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What Is The Project Life Cycle: The 5 Phases Explained

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!

The project life cycle is comprised of 5 key stages. Learn more about initiation, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing, and why the life cycle is so important.

the 5 stages of the project life cycle arranged in a circle: initiation planning execution monitoring and controlling and closing

All projects have a beginning and an end. They go through the same project management steps of initiation, planning, and execution. Projects are temporary efforts, born to create value, and when that value has been delivered, the project ceases to be. This cycle of project birth, maturity, and closure is known as the project life cycle, or project management life cycle.

I'm going to explore each phase of the life cycle and how you can apply it to your projects today and future projects. A key aspect of successfully managing projects within the project life cycle is being equipped with the right project management software tools or apps that can support each phase of the project.

What Is The Project Life Cycle?

The project life cycle is the phases of a project that are necessary for the effective delivery of that project. It dictates the order of processes and phases a project goes through as it's completed, and describes the high-level workflow of the project.

The PMI (Project Management Institute) has defined these five project management process groups, or project management phases, which come together to form the project life cycle.

Project Initiation
Project Planning
Project Execution
Project Monitoring & Controlling
Project Closure

The PMI took what’s really common sense and called it the project life cycle. The PMI methodology is the de facto standard for project delivery, which you can find in their 370 page 7th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) .

It’s a really long, and to be honest, deathly boring read, so here’s a condensed breakdown of each project management step, which contains all the important takeaways.

What Are The 5 Phases Of The Project Management Life Cycle?

Below, I go into each of the life cycle stages and explain what happens in each of the 5 phases of project management .

1. Project Initiation Phase

project initiation phase with the outcome of defining the parts of the project

Initiating the first phase of the project life cycle is all about doing a project kickoff meeting with your team and with the client, and getting their commitment to start the project.

You bring together all of the available information in a systematic manner to define the project’s scope , cost, and resources. The goal of the initiation phase is to take the (sometimes) loose brief of a project and understand what the project needs to do and achieve in order to be successful.

That usually necessitates identifying the project stakeholders and making sure they all share the same perception of what the project is and the specific business case—the problem that the project is trying to solve.

It’s during this project initiation phase that you also decide whether delivering the business case is feasible. As a project manager, you will need to conduct adequate research to determine the project goals and then propose a solution to achieve them.

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Key Steps During Project Initiation

Make a project charter : What is the vision, objective, and goal of this project?
Identify the high-level scope and deliverables: What is the product or service that needs to be provided?
Conduct a feasibility study : What is the primary problem and its possible solutions?
Ballpark the high-level cost and create a business case : What are the costs and benefits of the solution?
Identify stakeholders: Who are the people this project affects, how does it affect them, and what are their needs?

Typically for Prince2 or PMI methodologies, the above is summed up in a Project Initiation Document (PID) , but in an agency, the information is usually captured in an initial statement of work (SoW).

2. Project Planning Phase

project planning phase with the outcome of a roadmap

After receiving approval to proceed in the initiation phase, you can begin project planning, typically using a Gantt chart tool .

Planning is where you define all the work to be done and create the project roadmap that you follow for the remainder of the project. This is when you figure out how you’re going to perform the project and answer these questions:

What exactly are we going to do?
How are we going to do it?
When are we going to do it?
How will we know when we’re done?

During this project management step, you have to decide how you and your team will attain the goals of the project. It’s worth evaluating those goals with three criteria: what’s possible , passionate , and pervasive ?

Possible: Strive for something that is achievable. Ask yourself, does this solution match the budget? Does my team have the ability to do this? Do we have enough time? Setting unrealistic goals is setting yourself up for failure.
Passionate: Projects are tough, so you want a team that is emotionally engaged in the project. Ask yourself, is this a project that your team can be passionate about? Is it something that can bring them together to collaborate and achieve the same goal? Even though it might be their job to do what you tell them to do, no one is going to invest into something they don’t think is worthwhile
Pervasive: Does this have the potential to become a ground-breaking success? Is this something that is a complete solution to the problem that was given to you or is it really just a band-aid solution? Does it have the potential to be improved on, developed, and to become a permanent way of working?

I like this 3 Ps lens for goals, but you might also be familiar with the principle of setting CLEAR goals: collaborative, limited, emotional, appreciable, and refinable. Read more about CLEAR goals and their benefits over SMART goals.

The planning phase results in a project plan that outlines the activities, tasks, dependencies, and time frames, as well as costs. In addition, it’s prudent to develop a plan for resources, quality, risk, acceptance criteria, communication, and procurement .

Key Steps For Project Planning

Create a project management plan : Identify the phases, activities, constraints , and project schedule, and create a project timeline with a work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt chart .
Create a financial plan : Create a project budget and cost estimate, and a plan to meet your maximum cost, complete with allocations across resources and departments
Create a resource plan : Build a great team and recruit and schedule the resources and materials needed to deliver the project in your resource management software
Create a quality plan : Set your quality targets and measures
Create a risk plan : Identify the possible risks, assumptions , issues, and dependencies; assign an owner; and develop a mitigation plan for how you will avoid/overcome them
Create an acceptance plan : Assign criteria for what constitutes ‘done’ and ‘delivered’
Create a communication plan : List your stakeholders and plan the communication cadence in your project communications tool
Create a procurement plan : Find any 3rd party suppliers required and agree on terms

3. Project Execution Phase

project execution phase with outcome of tasks to be completed

This is the part of the project life cycle where you finally get to execute on your awesome project plan. You bring your resources onboard, brief them, set the ground rules, and introduce them to one another. After that, everyone jumps in to perform the work identified in the plan. Easy peasy (in theory).

As the project manager, you shift from talking about a project and creating documentation to getting the green light to proceed with the execution phase. Now, you’re leading the team and managing them toward delivery. You’ll spend your time in briefings, meetings, and reviews, and keep the project on track as it moves through the project life cycle.

Key Steps For Project Execution

Team leadership: Cast a vision for success and enable the team to deliver on it
Create tasks : Clearly define what needs to be done and the criteria for each project task
Task briefing : Ensure the team is clear about what they need to do, and when they need to do it by
Client management : Work with the client to ensure deliverables are acceptable
Communications : Ensure you’re informing and updating the right people at the right time through the right channel

4. Project Monitoring & Controlling Phase

project monitoring and controlling phase with outcome of understanding if you're meeting timeline, cost, quality, and success goals

This project management step involves reporting on performance and monitoring and controlling the project. (Our project status report roadmap guides you through the entire reporting process.)

That means ensuring the project is going according to plan, and if it isn’t, controlling it by working out solutions to get it back on track. As a project manager, you’ll be monitoring and controlling a project in some way throughout all of the project life cycle phases.

First, that means ensuring you capture the data (usually derived from timesheets and reports in your project management software) to track progress effectively against the original plan.

Second, it means taking the data and comparing overall project progress, milestone and task completion, budget spend, and time allocated in the original plan. By comparing the actuals against the plan, you can establish whether or not you’re hitting the objectives for timeline, cost, quality, and success metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs).

And when you realize that things aren’t quite going to plan (they rarely do), it’s figuring out the options for pivoting the project so that it still delivers something the client is happy with while meeting the budget, timeline, and quality constraints.

Pro-tip: usually that means reducing the scope of the project !

Key Steps For Project Monitoring And Controlling

Cost & time management : Review timesheets and expenses to record, control, and track against the project’s budget, timeline, and tasks
Quality management : Reviewing project deliverables and ensuring they meet the defined acceptance criteria
Risk management : Monitor, control, manage, and mitigate potential risks and issues
Acceptance management : Conduct user acceptance testing and create a reviewing system, ensuring that all deliverables meet the needs of the client
Change management : When the project doesn’t go to plan, managing the process of acceptable changes with the client to ensure they’re happy with necessary changes

5. Project Closure Phase

project closing phase with the outcome of a finished project

In the closing phase of the project life cycle, your project is essentially over and your job as a project manager comes to a close. But the project’s not over yet.

During this project closing step, before everyone forgets, it’s useful to hold a post-project review meeting or post-mortem to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the project and team, what went wrong or didn’t go so well, and how to improve in the future.

This can be one of the most rewarding stages of project management, as it’s a great opportunity to recognize and acknowledge valuable team members and celebrate successes.

Key Steps For Project Closure

Project performance analysis : This is an overall look at how well the project was managed, and whether the initial estimates of costs and benefits were accurate. Were there unforeseen risks? What issues arose and how well were they dealt with? Has the project plan been changed, and how?
Team analysis : Did everyone do what they were assigned to do? Were they passionate and motivated enough? Did they stay thorough and accountable? Was the communication within the project team healthy and constructive?
Project closure : Document the tasks needed to bring the project to an official end. This includes closing supplier agreements, signing off contracts, and handing in all the necessary project documentation.
Post-implementation review : Write down a formal analysis of successes and failure, resulting lessons learned , and suggestions for the future. At the end of every successful project, you will learn that room for improvement always remains.

the 5 phases of the project management life cycle laid out in order with text describing each one

Why Is The Project Life Cycle Important?

While the project life cycle might not sound that interesting, it is important because it’s what we as project managers lead and facilitate.

The steps involved in any project are generally the same: define a project’s objectives, create a project plan to meet the objectives, and then make stuff happen to accomplish it. Different project managers or agencies may use slightly different terms to describe the project life cycle phases in various projects, but fundamentally, they’re pretty much the same.

A project always has to start somewhere: the problem that needs fixing needs to be defined. A solution to fixing that problem and an approach to doing it then has to be created.

That plan has to then be put into action, and then that plan has to be tracked to make sure it does what it’s supposed to. The project is then deployed, performance is evaluated , and the project is officially over.

The project life cycle provides project managers with steps to follow throughout projects. It defines where to start, and where to go next at each stage in the project. No matter how crazy things get, you’ll have a reliable structure to go back to and regroup on.

When The Project Life Cycle Gets Complex

The project life cycle is simple, right? No, of course not! Like most things in life, projects are complex and involve a large number of variables, along with plenty of grey area.

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Project Management: Project Life Cycle Report

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Introduction

Definition phase, planning phase, execution phase, delivering phase.

Projects are temporary endeavours. They are constrained by time, scope, and monetary resources. Projects must fulfil specific goals and objectives as explained in various phases that constitute the project life cycle. A project life cycle begins with scope definition followed by planning, execution, and finally delivering (Cadle & Yeates 2001).

An important aspect of project management, which cuts across all these phases, is project evaluation. For instance, in the execution phase, the evaluation involves the attempt to establish whether various objectives and goals of the different stages of project execution process are realised (Zekic & Samarzija 2012, p.101). The goal of this paper is to discuss the process of project management in a project whose scope was defined as ‘designing and construction of 150-gigalitres expandable to 200-gigalitres desalination plant in Victoria.

Although the discussion of the project is limited to four stages that characterise the life cycle of a project (defining, planning, execution, and delivering), the stages are also part of the nine project management knowledge areas defined by PMBOK. Thus, the knowledge areas are found necessary in the discussions of this paper. PMBOK is ‘a collection of processes and knowledge areas that are generally accepted as the best practices within the project management discipline’ (Haughey 2012, Para. 1). These knowledge areas include scope management, cost management, time management, risk management, integration management, procurement management, and communication management.

The definition phase involves the establishment of goals, specifications, tasks, and responsibilities in a given project. The goal of the Victorian Desalination Project was to enhance the augmentation of water supplies within Geelong and Melbourne areas and their surroundings. Thus, the project was to be implemented in a manner that would make sure that this goal was precisely achieved within time and resource constraints. From the paradigms of PMBOK, the definition phase encompasses the scope management.

Scope management houses components such as ‘scope initiation, scope planning, scope verification, scope definition, and scope change and control’ (Tolbert 2008, p.57). The announcement of the intention to construct an Australian largest desalination plant on 19 July 2007 marked the scope initiation phase for the Victorian Desalination Project. The specification for the project was stated as planning and erection of a desalination project with a volume of 150-billion litres and flexible to 200 billion litres (Kjorstad 2010, p.7). Another specification required the plant to have seven channel-linking areas for water supply to Melbourne and other regions in South Gipps land (Government Initiatives 2012, Para. 6).

Additionally, the plant had to have underground power supply, which spans a distance of 87 km. These specifications defined the scope-planning component of management as one of essential areas of PMBOK. These specifications ensured that the planning phase would include the execution of activities, thus guaranteeing the achievement of the stipulated specifications. This implies that defining the specifications of the Victorian Desalination Project facilitated the development of procedures for allocating time and monetary resources to the project.

The definition phase of a project also involves subdivision of all major deliverables of the project into small manageable deliverables or tasks. In the case of Victorian Desalination Project, a list of these tasks is available from Government Initiatives (2012). For successful delivery of the desalination plant objectives, its construction involved tasks such as the elevation of 225 hectares of land to form a coastal park, with water surrounding it, mainly for public utilisation.

Construction of long tunnels for intake and outlet to protect the coast and beach –200-billion litre capacity coupled with 84-kilometre two-way water transfer pipeline–200-billion litre capacity (Government Initiatives 2012, Para.5) were also other major tasks that constituted the Victorian Desalination Project.

Before defining responsibilities, scope verification is an important aspect of scope management. It refers to the process of formalising the reception of the plan’s range (Tolbert 2008, p.57). With regard to the desalination plant, scope verification was realised through conducting assessments followed by appropriate consultations on the likely impacts of the desalination plant. The assessment studies for the desalination plant determined whether the project was feasible. Upon declaration of the project as feasible, it became possible to define and allocate responsibilities.

Defining responsibilities involves establishing various roles and functions of the various parties that are involved in project execution, control, and monitoring. In the case of the Victorian Desalination Project, the responsibility of the project manager was defined as leading together with the management of various project teams.

The project manager also engaged in responsibilities such as recruitment of staff and consultants, co-ordination of the groups that were taking part in the project work, maintaining project plans, monitoring the performance of the project, and provision of status reports among other tasks. A project manager achieves these responsibilities through the help of managers in different project work units (Turner & Müller 2005, p.222; Pinto &Trailer 2005, p.49)

The government of Australia was the major project sponsor. Its responsibilities were defined as availing resources for execution of the project, approval of budgets, leading the project board, and setting strategies for resolving issues beyond the mandates of the project board or project manager. The government also played the role of championing for the project and/or making major decisions regarding the manner of project execution.

The definition of responsibilities also involves setting suppliers’ and project team members’ responsibilities. The suppliers have noble mandates for ensuring that ‘mandatory supplier requirements are met, managing the production and approval of the supplier side budget, making effective use of supplier resources within the approved budget, tracking performance of consultants, and taking the appropriate actions’ (Pinheiro 2010, p.9).

In addition to playing these responsibilities in the Victorian Desalination Project, the definition of suppliers’ responsibilities also included managing suppliers’ staff members who were taking part in the project, ensuring quality of the materials delivered, and engaging in constant communication with the project managers to ensure smooth and consistent supply of materials to avoid delays.

Project team members are involved directly in the implementation of a project. They ‘provide functional expertise in an administrative process; work with users to ensure the project meets business needs and document and analyse current and future processes’ (Zekic & Samarzija 2012, p.105). For the Victorian Desalination Project, members were also required to facilitate mapping together with the identification of information needs, conducting user training, providing a definition for necessities in interfacing, and reporting practices.

The planning phase of a project incorporates aspects such as budgeting, resource planning, risk analysis and mitigation, scheduling, and staffing. From the context of PMBOK, cost management engulfs all vital tasks that are paramount in facilitating the completion of projects within budgetary constraints (Haughey, 2012). Before the desalination project commenced, costs budgeting was done. It entailed assigning the general cost approximations to individual job performance (Tolbert 2008, p.58).

The project was estimated to cost the government approximately 3.1 billion dollars. Desalination plant was budgeted to take 47 percent of the total cost of the project. Marine structures were budgeted to take 18 percent while power supply was to take 7 percent. The transfer pipeline budget was 28 percent of the total capital cost (Mitchell et al. 2008, p.15). However, resulting from the financial crisis in 2009, additional costs were encountered, thus prompting borrowing of extra funds.

Resources that had to be planned for included materials for construction, human resources (staffing), and equipment. Upon conducting resource planning, the tender was awarded to AquaSure. The company proved that it had the required human resource capacity, technology, and equipment for executing the project. Millar and Schneiders (2011) support this claim by reckoning that AquaSure had ‘high energy efficiency membranes, producing high quality desalinated water matching Melbourne’s world-class water, with a solution that provided certainty to the delivery of water by the end of 2011’ (Para.3). The proposal by the company revealed that it was ready to offer highly dependable services.

The Victorian Desalination Project’s evaluation of bids was conducted by the end of 2009. In the same time, awarding of the contract was done. In the case of sequencing of the project’s activities that Murch (2001) and Nicholas (2001) refer as scheduling, various parts of the desalination plant such as marine structures, power supply, and transfer pipeline were allocated different times for starting and completion. The operation of the project was scheduled for December 2011. This date was set following the scheduling of completion of the project between September 2010 and June 2011. However, the operation date of the project was never realised.

Projects encounter different types of risks, which may result in their failure. Consequently, the planning phase for projects requires development of strategies for risk management (PMI 2000). Risk planning entails identification and setting of strategies for responding to probable risks in a project (Alexander & Sheedy 2005; Kallman 2011). The main objective is to exploit the likelihood and cost of constructive proceedings besides reducing the chances and impacts of unfavourable actions on project goals (Mitchell 2008). In case of the desalination project, the government, the states and the contracted company agreed to assume various risks.

In the planning phase, the various risks that were likely to affect the project were identified. They included site risks, scope risks, designing, constructing, and commissioning risks, operational risks, industrial relations, law alteration risks, asset risks, and finance and sponsor risks among others. The state was to assume site risks, risks of key approval, natives’ claims, and land acquisition risks.

AquaSure assumed environmental contamination and site conditions risks. Scope risks were planned to be taken up by the state. AquaSure planned to assume equally the threat of postponement of conclusion time together with the amplified building expenses accruing from other risks such as court rulings that prohibited the advancement of the scheme and law alterations. Lastly, AquaSure planned to take care of the risks of design and construction of various power supply and water systems.

The procurement department initiated the execution process by acquiring services and materials. The process of procurement required good management of the acquired material resources to ensure they were of the right quantity and quality. In the effort to ensure that the venture advanced as designed, the project administrator was required to prepare project development status statement. The government submitted and reviewed the reports. It was in charge of ensuring that the project delivered its deliverables on behalf of the public. Status reports were essential in ensuring the project delivered its set objectives as predetermined in the idea conception and planning stage.

In the execution of the project, change was inevitable. Bad weather and the impacts of economic crunch experienced in 2009 together with technical difficulties in the construction process made it necessary to make changes of the completion date of the project by extending it by one year. As part of change management, following the economic crunch on 2009, there were a myriad of change controls, especially in matters of the project financing. These changes included procurement of various alternatives for funding to cater for the increased costs of resources for the project. These changes were incorporated to ensure that the quality of the final project remained as planned and specified in the project scope definition phase.

Monitoring and control of the Victorian Desalination Project was vital in ensuring the project remained on track never to slip from the path. Monitoring and control of the gathered data provided the means of forecasting the capacity of the project to comply precisely with the performance thresholds upon its completion as anticipated and developed in the planning phase. Forecasting also ensured that the project deliverables profiled the quality standards established for desalination plants. Through the project forecasts, the extents and thresholds to which the desalination project risks were mitigated so that they do not influence the future performance of the project were determined.

Upon completion of a project, the project manager garners and releases the necessary documents detailing resources that have been consumed. These documents are then transferred to the project sponsors (Dessler 2004). In the case of the Victorian Desalination Project, managers sought administrative and legal acceptance of the project after having evidence that the project delivered the objectives and goals that led to its creation.

When the project is accepted, the project manager releases the various staff members off their duties and responsibilities since the project does not exist anymore. Releasing staff people sets in the stage in which the project owner’s or sponsor’s staff that will be in charge of operating the project are trained on the project operations (Dessler 2004). For this project, AquaSure was the designer and the project executor. The company would also maintain and run the project operations for the next 27.7 years after are completion in December 2012. This implied that the organisation was to supply and train the human resources required in running the Victorian Desalination Project.

Before declaring that the Victorian Desalination Project was completed successfully, information on the extent to which all stakeholders were satisfied by the project, considering their claims, which translated into conflicts of interest in the planning phase, was provided. Such concerns also formed the basis of documentation of various lessons learnt from the project in a bid to ensure that other similar projects do not incur similar challenges in the future. Since the perceptions of the stakeholders on the project were satisfying and consistent with the performance and design requirements of the project, the project manager declared the Victorian Desalination Project complete, hence closing in December 2012.

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Cadle, J. & Yeates, D. 2001, Project Management for Information Systems , Pearson Education, Malaysia.

Dessler, G. 2004, ‘Project Management Principles and Practices’ , Journal of Project Management, vol. 3 no. 2, pp. 345-357.

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Kjorstad, J. 2010, ‘Featured Global Projects,’ Infrastructure Journal , vol. 1 no. 2, pp. 1-80.

Millar, R. & Schneiders, B. 2011, The Price of a Drink . Web.

Mitchell, K., Wimbush, N., Harty, C., Lampe, G. & Sharpley, G. 2008, Environment Effects Statement: Victorian Desalination Project Report of the Inquiry to the minister for planning , Australian Institute of Publication, Australia.

Murch, R. 2001, Project Management Best Practices for IT Professionals , Prentice Hall, USA.

Nicholas, J. 2001, Project Management for Business and Technology 2nd edition , Prentice Hall, USA.

Pinheiro, A. 2010, ‘How Do Managers Control Technology Intensive Work?’, Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, vol. 5 no. 2, pp. 1-12.

Pinto, J. & Trailer, J. 2005, Leadership Skills for Project Managers , Project Management Institute Inc., New York, NY.

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Tolbert, L. 2008, ‘Nine Knowledge Areas’, Journal of Community Academy, vol. 2 no. 2, pp. 56-59.

Turner, J. & Müller, R. 2005, ‘The Project Manager’s Leadership Style as a Success Factor on Projects: A Literature Review’, Project Management Journal , vol. 7 no. 3, pp. 219-234.

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ITS Project Management Office

Five phases of the project management lifecycle.

What do people mean when they talk about the “project management lifecycle”? This helpful article, originally posted by Villanova University , explains in detail the five phases that projects are broken into throughout their life, when executed using the PMBOK methodology.

At the start of a project, the amount of planning and work required can seem overwhelming. There may be dozens, or even hundreds of tasks that need to be completed at just the right time and in just the right sequence.

Seasoned project managers know it is often easier to handle the details of a project and take steps in the right order when you break the project down into phases. Dividing your project management efforts into these five phases can help give your efforts structure and simplify them into a series of logical and manageable steps.

1. Project Initiation

Initiation is the first phase of the project lifecycle. This is where the project’s value and feasibility are measured. Project managers typically use two evaluation tools to decide whether or not to pursue a project:

Business Case Document – This document justifies the need for the project, and it includes an estimate of potential financial benefits.
Feasibility Study – This is an evaluation of the project’s goals, timeline and costs to determine if the project should be executed. It balances the requirements of the project with available resources to see if pursuing the project makes sense.

Teams abandon proposed projects that are labeled unprofitable and/or unfeasible. However, projects that pass these two tests can be assigned to a project team or designated project office.

2. Project Planning

Once the project receives the green light, it needs a solid plan to guide the team, as well as keep them on time and on budget. A well-written project plan gives guidance for obtaining resources, acquiring financing and procuring required materials. The project plan gives the team direction for producing quality outputs, handling risk, creating acceptance, communicating benefits to stakeholders and managing suppliers.

The project plan also prepares teams for the obstacles they might encounter over the course of the project, and helps them understand the cost, scope and timeframe of the project.

3. Project Execution

This is the phase that is most commonly associated with project management. Execution is all about building deliverables that satisfy the customer. Team leaders make this happen by allocating resources and keeping team members focused on their assigned tasks.

Execution relies heavily on the planning phase. The work and efforts of the team during the execution phase are derived from the project plan.

4. Project Monitoring and Control

Monitoring and control are sometimes combined with execution because they often occur at the same time. As teams execute their project plan, they must constantly monitor their own progress.

To guarantee delivery of what was promised, teams must monitor tasks to prevent scope creep, calculate key performance indicators and track variations from allotted cost and time. This constant vigilance helps keep the project moving ahead smoothly.

5. Project Closure

Teams close a project when they deliver the finished project to the customer, communicating completion to stakeholders and releasing resources to other projects. This vital step in the project lifecycle allows the team to evaluate and document the project and move on the next one, using previous project mistakes and successes to build stronger processes and more successful teams.

Although project management may seem overwhelming at times, breaking it down into these five distinct cycles can help your team manage even the most complex projects and use time and resources more wisely.

09 Feb 2023

Mastering the project life cycle: Your complete guide (+ examples)

Written by Jo Johansson

Icons representing the five stages of the project life cycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, closure.

In this article 📖

The project life cycle , just like a good story, has a beginning, a middle, and (hopefully) a happy end. The beginning involves the ever-so-important planning; then comes the middle, where teams complete various tasks to move the project closer to completion; and finally, an end to review what went well and what didn’t.

This, in a nutshell, is the project life cycle: the phases a project moves through from start to finish. It’s a useful way to think about projects, as it helps teams successfully navigate them from initiation to closure, no matter how big or small the project is.

Of course, there’s quite a bit more to it than this. And so, in this guide, we leave no stone unturned, exploring almost everything you need to know about the project life cycle, including:

What is a project life cycle?

The project life cycle is a framework project managers use to help them plan and execute projects strategically and effectively to meet project goals.

Project life cycle definition

The project life cycle consists of a series of steps, phases, or stages a project goes through from beginning to finish—sometimes linearly and sometimes not. There are usually five phases of the project life cycle : initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.

Characteristics of the project life cycle include:

A start and finish with distinct phases
Project objectives defined at the beginning
A plan for achieving the objectives
Deliverables and tasks to be completed
Systems for managing projects
A list of stakeholders

Types of project life cycles

While the project life cycle stages are widely recognized, there are variations in how project teams use and follow them. Some follow them linearly, while others go for a more flexible approach.

There are different types of project life cycles teams can make use of depending on the type of project they’re working on.

Here are five of the most common types of project life cycles:

1. Predictive (or waterfall) life cycle

Also known as the waterfall or fully-plan-driven project cycle, the predictive life cycle is the most traditional and easiest to understand.

The plan is created upfront, with a defined schedule, scope, and costs. A single product or service usually gets delivered at the end.

The project follows a linear progression through the five steps of the project cycle: initiate, plan, execute, control, and close. The team moves on to the next phase only once the previous stage is complete—and performs each phase once.

This approach provides a solid project plan that’s easily replicated.

The linear and predictive waterfall model.

2. Iterative life cycle

The iterative life cycle also consists of the five project phases, but there’s no linear progression. Each stage in the cycle is performed as many times as needed. For instance, a project team may move between the execution and monitoring phases multiple times before moving on to closure.

This life cycle is ideal when the project scope is unclear, but the customer still wants the best solution. Customer feedback is received at the end of each phase and informs the next stage, so planning continuously happens throughout the project’s life.

3. Incremental life cycle

During the incremental life cycle, the project is delivered in multiple increments or sets. Each set consists of progressing through the five project phases linearly until completion. And each phase must be completed before moving on to the next.

At the end of each set, a deliverable is produced, with feedback informing the next set. This means that the cycle of moving through the five phases happens multiple times.

As with the iterative life cycle, the incremental one is ideal for unpredictable scopes and where timely delivery is crucial.

4. Agile (or adaptive) life cycle

Also known as the change-driven or adaptive approach, the agile life cycle combines iterative and incremental life cycles. This type of cycle is more open to change and adaptation and doesn’t follow a linear progression. The initial phase only happens once—with planning, execution, and control stages happening in iterations, usually multiple times.

Each iteration delivered is followed by feedback that informs the next iteration or set. This life cycle is ideal for projects where feedback is essential, timely project delivery is crucial, and the scope is unclear.

The agile model going through its stages iteratively.

The Agile model is more open to change and adaptation and doesn’t follow a linear progression.

5. Hybrid life cycle

The hybrid life cycle is a combination of project management approaches. An example is the agile life cycle, which combines iterative and incremental project management approaches.

Hybrids are ideal for when any of the other approaches aren’t suitable.

Okay, now that we’ve got the hang of different types of project life cycles, let’s dive a bit deeper into the phases and what happens in each.

The phases of a project life cycle

The diagram below shows the five stages of the project life cycle, which we will discuss in more detail next. Just keep in mind that not everyone uses five stages. Some choose to focus on a four-phase project life cycle while others may opt for something entirely different.

As we mentioned earlier, the choice mostly boils down to personal preference and the needs of the project. For instance, some PMs may prefer the 5-phase cycle because it’s more detailed, while others may pick four phases because it’s more straightforward.

If you’re dealing with a complex project, you might want to opt for the 5-phase cycle, whereas if you’re in a time crunch, you might want to opt for the 4-phase cycle.

An overview of the five phases of the project life cycle.

Phase 1: Initiation—kicking things off

Initiation is the project kick-off phase, to get the full download of information from key stakeholders. At a high level, this phase defines the problem, details what needs to be done, and is an opportunity to define all the stakeholders.

The initiation phase will vary depending on the size of the project. For a freelancer working with a client to write a few blog posts, the initiation phase may involve one brainstorming meeting to clarify the details.

For a project team working on a large project with many deliverables over months, this phase will be more comprehensive—and will probably involve producing a business case and feasibility study.

Regardless, these are the types of tasks you can expect to tackle during the project life cycle initiation phase :

Create a project charter that details the scope and project objectives
Identify the stakeholders , which includes the project team, project managers, project sponsors, and clients
Conduct a feasibility study to determine if it’s possible to tackle the project
Create a business case to see if the project is worth pursuing: analyze benefits, costs, and risks
Build an estimate of the project costs to guide budgeting

You’ll usually capture all this information in a Project Initiation Document (PID).

Phase 2: Planning—the foundation of your entire project

Once you have the green light for the project, it’s time for planning. Planning lays the groundwork for the rest of the project and helps you move intelligently through it.

You’ll detail all the work and how you plan on doing it. More specifically, the project life cycle planning phase involves :

Creating a project plan that includes project objectives, deliverables, timelines, project constraints, a project schedule, and project dependencies
Preparing a project budget by building a financial plan with cost estimates for labor, material, and equipment
Specifying resource requirements like labor and materials to help with resource scheduling and allocation
Managing risk by identifying potential problems and creating contingency plans
Creating a communication plan that details the information you’ll need, who needs that information, how often you’ll communicate, and how you’ll communicate
Setting quality targets and control measures via a quality plan
Listing the criteria for what customers deem a completed project
Detailing the processes, systems, and tools you’ll use to manage and track your projects . How will you manage and schedule your team? How will you track resource utilization to ensure you’re making the best use of those resources? Workload planning tools can help.

Workload planning tools for happier teams and smoother projects

The right workload planning tool like Resource Guru helps you identify, categorize, and better schedule resources by seeing who’s overloaded and underutilized. From there, you can:

Identify bottlenecks where demand (for people) is higher than supply, so you can plan ahead and hire more people if needed
Assign the right people to the right projects to prevent overload and burnout, while improving employee retention

It’s as simple as dragging and dropping to rebalance workloads. Et voila! Resource scheduling is done.

Resource Guru's flexible drag and drop schedule

Resource Guru’s flexible drag-and-drop scheduling tool.

Phase 3: Execution (or implementation)—getting the work done

The execution or implementation phase is where you put planning into motion. The aim is to complete deliverables to achieve the project objectives.

The project manager will typically carry out these tasks during the project execution phase:

Allocating resources and budget
Scheduling tasks
Briefing the project team
Coordinating and managing the team and schedule
Attending client reviews and regular team meetings to share progress

Phase 4: Monitoring (or controlling)—tracking progress against the plan

The monitoring or controlling phase goes hand-in-hand with the execution phase. It’s about monitoring the project’s overall progress to see if you’re meeting project objectives and are on track.

You’ll need to track performance metrics like budget, cost variance, resource utilization, and client satisfaction. Where there are deviations from the original plan, always first try to get the project back on course. If this isn’t possible and you need to modify the plan, take note of this, so you have a record to refer back to later.

Ways to track project progress , include:

Regular team meetings to get feedback on how things are going.
Client review meetings where you answer questions. This helps create a constant feedback loop that allows you to include client changes earlier, rather than later when it may be difficult to backtrack and can become costly. Make sure you compare these change requests against the initial project scope to control scope creep before it gets out of hand.
Using tools like resource management software to track resource utilization to ensure you’re getting the most out of your team and preventing team burnout .

Phase 5: Closure—wrapping things up

During this phase, the project winds down and comes to a close. You’ll spend time wrapping things up by handing over project documentation, releasing final deliverables, terminating contracts, and informing everyone that the project is complete.

You can also conduct a project post-mortem to assess what worked and what didn’t. This could be a wrap-up meeting with all stakeholders or a project report you deliver to everyone.

Regardless, use this information to learn from mistakes and build on the wins to ensure the success of future projects.

Advantages and disadvantages of project life cycle

Now that you have a thorough understanding of the phases of the project management life cycle, let’s look at the pros and cons.

Take note : The following is a high-level look at the pros and cons of the project life cycle and doesn’t involve a one-to-one comparison between the different types of project life cycle models.

Advantages of project life cycle

A reliable structure for managing and delivering projects helps teams navigate and deliver projects on time and on budget
The framework , which is usually visible to all, makes it easy to define roles , so everyone knows what to do
You can easily track the project’s progress against the phases . Everyone can easily stay updated on the project’s status
Clear steps, deliverables, and project goals foster better communication and collaboration
Planning for risks is easy so that you can minimize their impact

Disadvantages of project life cycle

The project life cycle consists of distinct phases, making it rather rigid . This rigidity is not suitable for all projects. It may be why there are different versions of the cycle to accommodate different project types
A rigid project approach can stifle creativity , particularly moving through the project linearly
Some teams overcomplicate the stages of the cycle , which leads to slow project delivery and unnecessary costs
Moving through the life cycle can be overly time and resource intensive
Teams can waste time, money, and resources if the need or problem isn’t properly defined

Critical success factors across the project life cycle

Specific and measurable project objectives . For instance, the objective of “increase total organic traffic by 20% by the end of August 2023” is much better than “increase traffic.” It provides a precise number for the increase, so you know what to aim for and you aren’t choosing a number arbitrarily during the project. It’s also measurable; you can pull stats to see if you’ve reached your goal. Finally, there’s a deadline, so you’re not aimlessly tracking a metric indefinitely.
Proper planning . Planning is the foundation of any project as it guides your actions. It includes your project plan, budget, communication plan, schedule, and systems for success.
Scope control . Scope control helps keep a project on track and on budget. Without it, you risk the project going beyond what was agreed. A real possibility considering that nearly 50% of all projects experience scope creep . Scope creep causes project delays, resource allocation issues, and budgeting problems. Control scope creep by having a clear project schedule and a change management plan.
Proper project tracking . Tracking progress against the plan helps you stay on track. Weekly status meetings can help steer the ship.
The right project management tools . The right tools help simplify project management, keep you organized, and help you stay on track. Use them for task scheduling, resource allocation , budgeting, and compiling cost estimates.
Proper communication . Regular communication between stakeholders ensures everyone stays aligned and is working together.
Management support and buy-in . Without management agreement that the project is essential, you’ll struggle to progress. Create a business case to get buy-in.
Resource allocation . Project success depends on allocating the right resources to the right areas and in the right amount. If you have too few resources, your team will be spread thin. Too many, and you may blow your project budget out of the water.
Strong leadership . PMs must be competent and effective leaders who inspire and can get the most out of their teams.
Risk management . No project is without hiccups. There need to be contingency plans.

Project life cycle examples

Below are two project management life cycle examples: one for a smaller project and another for a larger one.

Example 1: Website redesign

Initiation : A web designer (Joe) has a project kick-off meeting with a client to understand the problems with the existing site and the goal of the new one. One of the objectives is to modernize the site.

Planning : Joe completes the creative brief, which includes the scope, milestones, and costs. The milestones allow for client feedback. Both parties agree on the number of changes allowed at each milestone and what the definition of a change is, so there’s no confusion.

Execution : Joe produces wireframes and mock-ups for delivery at different milestones. Feedback at each checkpoint informs the next phase.

Monitoring : Joe uses the checkpoints to track project progress and control scope creep. For instance, at the first checkpoint, the client wants to change the placement of an icon. This change is minor, so scope creep is not a concern. For the remaining checkpoints, the project proceeds without a hitch.

Closure : Joe delivers the final prototype. The client is happy and signs off.

Example 2: Developing software

Initiation : A moving company wants to create an app to help price their moves because the team is making math mistakes that are costing the company thousands of dollars. A business case is created to detail the problem as well as the benefits and costs of the software. The project gets the green light, and a project manager (PM) is appointed.

Planning : The PM creates a project plan highlighting the costs, deliverables, timelines, scope, and resources. One new resource is a specialist app developer the team had not initially discussed. The PM flags this to the CEO, who approves the extra budget. They hire a developer to work in-house.

Execution : The PM works with the developer and implements checkpoints across design, development, and testing. After milestones one and two, the project is moving ahead as planned.

Monitoring : The third milestone arrives, and the team needs to confirm if the app is ready for testing. But they need more development time and want to add an extra feature.

The PM, again, flags this to the CEO, who approves and agrees to a budget increase of $40,000. The PM adjusts the project schedule to account for the changes—and pushes it out by two months.

Closure : The team deploys the app and starts using it. The developer helps train everyone, so they understand how to use it. The PM conducts a project post-mortem with the team where they recognize they were flexible and adaptable but could’ve better defined the requirements.

The bottom line on project life cycles

Sure, the inflexibility of the life cycle makes it an unsuitable framework for certain projects. But it’s still a valuable way to think about them because it provides structure to otherwise chaotic projects.

Now, you definitely don’t need to follow this structure blindly—it’s not the be-all, end-all for project success. Instead, use the underlying concepts, ideas, and information from this guide and adapt them to build your own.

Maybe your projects will follow a more linear progression and closely resemble the traditional predictive cycle? Or perhaps you’ll lean toward a more hybrid model and embrace adaptability?

It’s your choice .

As a project manager, you know your project, resources, and team better than anyone else. So view these life cycles as an adaptable framework and apply them when needed—you know what’s best for your project.

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Jo Johansson

👋 I'm Jo, Senior Content Marketing Manager at Resource Guru. I spend my days creating educational content that helps people be more productive at work, so they can enjoy their time off work. Got any ideas or requests? Drop me a line at [email protected].

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5 phases of the project life cycle: An end-to-end guide

If you've ever been responsible for planning and delivering a project, you know how many moving parts fall into a project management life cycle.

First, you need to decide why this project is taking place and what it will accomplish.

Then comes planning, assigning, and setting deadlines. Of course, you should track your project milestones every step of the way. Finally, you must deliver the entire project to your client on time and within budget.

That’s a lot to plan and manage.

Breaking down the project life cycle and carefully planning tasks makes the process much easier. It helps you stay on top of your deadlines, progress, and goals so you deliver a successful product.

Today, we’ll explore the five phases of a project life cycle and how to tackle them like a pro!

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5 phases of the project life cycle

What is a project life cycle?

A project lifecycle is a series of phases that define the process of taking a project from its inception to completion. It provides structure — or, rather, a roadmap — to help you organize, manage, and track progress.

Each phase has its own objectives and deliverables that build on the next and eventually lead to the successful completion of a project. This allows the project manager to break down every task and request into smaller, manageable chunks so it's easier to carefully plan and deliver everything.

Learning a project life cycle (and why it is so useful) gives leaders a framework to plan, execute, and deliver every project like a smooth operator.

What are the 5 phases of the project life cycle?

Much like you would break down the life cycle of a customer or a product, there are phases to the process to help you stay on track. Knowing each phase's key milestones and deliverables will help you plan and manage your projects effectively. Here, we'll explore the five stages of the project life cycle phase and how to execute each one effectively.

1. Project initiation phase

Every project life cycle starts with the same question: Why are we doing this project in the first place?

This phase of the project management life cycle is called project initiation. It helps determine the vision, goals, and scope of the project. This is where you set up the roadmap for success and decide whether it’s feasible. Here, teams discuss the problem that the project will solve and how they plan to achieve their goals (whether internally or for a stakeholder).

Suppose your client is having problems turning landing page visitors into leads with their latest marketing campaign. In that case, the initiation phase will analyze the problem and brainstorm how to overcome the roadblocks.

To do this, your team will need to:

Break down the problem in detail so you can figure out whether or not your plan will actually fix or solve the project.

Calculate how long the project will last, how many resources you'll need, and whether or not your agency has the capacity to take it on.

Identify the individual deliverables for the project (i.e., landing page audit to track conversions, new strategy implementation).

Write a detailed description (project charter) of what the project work will look like (including a project timeline and costs) for the client, so they can see if it fits with their budget and time constraints.

Don't spend a ton of time and resources on the project initiation phase. It’s likely that you (and your client) are still deciding whether or not the project is a good fit. Try to think of it as a contract rather than a scope of work.

Once a project charter is delivered outlining your plan, you’re all set! Now, you just need to wait for their answer.

Project objectives during the initiation phase

Feasibility study: What problem must the client solve, and can you fix it?

Identify project scope: Outline the project's goals, milestones, and budget.

Establish the success criteria: Does your agency have the bandwidth to take on the project?

Identify the project stakeholders: Who will be involved in the project? How does the project affect them? What are their needs and expectations?

Prepare and deliver a project charter: Outline the project timeline, budget, and deliverables to your client for review.

Gain stakeholder approval: Get the client's sign-off to move forward.

Once the project has been given the green light, move on to Phase 2 of the project life cycle — planning.

2. Project planning phase

The planning phase is where your team goes from "How do we solve this problem?" to "Here's how we're going to solve this problem."

This is where ideas, deadlines, milestones, and expectations are put onto paper. It's also where the project schedule is put into place.

Before sitting your team down to start brainstorming about the project timeline, the project manager has some specifics to work out. For example:

Who will be working on the project?

Which team members will be responsible for delivering each task?

What are the key project milestones and goals, and when do they need to be delivered?

Will the project's timeline rely on dependencies? (i.e., what task must be finished before this other one can start?)

Where should your team communicate and collaborate once the project kicks off?

Which metrics will you use to measure project success once work begins?

As you can see, there are a lot of project pieces to organize before you can even meet with your team with a solid plan. The next part of the planning phase is to build an in-depth project plan that acts like your team's "north star."

This is where task lists, milestones, deadlines, and expectations are written in black and white to keep everyone aligned. You'll also need to consider the project's budget and timeline to ensure the client gets what they want within their specified time frame and budget.

However, building a project plan can be a time-consuming process. If you don't already have one, you can easily make your own , save it, and use it to plan future projects. Or simply download our free project plan template to help your team manage projects more efficiently to complete them on time and stay within budget.

Automate your processes with templates

Use project and task list templates to ensure your team never misses a step at each phase of your product development process, and use triggers to automatically add due dates or reassign tasks for smoother, more efficient team handovers as you move through the project’s life cycle.

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Once you've got a project plan in place, the next step is to call a team meeting to get feedback from the people working on it. This meeting will hash out some finer details, like whether the project deliverables and timelines are realistic.

Project objectives during the planning phase

Complete a detailed project plan: Clearly outline deliverables, dependencies, milestones, and deadlines. Devise a work breakdown structure to break tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Allocate tasks: Assign tasks to team members based on each person’s skills and availability. Ensure everyone understands their roles, responsibilities, and expectations and they have access to the resources they need.

Create a financial plan: Map out the project’s budget and add in any contingencies for unexpected expenses — detail allocations for every cost associated with the project.

Establish timelines & expectations: Outline the project timeline, communication protocols, and rules of engagement. Set your quality targets, review points, and success criteria.

Devise a risk mitigation plan: Identify potential risks and create mitigation plans. Detail how to handle scope creep, unexpected delays, and other disruptions.

Now that your team is up to speed and your plan is in place, it's time to begin the project work.

3. Project execution phase

The execution phase is where the rubber meets the road. This is where your team puts in the work to bring ideas and plans to fruition.

You've already decided who is responsible for what tasks and when they need to be done, so it's time to get rolling. This is where the project manager keeps a close eye on progress, reviews team members' work, and ensures everyone stays on track.

Your responsibilities in this phase of the project include:

Task management and conducting regular meetings with your team to make sure everything is on track.

Ensure the team hits milestones and allocated resources aren’t stretched beyond capacity.

Talk to your team regularly to set expectations, provide updates on project progress, and give the next steps to keep the project moving smoothly.

Even with the smallest projects, keeping tabs on both individual and project-wide progress can be tough. Fortunately, you can automate most of this process with the right tools.

Project reporting solutions like Teamwork.com can be used to track milestones and flag them when they are at risk of being missed. Each project milestone is tracked automatically and kept inside a Planned vs. Actual Milestone Report you can access from anywhere.

This report breaks down the percentage of tasks completed within each milestone (and when they’re due) so project managers can easily see whether they’ll be finished in time.

Using the time period dropdown in the top right, you can switch between week, month, and quarter views.

If deadlines are at risk of being missed, the report will alert you so that additional resources can be allocated to get your timeline back on track.

Project objectives during the execution phase

Monitor progress: How is your team progressing against the project plan? Has your team completed all of their tasks on time and hit the planned milestones?

Provide feedback & support: Give consistent updates, recognize a job well done, and provide timely feedback. Encourage, support, and motivate your team to keep them engaged.

Manage risks & bottlenecks: Review the project plan, task list, and timeline regularly to spot any risks or bottlenecks. Is anything holding up progress? Are there any tasks that need to be reassigned or scheduled differently? Refer to your risk mitigation plan to address any issues quickly.

Communicate progress: Hold regular meetings with your team and other stakeholders. Give updates on project progress, answer questions, and address any potential issues.

With everything running smoothly, it's time to take a closer look at the project numbers and make sure budgets and productivity are on pace. This is phase four of the project life cycle — control.

4. Project control phase

Progress is fantastic, but not without the budget, deliverables, and client expectations aligning every step of the way. In other words, you need to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks and that you stay on track with your original targets. To ensure this happens, it’s time to dig into some critical metrics.

For project managers, this means:

Tracking resource utilization and task competition rates to ensure everyone is working at the predicted productivity rate

Measuring spent vs. remaining budget while also calculating if you need to cut costs to meet the forecasted project spend

Keeping in regular contact with the client and updating them on progress, as well as getting feedback about any issues they have throughout the project

Once again, doing all of this is hard without the right project management software . Manually keeping tabs on which tasks are getting done or how much money is being spent can easily take up most of your day.

Teamwork.com’s health report solves this by giving project managers a real-time snapshot of the most critical parts of a project.

Automatically track everything from task progress to milestones and budgets as Teamwork.com combines all this data into a dashboard. Project managers can quickly see which deliverables may be at risk if they don't take action.

This phase is also where you need to be strict about where your project team spends their time.

Let's say that your team is conducting a six-week website audit for a client. After two weeks, it's clear that there is a lot of work to do on their site — more work than in the original project outline.

It's up to the project manager to talk to the client and outline that if they want the extra problems tackled, the project charter needs to be updated to reflect the extra work (and extra costs). Communicating with the client before your team does any extra work is the only way to ensure the project doesn’t fall victim to scope creep.

Project objectives during the control phase

Review progress: Track project progress, resource utilization, and task completion rates. Is your team’s productivity meeting what you originally forecasted? Did any tasks slip through the cracks?

Analyze budget: Review your budget and ensure the project spend aligns with your initial predictions. Is the project staying on budget? Are there areas where you can cut costs?

Client communication and change management: Keep your client informed about possible problems with the project charter (i.e., extra work your team has come across that needs to be completed before the project can move forward). Address any issues they have and get their feedback.

Risk management: Are you monitoring possible risks to your project’s health and dealing with them so the work will still get delivered on time? This is critical to preventing costly delays and maintaining client relationships.

When all the work for the project has been completed, it is time to deliver it to the client and wrap everything up.

5. Project closure phase

Don’t be fooled by the name.

The final stage of a project life cycle — the project closure phase — is more than just delivering files to your client and waiting for your check.

First, you need to conduct a smooth handover with your client and make sure they're happy with your team's work as per the initial statement of work. Ask for their feedback and if they've got any suggestions on improving it if you work together again.

Then the team needs to complete a project retrospective to see what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to be improved. This should include:

A meeting with team feedback on what worked best or how it could improve

Analyzing report analytics to see how the project budget, resource utilization, and timeframes matched up to what was originally planned

Planning to fix any problems in the next project

Post-mortems don’t just help your team work better on the next project — they also show your clients that you're serious about doing your best work for them. This (hopefully) gets them jazzed about using your agency again.

Project objectives during the closure phase

Project performance analysis: An overview of the project management process, including how the project was managed, whether it met the cost and benefits, and any unforeseen issues that arose during the execution. How did the team perform? Did everyone meet their expectations, and was the communication plan effective?

Document project closure: Assess and outline all the tasks you need to do before the official project delivery. Sign off contracts, close open supplier agreements, and allocate unused budget for future projects.

Post-implementation review: Every project is a learning process. Document successes, failures, and suggestions for future projects.

Mastering the project life cycle makes your pipeline more efficient

The multi-step process of a project life cycle can be overwhelming if you don't have a project management plan in place. You'll need to plan everything from writing project charters to tracking progress and preventing scope creep to ensure a successful project.

When you understand each phase of a project's life cycle, this becomes a lot less daunting. Breaking each phase down into manageable pieces will help you navigate your project pipeline successfully and deliver every project on budget and on time.

With Teamwork.com, it’s easy to track every phase of your project from start to finish. Try it free for 30 days!

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Willow is a Brand and Communications Specialist at Teamwork.com. She has a deep understanding of agencies, and works to develop content and campaigns that speak their language and support their unique needs.

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If you’re just diving into the world of project management for the first time, you might feel intimidated by starting a new project. Fortunately, you can utilize the project life cycle, which is a set of stages that takes a project from start to completion. Read on to learn about each phase of the project lifecycle, its role in the success of the project, and how you can properly manage each phase for optimum results.

What are Project Phases?

Project phases are smaller portions of a project that represent distinct goals or milestones in the larger project lifecycle. Within the project lifecycle, there are 5 project phases, as defined by the Project Management Institute:

Project Initiation
Project Planning
Project Execution
Project Monitoring and Control
Project Closure

An entire project comes with a lot of requirements before it could even start, which are often gathered during the discovery phase or requirement phase. Once the project kicks off, each stage of the actual execution itself has another set of specific requirements of the project team, as well as key deliverables and action items that keep the project moving forward successfully. Mastering project phases is essential for keeping the project on track while completing essential tasks and checkpoints throughout the process.

example of the project lifecycle in stages.

Project Planning Phase

Once the expectations and success criteria are clear, the next project management life cycle phase focuses on planning each task the team needs to perform to cover the scope, achieve the deliverables, and meet the overall goal.

In the Project Planning Phase, the project team members dive into specific requirements, tasks, timelines, and actions. The project manager works with the entire team to create the design, enumerate the task list, and estimate the budget.

The project team builds the resource plan, the communications plan, and the initial project schedule. The project manager also establishes the roles and responsibilities of the team and stakeholders. The project scope is finalized depending on approved available resources and client priorities.

During the Planning Phase , the project team finalizes the Work Breakdown Structure, Project Plan, Requirements List, Communications Management Plan, and other relevant documents to iron out the workflow and coordination with involved parties.

The Project Plan is a key deliverable and contains a detailed work breakdown structure (WBS) or task list with start and end dates, and estimated effort and duration. It identifies milestones, resources, and the schedule. It also includes task dependencies that will allow the project team to use the critical path method if it chooses.

Other important deliverables are the Communications Management Plan, which helps facilitate effective communication with stakeholders, and the Resource Allocation Plan which identifies the schedule of project team resources as to their availability during the whole project life cycle.

Something PMs should keep in mind: As you discover more information, you may have to adjust your previous Project Plan and related procedures. More complex projects will require more back-and-forth approvals for every task created.

Project planning is an iterative process so the project manager should review, revise, and revisit all the plans at least once a month until the completion of the project. It is crucial for the project team to involve relevant stakeholders in this stage of the project life cycle as well.

Read more: Project Management Communication Plan

Project Execution Phase

The Project Execution Phase is where the project team executes and follows through on tasks based on the Project Plan. At this stage, the team spends most of its time coordinating with people, helping to ensure quality work, keeping track of resources, and updating stakeholders.

Sometimes called the Implementation Phase, this is the phase when the project manager tries to manage every task and aspect of project delivery to keep the project on track for the remaining duration of the project life cycle.

The project team focuses on achieving all the objectives set in the earlier phases. At this phase, the project leader likely uses project management software to assign every task to team members. Tools that centralize task information, along with resource availability and team communication can simplify and optimize the needed project management processes.

Quality Assurance documentation, meeting minutes, and Work Orders are some of the documents created during the Execution Phase of the project management life cycle.

It’s also likely that you’ll discover new information that will require a revisit and update of the initial project management plans. Be vigilant with change requests, and make sure that the necessary adjustments are managed.

Read more: Understanding Different Types of Stakeholders and Their Roles

Project Monitoring & Control Phase

The best way to ensure progress and improvement is by tracking and reviewing project performance.

Simultaneously during execution, the project team carefully tracks the progress of the project based on the Project Plan established earlier. Tracking the performance of the project through various metrics is crucial to ensure the project stays on schedule, within budget, and within scope.

The project team keeps track of change management documents, spending records, QA checklists, and team time tracking. They are able to measure where efforts and resources go throughout the project life cycle, crosschecking it with the Project Plan.

Both the Execution Phase and Monitoring & Control Phase are critical times that can determine project success. Aside from monitoring the progress of tasks, the project manager also tries to identify issues or risks, creates a mitigation plan with the team, and reports the project status regularly to stakeholders.

Being diligent in recording and measuring project progress puts the project team in a strategic position. They can identify bottlenecks and initiate essential discussions or project management process improvements.

Having a proactive approach will allow the project team to respond rapidly to any change in the plan. Consistent and appropriate status reporting will update interested stakeholders and provide them the opportunity to intervene in or redirect the project as needed.

If additional planning, time, or resources are needed, you’ll need to communicate them to relevant project stakeholders before it’s too late. You’ll also have the data and results to back up your requests, so you have a better chance of justifying your requests and maintaining their trust despite circumstances.

Read more: 10 Best Project Management Software Buyers’ Guide

Project Closure Phase

In the last project management life cycle phase, all the activities related to its completion are concluded. These may involve the submission of a final deliverable, fulfilling contractual obligations, terminating relevant agreements, and releasing project resources.

The causes of a project closure can be completion, cancellation, termination, or transfer to a new organization. The documentation required to complete Project Closure will differ depending on the situation.

In this phase, the project manager communicates the final project disposition and status to all stakeholders. This phase also ensures to inform participants and stakeholders of any follow-on activities or continuing product life cycle so they can communicate and coordinate with the people in charge.

Regardless of the outcome of the project life cycle, however, it would be good for the team to conduct a project retrospective. During this post-mortem activity, the project team can process new lessons and ensure the improvement of current project management processes for a future project.

During the project closeout, documents to turn over can include various project documentation, final meeting minutes, and other closure reports. These documents can identify and capture lessons learned and best practices for future reference and reuse.

It is a good idea to organize and store project materials in a shared team folder. These materials can provide reference during performance evaluation. The opportunity to continuously test, improve, or reinvent ways to manage the whole project life cycle can help grow the organization and its business.

Read more: How to Host a Good Project Post-Mortem Meeting

VIDEO: Recap of 5 Project Management Phases

Why Are Project Phases Important?

All projects go through each of the five phases regardless of their size.

The decision to officially divide a project into phases is an excellent way to manage the team’s focus, allocate resources, and align the entire project life cycle with clients and stakeholders.

By thinking in terms of phases, the project team ensures that deliverables produced at the end of each phase meet the project’s goals. Managing a project by phase also makes sure that the team is properly prepared for the next phase.

Project life cycle phases provide additional benefits. The approach provides a structured approach for project delivery. Defined activities, outputs, and responsibilities create a clear and common roadmap for the project team to follow.

Defined phases and defined roles show a visible framework easily understood by all team members and stakeholders. Assignment of responsibilities by phase clarifies what the team should only be doing in each phase and helps streamline communication.

Working on projects phase by phase helps track and link progress directly to each phase. Completion of each phase is easily recognizable by all involved.

Another benefit of project management by phase is the progressive evolution of the project. This helps identify areas that need greater attention for a particular phase. It also marks clearly the points and opportunities for structured reviews to support project governance.

Though equally important, they are not to be confused with the process groups outlined in PMBOK’s IPECC model , which also includes initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure but refers to a collection of activities needed to achieve specific goals. Process groups are sometimes considered part of project phases.

While PMBOK recommends assigning project phases according to a project’s life cycle, project teams can follow their own system depending on their industry, organizational policies, and other relevant factors. For example, teams and organizations focused on monitoring the usage of resources can use the critical chain project management methodology.

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What Is the Project Life Cycle?

There are many different types of projects, but interestingly, they all have one thing in common. They all go through the same cycle, known as the project life cycle, or project management life cycle.

The 5 Project Life Cycle Phases

The project life cycle is made up of five project stages: project initiation, project planning, project execution, monitoring & control and project closing. Each of these phases is necessary for the effective delivery of the project .

Here’s a general description of the phases that make up the project life cycle and what can you do in each for successful project delivery. For example, you’ll need to produce important project documentation at each step in the process.

1. Project Initiation Phase

This is the start of the project for the project manager, who is responsible for defining the project at a high level. This usually begins with a business case , feasibility study, cost-benefit analysis and other types of research to determine whether the project is feasible and should or shouldn’t be undertaken. Stakeholders provide input. If the project is approved, then a project charter is created, which provides an overview of the project and sets up the stage for your project plan.

Project initiation template for the project lifecycle

2. Project Planning Phase

This is where the project plan is created, and all involved in the project will follow it. This phase begins by setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals. The scope of the project is defined and a project management plan is created, identifying cost, quality, resources and a timetable. Some of the features of this phase include a scope statement, setting of milestones, communication, risk management plans and a work breakdown structure.

project plan template for project life cycle

3. Project Executing Phase

Now begins the part of the project that most people think of as the project: executing the tasks, deliverables and milestones defined in the project scope . Some tasks that make up this phase include developing the team and assigning resources using key performance indicators, executing the project plan, procurement management and tracking and monitoring progress. If needed, you can set status meetings and revise the schedule and plan.

Gantt Chart template for Microsoft Excel

4. Project Monitoring and Controlling Phase

The project monitoring and controlling phase consists of setting up controls and key performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of the project execution. The monitoring and controlling project phase is very important to make sure the execution goes as planned in terms of schedule , scope and budget baselines.

Project Dashboard Template for tracking project lifecycle

5. Project Closing Phase

It’s not over until the project closure phase it’s over. Completing the deliverables to the satisfaction of your stakeholders is key, of course, but the project manager must now disassemble the apparatus created to fulfill the project. That means closing out work with contractors, making sure everyone has been paid and ensuring that all project documents are signed off on and archived to help with planning future projects.

Once this has been done, the project manager often has a post-mortem with the project team to highlight what worked and what didn’t work, so that successes can be repeated and mistakes avoided.

Understanding the Project Management Life Cycle

Jennifer Bridges, PMP, is our resident project management expert. She hosts hundreds of our training videos, including this one explaining the project management life cycle.

ProjectManager Helps Manage the Project Life Cycle

ProjectManager is a robust project management software that offers multiple project views and features for each step of the project management life cycle. Here are some of its key project management tools.

Plan, Schedule and Track with Gantt Charts

Our online Gantt chart helps you plan the project, collecting your task list into a timeline. The duration for each task can then be set and each task assigned to a team member. Collaboration happens at the task level on the Gantt chart, where team members can comment and add relevant documents and images. They can even tag those not assigned to the task and they’ll be notified by email.

Multiple Project Management Tools

The Gantt chart is just one of ProjectManager’s project management views. You can also use the kanban view , dashboards, workload charts, timesheets and other tools. Use kanban boards to visualize the workflow, where cards represent the tasks, keeping team members focused on what they’re working on and project managers get a bird’s eye view. Resources can be reallocated and important dates, such as holidays and vacation days, are marked to know who can work when.

Create Project Reports in Minutes

One-click reporting gives project managers the data to present to stakeholders on various aspects of the project. These reports can be filtered to show the information you want and allow for deeper dives as necessary. The real-time dashboard shows project metrics in colorful and easy-to-read graphs and charts, giving you the most accurate picture of your project’s progress.

More Project Management Templates Can Help Manage the Project Life Cycle

We have created dozens of project management templates to help project managers manage each phase of the project life cycle. Here are some of them.

Project Charter Template

The project charter is the main outcome of the project initiation phase. Our free project charter template is a great place to start building your project and get it approved by stakeholders.

Project Plan Template

A project plan is a thorough project management document that guides the project execution. Our free project plan template is fully customizable, so you can include what matters most to your project.

Project Budget Template

Our free project budget template is a great starting point to gather your project tasks, estimate their costs and create a basic project budget. However, if you truly want to use advanced project management features and have full control over your project portfolio, you should try ProjectManager.

Deliver your projects on time and on budget

Start planning your projects.

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Blog Data Visualization What is The Project Life Cycle & its 5 Main Phases?

What is The Project Life Cycle & its 5 Main Phases?

Written by: Midori Nediger Oct 31, 2023

To an outsider, it might seem like the project management process is easy…just talking to clients, scheduling meetings, assigning tasks and reminding team members of deadlines.

But anyone who has managed a project will tell you it’s much more than that, which is why the project life cycle is so useful.

What is a project life cycle?

The project life cycle is a 5-step framework designed to help project managers guide their projects successfully from start to finish. The purpose of the project life cycle is to create an easy-to-follow framework to guide projects.

What are the 5 main stages of the project life cycle?

The project initiation stage : Define project goals, evaluate feasibility and establish the project’s purpose and stakeholders.
The project planning stage : Create a comprehensive project blueprint outlining tasks, timelines and resource allocation .
The project execution stage : Put the project plan into action, ensuring effective communication and coordination among team members.
The project monitoring & controlling stage : Track project progress, identify any deviations and make necessary adjustments to keep the project on course.
The project closure stage : Complete all project tasks, obtain client approval and conduct a thorough review to capture valuable insights for future projects.

Understanding and planning for the 5 stages of the project life cycle can help you manage, organize and plan so your project will go off without a hitch.

A project management life cycle will help:

Ease communication between project teams and stakeholders with the help of agile project management tools
Ensure goals are achievable with the available resources
Help mitigate risk and keep projects on track

But what does each stage of the cycle look like?

1. Project initiation stage: Define project goals, evaluate feasibility and establish the project’s purpose and stakeholders.

The initiation stage of the project management life cycle is when you meet with clients and stakeholders to understand their goals, motivations and hopes for the project.

During this stage the aim is to hash out the high-level goals that must be met for you to consider the project a success. There’s lots of research, discovery and discussion, but very little detailed planning in this phase.

The key project management steps for the initiation stage include:

Identifying project objectives and deliverables
Outlining project risks , dependencies, constraints and priorities
Establishing project scope based on deadlines and available resources
Submitting a project proposal for approval (our proposal maker can help you with that)

We’ve got a more detailed guide to writing a project management plan if you want more information. This covers project management basics along with all the elements that need to be included. You can also get PMP Certification to get specific training on how to do this.

I’ll go through the basics here.

Let’s take a look at what’s involved for each of these tasks.

Kick off the project management process by identifying project objectives and deliverables

Start by talking with your stakeholders or clients to get to know their needs. Try to tease out what’s important to them, what projects they’ve tried in the past and what they hope to see in the future.

From there, you can move on to building out the concrete objectives and deliverables that your team will be responsible for, given the scope of the project and the available resources.

Be sure to document the takeaways from these initial meetings…you’ll want to have a record of the agreed-upon deliverables when it comes to the project closure stage.

Pro-tip: Set S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals. For example: “In 3 months, increase blog conversion rates by 5%”.

Outline project risks, dependencies, constraints and priorities

Once you’ve mapped out the high-level project goals, it’s time to explore all of the variables that might impact the progress of the project, including:

Risks: Factors that can negatively impact the cost, goals, timeline, or results of a project
Dependencies: Relationships between activities or tasks
Constraints: Limiting factors like technology, resources, time and cost

By identifying all of these variables early on you can nip a lot of potential problems in the bud, before they throw off your whole project timeline .

A risk breakdown structure , like the one below, can aid in identifying and assessing all of the risks in your project. A risk breakdown structure is a hierarchical representation of risks, starting with the high-level risks and then breaking it down into more granular risks. It can be an essential tool for project risk management .

Establish project scope based on deadlines and available resources

With a handle on all of the variables at play, you can start breaking the project down into more actionable steps. Set boundaries on project scope based on your deadlines and the resources at your disposal and think about what skill set your future team will need .

Mind maps and flowcharts can be helpful for organizing all of the moving parts to map out what’s reasonable based on project constraints.

Summarize the takeaways of the project initiation stage in a project proposal

All of the details that you establish during the initiation stage should be outlined in a project proposal, the only major deliverable for this initiation stage.

A project proposal is a report that details all of the goals, scope, requirements, budget, participants and deadlines of a project.

Not to be confused with a project plan , which includes a much more in-depth description of how the project will be executed, a project proposal should be no longer than a few pages.

Depending on the complexity of a project, an action plan one-pager, like the one below, might suffice.

Check out our job proposal templates , business proposal templates and consulting proposal templates for more options.

Either way, when you’re a few months into the project, trying to prioritize the work of your team and make decisions that impact the direction of the project, you’ll thank yourself for creating clear documentation of these high-level project goals.

Create a professional looking project life cycle visualization

Make sure your project life cycle visualization sits within your company branding for a truly professional looking design. Venngage Business users can use the My Brand Kit and see their company colors, logos and fonts automatically applied to Venngage templates.

Business users can also invite feedback directly to their design with the Venngage comment feature. Learn more about My Brand Kit, Comment Mode and more features of the Venngage Business account:

2. Project planning stage: Create a comprehensive project blueprint outlining tasks, timelines and resource allocation.

Once your project proposal has been approved, it’s time to move on to the project planning stage of the project life cycle.

The project planning stage is when you create a comprehensive project plan , which involves:

Translating your proposal into a series of actionable tasks and scheduling them in a project roadmap
Documenting processes or workflows that your team will use (you could try using a process infographic for this)
Creating measurable short-term goals from high-level project goals
Addressing potential issues that could derail your roadmap

This project plan will be the source of truth for your team when any questions, conflicts, or issues arise throughout the project.

Let’s dig into the most important major deliverable of the project planning stage: the project roadmap.

Create a project roadmap with project tasks and milestones

Creating a project roadmap is one of the more important project management life cycle steps, crucial for organizing your team and keeping work on track. A project roadmap outlines all of the start and end dates of every major project task (plus any big milestones you’re working towards).

Pro Tip: Use our roadmap maker to create professional, engaging roadmaps.

Gantt charts (like the one below) are a great tool for project roadmapping, because they can show the duration and timing of a number of dependent tasks. They’re perfect for planning and scheduling and eventually monitoring progress throughout the execution stage of the project life cycle.

The best thing about using a Gantt chart for your project roadmap?

You can show a number of concurrent timelines on a single chart , which makes it easy to account for task dependencies.

For example, this Gantt chart template shows project tasks for multiple teams over the course of a few months:

The visual format of a Gantt chart makes visualizing and adjusting for dependencies much easier than a spreadsheet. And because it’s visual, it’s easy for you team to see, understand and give feedback on their upcoming tasks.

Once your roadmap is in place, the last step of the planning stage is to assemble your team and hold a project kickoff, launching you into the next stage of the project life cycle: the execution stage.

Check out this blog post for more Gantt chart templates .

3. Project execution stage: Put the project plan into action, ensuring effective communication and coordination among team members.

The project execution stage is the true start of the project, when you carry out all of the tasks and activities you mapped out in the planning stage.

This is where the majority of the project work takes place and it requires constant monitoring. Expect to adjust your goals and roadmap as you get deeper into the project.

As a project manager, your main responsibilities of the project execution stage are to:

Monitor and control the execution process, reviewing the quality of the team’s output
Adjust and update tasks, goals and deadlines to meet changing conditions
Communicate between your team and the project stakeholders

Create status reports to communicate execution progress throughout the project management process

Although most of your time during the execution stage of the project management process will be spent monitoring and adjusting to keep the project on track, you’ll also need to keep stakeholders up to date with any changes to the project status.

Using a project status report template , like the one below, will help make sure you don’t leave out any pertinent details when you’re communicating with stakeholders.

For example, this status report includes an overview of project performance so far, plus up-to-date project milestones:

While this status report template is shorter, focused around an executive summary, but includes space for notes from every team representative:

KPIs and budget updates should also be included, if you have any.

4. Project monitoring & controlling stage: track project progress, identify any deviations and make necessary adjustments

The monitoring and controlling stage of a project is a critical phase that ensures project activities align with the predetermined objectives and milestones.

During this phase, project managers and stakeholders closely oversee project progress, assess performance and make necessary adjustments to keep the project on track.

Effective monitoring and controlling practices are essential for mitigating risks, identifying potential issues and ensuring the project’s timely completion within the allocated budget.

During the monitoring and controlling stage of a project, the key project management steps include:

Measure and assess the project’s progress against the project plan and key performance indicators.
Identify and manage potential risks that could impact project objectives, and implement strategies to mitigate these risks.
Monitor and evaluate the quality of project deliverables to ensure they meet predefined standards and client expectations.
Assess and handle any changes to project scope, schedule or resources effectively, while considering their potential impact on the project.
Maintain open lines of communication with stakeholders, keeping them informed about the project’s progress and addressing any concerns or issues promptly.
Identify and address any project issues or conflicts that may arise, aiming to resolve them efficiently to prevent delays or disruptions.

Create a quality control checklist to maintain consistent quality standards throughout the project lifecycle

To systematically evaluate each deliverable against established quality benchmarks can take a lot of time. A great tip for project managers is to use a quality control checklist to quickly identify any deviations or discrepancies and take corrective actions to maintain the overall quality of the project.

Quality control checklists help in maintaining consistent quality standards throughout the project. By defining specific quality criteria, project managers can ensure that all deliverables meet the same level of quality, thereby enhancing the overall project integrity and customer satisfaction.

These checklists enable the early identification of any deficiencies or discrepancies in the project deliverables. By detecting quality issues early in the project lifecycle, quality control checklists help in minimizing the need for rework and additional corrections.

Here’s a quality control checklist template you can use in the monitoring and controlling stage of your project:

5. Project closure stage: analyze results, summarize key learnings and plan next steps

Once you’ve achieved your project goals and the results have been signed off on by your stakeholders, it’s time for the project closure stage.

In the project closure stage of the project management process, you:

Hand off deliverables
Release team members and project resources
Analyze project performance in a project retrospective

A project retrospective is as much about reviewing the success of the project as it is about extracting learnings that can apply to future projects. Projects will never go without obstacles and there will always be things to learn that will ease the progress of other projects.

There are many ways to run a project retrospective meeting , but you should try to identify your biggest wins and losses and come up with solutions. If you’re an external consultant, you might even ask your client for feedback .

Keep track of your notes somewhere that will be accessible by your whole team, like a shared spreadsheet (or send out an email after the meeting):

Another duty of a project manager in the project closure phase can be to analyze the performance of the team, based on the quality of their work and how well they were able to meet deadlines.

These performance reviews can be delivered to team members (or higher-ups) in the form of an easy to read visual summary, like the one below:

But remember…your project isn’t complete until all of your documents have been handed over and approved by your client or stakeholder.

Use Venngage to communicate your progress throughout the project life cycle

Any project manager worth their salt knows that clear communication is the backbone of any successful project. Venngage helps you make your communication visual , so that you can wow clients and keep your team aligned.

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What Is The Project Life Cycle: The 5 Phases Explained

What Is The Project Life Cycle?

What Are The 5 Phases Of The Project Management Life Cycle?

1. Project Initiation Phase

Key Steps During Project Initiation

2. Project Planning Phase

Key Steps For Project Planning

3. Project Execution Phase

Key Steps For Project Execution

4. Project Monitoring & Controlling Phase

Key Steps For Project Monitoring And Controlling

5. Project Closure Phase

Key Steps For Project Closure

Why Is The Project Life Cycle Important?

When The Project Life Cycle Gets Complex

How To Easily Share Digital Assets: 6 Expert Best Practices

Project Management: Project Life Cycle Report

Introduction

ITS Project Management Office

1. Project Initiation

2. Project Planning

3. Project Execution

4. Project Monitoring and Control

5. Project Closure

Mastering the project life cycle: Your complete guide (+ examples)

What is a project life cycle?

Project life cycle definition

Characteristics of the project life cycle include:

Types of project life cycles

1. Predictive (or waterfall) life cycle

2. Iterative life cycle

3. Incremental life cycle

4. Agile (or adaptive) life cycle

5. Hybrid life cycle

The phases of a project life cycle

Phase 1: Initiation—kicking things off

Phase 2: Planning—the foundation of your entire project

Workload planning tools for happier teams and smoother projects

Phase 3: Execution (or implementation)—getting the work done

Phase 4: Monitoring (or controlling)—tracking progress against the plan

Phase 5: Closure—wrapping things up

Advantages and disadvantages of project life cycle

Advantages of project life cycle

Disadvantages of project life cycle

Critical success factors across the project life cycle

Project life cycle examples

Example 1: Website redesign

Example 2: Developing software

The bottom line on project life cycles

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