategies can you use to effectively manage project risks?
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.