The Project Life Cycle refers to a logical sequence of activities to accomplish the projects goals or objectives.

Regardless of scope or complexity, any project goes through a series of stages during its life. There is first an Initiation or Birth phase, in which the outputs and critical success factors are defined, followed by a Planning phase, characterized by breaking down the project into smaller parts/tasks, an Execution phase, in which the project plan is executed, and lastly a Closure or Exit phase, that marks the completion of the project. Project activities must be grouped into phases because by doing so, the project manager and the core team can efficiently plan and organize resources for each activity, and also objectively measure achievement of goals and justify their decisions to move ahead, correct, or terminate.

1) Initiation In this first stage, the scope of the project is defined along with the approach to be taken to deliver the desired outputs. The project manager is appointed and in turn, selects the team members based on their skills and experience. The most common tools or methodologies used in the initiation stage are Project Charter, Business Plan, Project Framework (or Overview), Business Case Justification, and Milestones Reviews.

During the initiating process, you will refine the project goals, review the expectations of all stakeholders, and determine assumptions and risks in the project. You will also start project team selection if the project team has been imposed, then you need to familiarize yourself with their skill set and understand their roles in the project. At the end of this phase you will produce a Statement of Work (SOW), which is a document that provides a description of the services or products that need to be produced by the project.

What is a Business Case?

A Business Case justifies the start-up of a project. It includes a description of the business problem or opportunity, the costs and benefits of each alternative solution, and the recommended solution for approval. When do I use a Business Case?

A Business Case Template is used whenever the expenditure on a project has to be justified. Completing a Business Case Template is usually the first step in the Project Life Cycle. Once the Business Case Template has been completed, it is presented to a Sponsor for approval. The Business Case is referred to frequently during the project, to determine whether it is currently on track. And at the end of the project,

success is measured against the ability to meet the objectives defined in the Business Case. So the completion of a Business Case is critical to the success of the project. Project Charter

Governance Structure Statement of Guiding Principles Team Contract Communication Plan Risk Assessment & Management Plan Budget Plan Meeting Notes

The final activity in the definition stage is launching the project. A "kick-off" meeting with sponsor, business process owners and full project staff ensures that everyone is familiar with the business need being addressed, the principles guiding the work, the development and project management method being used and the overall release schedule. Professional development requirements are discussed in terms of the skill development plan for the project during the planning; if required, training sessions are scheduled very soon after the launch

2) Planning The second phase should include a detailed identification and assignment of each task until the end of the project. It should also include a risk analysis and a definition of a criteria for the successful completion of each deliverable. The governance process is defined, stake holders identified and reporting frequency and channels agreed. The most common tools or methodologies used in the planning stage are Business Plan and Milestones Reviews.

During the planning process, you will detail the project in terms of its outcome, team members roles and responsibilities, schedules, resources, scope and costs. At the end of this phase, you will produce a project management plan, which is a document that details how your project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed. Such a document also contains a refined project scope, and is used as the project baseline.

Scope Statement Risk Assessment & Management Plan Budget Plan Procurement Plan Staffing Plan Quality Assurance Plan Plan for Managing Issues Statement of Intended Operations Organization Schedules Full Communications Bulletins Meeting Notes

3) Execution and controlling The most important issue in this phase is to ensure project activities are properly executed and controlled. During the execution phase, the planned solution is implemented to solve the problem specified in the project's requirements. In product and system development, a design resulting in a specific set of product requirements is created. This convergence is measured by prototypes, testing, and reviews. As the execution phase progresses, groups across the organization become

more deeply involved in planning for the final testing, production, and support. The most common tools or methodologies used in the execution phase are an update of Risk Analysis and Score Cards, in addition to Business Plan and Milestones Reviews.
During the controlling and monitoring process, you supervise project activities to ensure that they do not deviate from the initial plan and scope. When this happens, you will use a change control procedure to approve and reject change requests, and update the project plan/scope accordingly. The controlling and monitoring phase also involves getting approval and signoff for project deliverables.

This is the phase of the project where the project plan is carried out. Projects proceed in different ways depending on the required project outcomes as well as the schedule, staffing and cost constraints. Project management activity during this phase involves:

Keeping people informed about progress of the project, ensuring project priorities are understood and translated into which activities are "in progress." Monitoring the environment, anticipating problems and taking action to counter any issues affecting the project scope, schedule or budget. Reviewing change requests with the project team and recommending whether they will be done within the project or not. Change requests may result.

Project management processes produce the following deliverables during the execution stage of the project life cycle: Basic Project

Meeting Notes Status Reports (includes risk log) Schedules Issue Resolution Log Project Delay Log

Full Project

Meeting Notes Status Reports (includes risk log) Schedules Issue Resolution Log Project Delay Log Change Requests The Project Plan is the most important document in the project, as it provides the Project Manager with a roadmap ahead, and it tells them during the journey whether they are on-track. Using this Project Plan template, you can create a comprehensive project management plan for your project today.

What is a Project Plan?

A Project Plan sets out the phases, activities and tasks needed to deliver a project. The timeframes required to deliver the project, along with the resources and milestones are also shown in the Project Plan. Using thisProject Plan Template, you can quickly and easily create a comprehensive Project Management Plan for your

project, as it already lists the commonly used tasks needed to complete projects from start to finish. When do I use a Project Plan Template?

A Project Plan Template is filled in every time you wish to embark on a new project. A summarized Project Plan is usually created early in the life cycle, with a detailed Project Plan being created later the planning phase. The Project Plan is referred to constantly throughout the project. Every day, the Project Manager will review actual progress against that stated in the Project Plan, to ensure they are still on track. The Project Plan is therefore the most critical tool a Manager can have to successfully deliver projects. 4) Closure In this last stage, the project manager must ensure that the project is brought to its proper completion. The closure phase is characterized by a written formal project review report containing the following components: a formal acceptance of the final product by the client, Weighted Critical Measurements (matching the initial requirements specified by the client with the final delivered product), rewarding the team, a list of lessons learned, releasing project resources, and a formal project closure notification to higher management. No special tool or methodology is needed during the closure phase.
During the closing process, you formally accept the deliverables and shut down the project or its phases. You will also review the project and its results with your team and other stakeholders of the project. At the end of the project you will produce a formal project closure document, and a project evaluation report.

The project process is completed and documented, and the finished product is transferred to the care and control of the owner. The long-term objective is to build a project management repository to document best

practices, lessons learned, and examples of various documents that may be developed during a project. Project management processes produce the following deliverables during the delivering stage of the project life cycle: Basic Project

Lessons Learned Closing Report

Full Project

Lessons Learned Closing Report

And we celebrate!

What is a Project Closure Report?

A Project Closure Report describes how you intend to close your projects. The Project Closure Report confirms that the objectives have been met, the deliverables have been handed over to the customer and that project closure can commence. Every Project Manager needs to complete a Project Closure Report to gain agreement from their Sponsor that the project is ready for closure. Once the Project Closure Report has been approved, the Manager can proceed with the actions needed to close the project swiftly. When do I use a Project Closure Report?

A Project Closure Report should be documented any time that a project is ready for closure. Using this Project Closure Report, you can to

document the actions needed to perform project closure immediately. This Project Closure Report already includes the sections, tables and practical examples you need, to save you time.

The Project Life Cycle (#2 in the Hut A Quick Guide to Project Management) By Manjeet Singh This hut assumes that your project has already been selected, and that a Project Charterhas been produced. A Project Charter is generally a document that provides a short description of the project and designates the Project Manager. Sometimes a commercial contract also leads to the initiation of project especially in firms specialized in providing professional/consulting services. A project life cycle typically has the following processes as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI):

Project Management Life Cycle

The MPMM Project Management Life Cycle comprises four phases...

Initiation involves starting up the project, by documenting a business case, feasibility study, terms of reference, appointing the team and setting up a Project Office. Planning involves setting out the roadmap for the project by creating the following plans: project plan, resource plan, financial plan, quality plan, acceptance plan and communications plan. Execution involves building the deliverables and controlling the project delivery, scope, costs, quality, risks and issues. Closure involves winding-down the project by releasing staff, handing over deliverables to the customer and completing a post implementation review. A more detailed description of the MPMM Project Management Methodology and Life Cycle follows:

Project Initiation
Project Initiation is the first phase in the Project Life Cycle and essentially involves starting up the project. You initiate a project by defining its purpose and scope, the justification for initiating it and the solution to be implemented. You will also need to recruit a suitably skilled project team, set up a Project Office and perform an end of Phase Review. The Project Initiation phase involves the following six key steps:

Project Planning

After defining the project and appointing the project team, you're ready to enter the detailed Project Planning phase. This involves creating a suite of planning documents to help guide the team throughout the project delivery. The Planning Phase involves completing the following 10 key steps:

Project Execution
With a clear definition of the project and a suite of detailed project plans, you are now ready to enter the Execution phase of the project. This is the phase in which the deliverables are physically built presented to the customer for acceptance. While each deliverable is being constructed, a suite of management processes are undertaken to monitor and control the deliverables being

and

output by the project. These processes include managing time, cost, quality, change, risks, issues, suppliers, customers and communication. Once all the deliverables have been produced and the customer has accepted the final solution, the project is ready for closure.

Project Closure
Project Closure involves releasing the final deliverables to the customer, handing over project documentation to the business, terminating supplier contracts, releasing project resources and communicating project closure to all stakeholders. The last remaining step is to undertake a Post Implementation Review to identify the level of project success and note any lessons learned for future projects.

It will help you identify the detailed benefits and costs of your solution, giving your sponsor confidence that the solution recommended is the most viable solution available. This will help you to gain approval of the business case and secure the funding you need, to get started.

By using this Business Case Template you can:

Research the business problem or opportunity Identify the alternative solutions available Quantify the benefits and costs of each solution Recommend a preferred solution to your sponsor Identify any risks and issues with implementation Present the solution for funding approval

This Business Case Template also includes: Real-life examples in each section Detailed procedures guiding you stepby-step Tables to help you

quantify the benefits and costs Guidance on the methods of choosing a preferred solution A best practice approach to ensure your success. This template is unique, as it includes all of the detailed procedures needed when writing Business Cases within your organization. It takes you through the process of completing a Business Case, giving you practical examples along the way. Written by experts, this template will enable you to create a solid Business Case quickly and easily, saving you time and money.

What is a Business Case?

A Business Case justifies the start-up of a project. It includes a description of the business problem or opportunity, the costs and benefits of each alternative solution, and the recommended solution for approval. When do I use a Business Case?

A Business Case Template is used whenever the expenditure on a project has to be justified. Completing a Business Case Template is usually the first step in the Project Life Cycle. Once the Business Case Template has been completed, it is presented to a Sponsor for approval.

The Business Case is referred to frequently during the project, to determine whether it is currently on track. And at the end of the project, success is measured against the ability to meet the objectives defined in the Business Case. So the completion of a Business Case is critical to the success of the project. This Project Plan Template will help you to quickly and easily create a Project Plan for your project. You can use it to create your own customized project management plan for delivering your project on time and under budget. If you want to create a Project Plan for your project within a few easy steps, then this project plan template will tell you how to do it. Each project planning step is described in detail and is accompanied by a suite of practical tips and hints.

By using this Project Plan template, you can: Identify all of the phases, activities and tasks Sum up the effort needed to complete those tasks Document all of the project interdependencies List the planning assumptions and constraints Create a detailed project planning schedule

This Project Plan Template will also help you to: Define the project scope & milestones Identify the Work Breakdown

Structure Set and agree the target delivery dates Monitor and control the allocation of resource Report on the progress of the project, to the sponsor The Project Plan is the most important document in the project, as it provides the Project Manager with a roadmap ahead, and it tells them during the journey whether they are on-track. Using this Project Plan template, you can create a comprehensive project management plan for your project today.

What is a Project Plan?

A Project Plan sets out the phases, activities and tasks needed to deliver a project. The timeframes required to deliver the project, along with the resources and milestones are also shown in the Project Plan. Using thisProject Plan Template, you can quickly and easily create a comprehensive Project Management Plan for your project, as it already lists the commonly used tasks needed to complete projects from start to finish. When do I use a Project Plan Template?

A Project Plan

Template is filled in every time you wish to embark on a new project. A summarized Project Plan is usually created early in the life cycle, with a detailed Project Plan being created later the planning phase. The Project Plan is referred to constantly throughout the project. Every day, the Project Manager will review actual progress against that stated in the Project Plan, to ensure they are still on track. The Project Plan is therefore the most critical tool a Manager can have to successfully deliver projects. his Communication Process helps you to undertake Communications Management for your team. It does this by taking you through the Communication Process, step-by-step.

If you want to keep the right people informed with the right information, at the right time, then this process will help you.

The Communication Process will help you to: Identify the messages that need to be sent Determine your target audience for communication Decide on your message format and timing Draft your message and gain approval where required Communicate your message, through communications events Gather feedback and improve your communication processes

By using this Communication Process, you can: Clearly identify your project stakeholders Identify your stakeholders communications needs Run any type of communications event to send out your message Ensure the right people receive the right information at the right time Keeping your stakeholders regularly informed is a critical activity for any team. Whether it's through status reports, regular meetings or informal email, you can ensure that the right messages are distributed about the progress of your project. This will help your

project team and external stakeholders to remain focused on delivery and to provide you with all of the support you need to deliver your project successfully.

What is a Communication Process?

A Communication Process, or Communications Management Process, is a set of steps that are taken every time formal communications are undertaken in an organization. A Communications Process is undertaken as part of Communications Management and helps to ensure that your stakeholders are kept regularly informed. For example as part of the project life cycle, the team implement a

Communication Process to make sure that the entire team is kept informed of the status of the project. When do I use a Communication Process?

A Communication Process should be used when you wish to communicate formally within an organization. By using the Communication Process, you can ensure that no miscommunication occurs. As part of the Communication Process, you can also receive feedback on the communications which have taken place to date and ensure that future communications are improved. Communications Management is a fundamental part of any organization and needs to be treated with care. Using this Communications

Process, you can communicate effectively at all times. This Project Closure report helps you take the steps needed to formally wind-up your project. The report helps you undertake the Project Closurephase within a project, by documenting all of the tasks needed to complete your project and hand over the deliverables to your customer. It is critical that you complete the Project Closure phase properly, as the manner within which these closure steps are taken will determine the final success of your project.

Using this Project Closure Report you can perform Project Closure by: Identifying the project completion criteria Listing any outstanding activities or deliverables Creating a plan for passing deliverables to your customer

Planning the handover of project documentation Closing supplier contracts and agreements Releasing projects resources to the business Communicating the closure of the project

This Project Closure Report is unique because it: Includes pre-formatted sections and tables Lists all of the key activities needed to close a project Contains step-by-step instructions to help you complete it Has lots of practical examples, tips and hints Is pre-completed to save you time and effort Written by project experts, this Project Closure Report helps you to document all of the steps needed to close your projects quickly and efficiently.

What is a Project Closure Report?

A Project Closure Report describes how you intend to close your projects. The Project Closure Report confirms that the objectives have been met, the deliverables have been handed over to the customer and that project closure can commence. Every Project

Manager needs to complete a Project Closure Report to gain agreement from their Sponsor that the project is ready for closure. Once the Project Closure Report has been approved, the Manager can proceed with the actions needed to close the project swiftly. When do I use a Project Closure Report?

A Project Closure Report should be documented any time that a project is ready for closure. Using this Project Closure Report, you can to document the actions needed to perform project closure immediately. This Project Closure Report already includes the sections, tables and practical examples you need, to save you time.

http://www.bgsu.edu/dep artments/envh/projmanag e/sld002.htm

http://www.method123.com/projectlifecycle.php