project life cycle case study

PM Study Circle

Project Life Cycle: Definition, Stages, Types & Example

Fahad Usmani, PMP

July 1, 2022

Definition: All projects follow a work pattern known as a project life cycle . A project life cycle decides the way the project will deliver the deliverable.

To put it simply, a project life cycle is the project progression through each step from beginning to end. The number of cycles of stages and their order may fluctuate based on the organization and the type of project.

However, because all projects are temporary, they have a distinct start and end date. The project life cycle provides the fundamental framework for the tasks to follow throughout the project, regardless of the type of labor.

The four interrelated stages that must be followed are included in the project life cycle.

Every project phase has a start date, an end date, and a control point. The goal of the control point is to reassess the feasibility of project continuation. To find out if the project is on track, you can compare its performance. The project life cycle describes the procedures for managing a project from start to finish.

Stages of the Project Life Cycle

According to the PMBOK Guide, a project life cycle has four stages:

• Starting the Project
• Organizing and Preparing
• Carrying out the work
• Closing the Project

#1. Starting the Project

This stage includes getting a commitment from stakeholders, including management and team, obtaining commitments from project stakeholders , such as management, the team, and the sponsor , gathering project requirements, and establishing the project’s scope of work , cost, and resources, among other things, are all part of this stage.

In this phase, the project brief is created, and it is decided what must be done to successfully complete the project.

You will determine the project’s stakeholders and make sure they all understand the project’s goal and business case. Establishing a plan to fulfill the project objectives is a key step.

Key Steps For This Stage

• Review the business case for the project.
• Conduct a feasibility study to analyze if the project is worthy of proceeding.
• Conduct cost-benefit analysis
• Create a project charter. 
• Define the project’s vision, purpose, and objectives.
• Determine the broad scope and project deliverables , and final output.
• Determining the rough order estimate for the project.
• Identify key risks, assumptions, and constraints.
• Determine the key stakeholders.

#2. Organizing and Preparing

Project planning starts once the project team has been given the go-ahead signal in the starting phase.

The planning process identifies the scope of work and develops a plan to complete the project. 

In this stage, you find answers to the following questions:

• What precisely do we intend to do?
• How will we accomplish this?
• When will we carry it out?
• How can we tell when we’ve finished?

The project manager decides how their team will achieve the project objectives.

• Define the project plan
• Planning for resources
• Resource allocation
• Task delegation
• Define project management metrics
• Define Key Performance Indicator
• Develop the project baselines
• Achievements
• Recording customer expectations
• Success metrics

#3. Carrying Out the work

The plans created in the previous stage are implemented during this stage. The project manager will allocate resources to concerned team members in order to finish the work.

In addition to performing the job, the project manager will keep track of it in relation to benchmarks like cost, schedule, and scope. They take corrective and preventative measures if there is any deviance.

They also keep an eye on hazards; if any materialize, they ensure the risk response strategy is implemented.

• Carrying out a strategy.
• Finishing work.
• Monitoring progress
• Controlling risk

This stage helps reduce conflict costs by controlling risk throughout the project. It also helps in reducing the risks of being over budget and spayed schedule.

#4. Closing the Project

This is the final stage of the project life cycle.

Project closure involves a product delivery, retrospective, lessons learned , performance analysis, etc.

But the project’s not over yet.

The project manager can hold a post-project review (post mortem) meeting to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the project and team. This meeting helps find what went right, wrong, and not so well and identify steps for future improvements.

Performance Evaluation of a Project: To determine if the project was on track or if there were deviations, the project manager evaluates the project performance in relation to the baselines and compares it with the project baselines.

You will find answers to the following questions:

• Were there any unexpected risks? 
• What problems developed?
• If yes, how successful were they handled?
• Has the project plan been modified?

Team Evaluation: Here, you will find answers to the following questions:

• Did everyone do their tasks as directed? 
• Were they driven and enthusiastic enough? 
• Did they continue to be careful and responsible? 
• Was the project team’s collaboration productive and healthy?

Project Closure: This entails concluding procurement contracts with suppliers, approving agreements, releasing the team, and delivering all required project paperwork.

Reviewing After Implementation: Carry out a comprehensive analysis of the accomplishments and failures, compiling the lessons learned and recommendations for future projects.

Type of Project Life Cycle

A project can have one of the following life cycles:

• Predictive Life Cycle
• Adaptive Life Cycle
• Iterative Life Cycle
• Incremental Life Cycle
• Hybrid Life Cycle

#1. Predictive Life Cycle

The predictive life cycle is also known as the waterfall life cycle.

This is the traditional form of project management where a project manager develops the complete project management plan at the beginning and then follows it until the project completes. Here, you plan the work and then work the plan.

Since the scope of work is fixed, this cycle is known as the predictive life cycle. In this method, the chances of changes are low. However, if the change occurs, it costs a lot.

#2. Adaptive Life Cycle

An adaptive life cycle is also known as a change-driven life cycle.

As the name suggests, this life cycle welcomes changes. The project is divided into increments, and deliverables are delivered and refined until the client is satisfied. All activities are performed multiple times.

Since it is cyclic, it is easy to make changes to the deliverable and incorporate clients’ feedback.

#3. Iterative Life Cycle

The iterative and predictive life cycles are comparable. Here, the project management team creates the plan in advance and iterates it to account for adjustments.

In this case, the first iteration aims to create a basic product with minimal viability, and the following iteration enhances it further.

#4. Incremental Life Cycle

The incremental life cycle is similar to the adaptive life cycle. 

Here, the project manager delivers small, usable pieces of deliverables to the client, and based on the feedback; the product is refined and developed. 

All increments are added in the final iteration to deliver the complete product. 

#5. Hybrid Life Cycle

The hybrid life cycle is a hybrid of life cycles discussed in this post. It can be any combination of life cycles. A project manager is responsible for selecting the life cycle best suited for their project.

Significance of the Project Life Cycle

The project life cycle is significant because it is what project managers lead and facilitate.

Every project involves the same steps: defining its goals, developing a strategy to achieve the goals, and carrying it out. Although various organizations may use different terminology to describe the phases of the project life cycle, they are fundamentally the same.

A project is started to address a problem. Decide on a solution, create a plan to implement it, then identify the problem. The project manager must keep track of the implementation process to ensure the plan has the expected impact.

Offers a Framework to Execute Projects

A project life cycle provides a systematic method for project delivery. This allows project managers to track the project’s progress and determine the issues with deliverables or a process. A project life cycle framework provides teams with a uniform road plan to follow. It helps define each phase’s tasks, results, and allocated duties.

Enhances Team Communication

A framework is accessible to and understood by all project stakeholders; it helps facilitate communication and define roles and responsibilities in the project.

Team members easily comprehend what they should do throughout each step. Resource planning avoids wasted and ensures its availability whenever they are required. Most resources are required in the third stage of the project life cycle.

Helps Measure Progress and Development.

A project life cycle offers a structure for organizing and planning each stage of the project. Plans, benchmarks, key performance indicators, project metrics, etc., will be available. You can check the status and determine whether the progress is on track by comparing it to the project baselines.

During the Definition phase, the project management plans are created, including the risk management plan and quality plans. The different product components are developed during the Implementation phase, which is further separated into Design and Build stages.

Allows Project’s Evolution

The stages of the project life cycle give insight into how the project progresses and enable the identification of areas that need special attention, such as risk management in the early phases and project evaluation in the execution stage. The project details expand every next step.

As the project moves forward, the plans are developed and elaborated, and the cost baseline , schedule baseline , and scope baseline are improved.

Helps Organize Reviews and Improve Governance.

Since the project lifecycle will outline when the Project Evaluation Review takes place, the project manager can schedule the performance reports’ completion before the reviews.

It permits people who must attend in advance, enabling quick “go or no go” decisions on product development. The project is feasible and on time, and these monthly evaluations reassure stakeholders that early accomplishments have been validated.

On the other hand, if the project proves to be unprofitable, they might act as exit routes.

Limitations of Project Life Cycle

Following are the disadvantages of the project life cycle:

• The works conclude after the completion of the final stage.
• High risks and uncertainty .
• It is not the best choice for tricky and complicated projects.
• It is not a correct framework for object-oriented projects.
• Implementing the project life cycle for longer projects is challenging and out of place.
• The progress is challenging to measure at every stage as the project progresses.

Example Of Project Life Cycle 

Let’s use a road construction project as an example.

North India’s highways will be designed and built by an Indian construction company. The project manager focused on describing and learning about the team’s capabilities to manage a significant project throughout the project’s initiation phase.

After setting up three offices, the project team began creating project blueprints and applying for permits.

During the planning phase, the project team designed the project schedule that conformed to the design, procurement, and construction activities. The team was able to monitor project expenditures against anticipated spending thanks to a thorough budget created by the project controls division.

The project design department produced conceptual concepts and gave the procurement division precise drawings. This aids the procurement department in setting up the road construction plan, designing and developing labor projections, and ordering equipment for the construction crew.

The project’s work is carried out during the implementation phase. Equipment, materials, and employees were provided to the construction crew throughout the implementation phase. The project team finished the task and met the goals.

The newly built roadways are made accessible to users as part of the closeout phase. A punch list of unfinished business was created. The financial records were balanced and closed. As the project manager transitions to a new project, final reports are produced and disseminated.

To complete a project, stakeholders must understand the project life cycle. A project management life cycle provides a framework for organizations to understand the project, its requirements, and processes that help them complete the project successfully with the least hurdle.

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.

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The Importance of Following the Project Life Cycle: A Case Study

by Vijay Kumar, PMP | Aug 21, 2023 | Project Management | 0 comments

Table of Contents

Project life cycle

The project life cycle is a series of phases that a project goes through from inception to completion. These phases involve different activities, tasks, and milestones that help manage the project and ensure that it meets stakeholders’ requirements. The project life cycle is a fundamental concept in project management, and understanding its different phases is crucial for managing projects successfully.

In this article, we will discuss the different phases of the project life cycle, their importance, and the activities that take place in each phase.

Phase 1: Initiation

The initiation phase marks the beginning of the project life cycle. During this phase, the project’s purpose and objectives are defined, and the project team is established. This phase is critical because it sets the foundation for the project’s success. The key activities that take place in this phase include:

• Identifying the project stakeholders and their requirements.

• Defining the project scope, objectives, and deliverables.

• Conducting a feasibility study to determine if the project is viable.

• Creating a project charter to formally authorize the project.

Phase 2: Planning

The planning phase is where the project team develops the project plan. The project plan is a comprehensive document that outlines how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. This phase is critical because it provides a roadmap for the project and ensures that all key stakeholders are aligned. The key activities that take place in this phase include:

• Developing a detailed project schedule.

• Defining the project budget and resource requirements.

• Identifying project risks and developing a risk mitigation plan.

• Creating a communication plan to ensure stakeholders are informed about project progress.

Phase 3: Execution

The execution phase is where the project team completes the actual work to deliver the project’s objectives. This phase is the longest and most critical phase in the project life cycle. During this phase, the project managers closely monitor the project’s progress and make any necessary adjustments to ensure that the project is on track. The key activities that take place in this phase include:

• Managing project resources to deliver project deliverables.

• Motivating and managing project team members to ensure they deliver their tasks on time and to the required standards.

• Monitoring project progress and making any necessary adjustments.

• Managing project stakeholders’ expectations and ensuring they are kept informed of the project’s progress.

Phase 4: Monitoring & Control

The monitoring and control phase is where the project team closely monitors the project’s progress to ensure it meets the defined objectives. This phase is critical because it ensures that the project is on track, and any deviations from the plan are addressed proactively. The key activities that take place in this phase include:

• Monitoring project progress against the baseline plan.

• Tracking project costs against the budget.

• Identifying and addressing any deviations from the project plan.

• Managing project risks and ensuring the risk mitigation plan is effective.

Phase 5: Closure

The closure phase marks the end of the project life cycle. During this phase, the project is formally closed out, and the necessary documentation is completed. This phase is critical because it ensures that the project’s objectives have been met, and any outstanding issues are resolved. The key activities that take place in this phase include:

• Conducting a final project review to ensure that all project objectives have been met.

• Creating a final project report to document the project’s outcomes.

• Closing out project accounts and completing any necessary financial paperwork.

• Handing over the project deliverables to the client and obtaining formal acceptance.

In conclusion, a project’s life cycle consists of different phases that take the project from inception to completion. Each phase has its unique set of activities and objectives that, when executed effectively, provide the foundation for successful project delivery. Therefore, project managers need to understand the different project life cycle phases and allocate the necessary resources to ensure that each phase is executed effectively. By doing so, they can ensure that the project objectives are met, and the stakeholders’ expectations are fulfilled, leading to increased project success rates.

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Project Lifecycle Selection Case Study

Activity Time

60 to 90 minutes depending upon the number of groups (5 minutes briefing, 30 minutes for teams to do group discussion and to prepare their answers and 10 minutes for each team to deliver a presentation.

• Printout of this case study
• Whiteboard or easel pads for each group
• Sharpies/markers/pen/post-it notes
• PMI Agile practice guide, third module “Life Cycle Selection” (optional)

Activity and Description

• Depending on the number of people in the room, divide the large group into multiple subgroups about the size of four to five members in each
• Handover the following case study, ask them to read and present their solution to the rest of the class

Project Life Cycle Selection for New Payment System

Founded in 2011, the “Wealth Easy” was one of the fastest online wealth management companies focused on making an investment and saving easier for everyone. After detail options analysis, the executive board approved the strategic program to move to the new payment processing system. The payment processing system is the backbone of the organization, and it is critical for their earnings to process transaction promptly.

You are part of the project leadership team responsible for the planning and execution of this strategic program. Your first assignment to propose the life cycle to the executive board, you have a choice to use any approach (predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, and hybrid)

Agile practice guide refers to the following four types of project life cycles:

Predictive life cycle : A more traditional approach, with the bulk of planning occurring upfront, then executing in a single pass; a sequential process. This approach takes advantage of things that are known and proven. The plan drives the work. Value is only delivered at the end.

Iterative life cycle : An approach that allows feedback for unfinished work to improve and modify future outcomes. Prototypes and proofs are planned, and the outputs are intended to modify the plans at the beginning. When complexity is high or when there are frequent changes or scope is unknown.

  Incremental life cycle : An approach that provides finished deliverables in steps that the customer may use immediately. Here we plan to deliver successive subsets of the overall project. The team may deviate from the original vision. It uncovers hidden or misunderstood requirements.

  Agile life cycle : An approach that is both iterative and incremental to refine work items and deliver frequently. Here we plan and re-pan as more information becomes available.

* Agile Practice Guide Published by Project Management Institute, 2017

Key highlights :

• The total budget allocated to the project is $8M
• The project is the highest priority in the organization
• Two development teams (nine members each) are dedicated for this initiative
• Development team estimated six months of development time
• Significant coordination is required with all ten partners. This includes briefing partners on the overall execution plan, get their commitment, provide training to required staff, manage and provide stabilization support
• Company financial year ends on March 31, all transactions after this day must happen on the new system

Requirements :

Your team required to prepare maximum ten minutes presentation to the executive board and ensure to cover the following areas:

• Assess and present the pros and cons of each life cycle approach
• Choose one life cycle approach best suited for the project and clearly highlight the advantage and reasons for your selection
• What will be the overall project management strategy
• What will be the governance structure
• Implementation roadmap and with key milestones
• Highlight the top three risks and their mitigation strategies

Facilitator Notes:

• The project has a hard delivery date; it would be interesting to observe how the team manage this risk in their plan
• You can also ask groups about how they are planning to manage contracts, evaluations, procurement, hiring, and budgets, especially if any team selected Agile as their preferred approach
• You can emphasize the fact that ONE life cycle may not work perfectly in all situations; leaders must think strategically and keep the big picture
• The ideal time to run this activity is after explaining the characteristics of the life cycle module (refer to chapter three of Agile practice guide)

Download the Project Lifecycle Case Study pdf

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Definition of project life cycle: Exploring the 5 phases

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When you’re starting a big project, establishing a foundation for success is crucial.  However, it can be tough to figure out where to begin. One key to success is understanding the project life cycle – a series of stages a project goes through from start to finish.

The project life cycle includes five main stages: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure. Keeping an eye on the completion of each phase helps ensure the project stays on time and within budget. 

In this article, we’ll explore the definition of project life cycle in depth and show how tools like Jira can streamline and enhance each stage of the process.

What is the project life cycle?

The project management life cycle provides a structured plan for project managers to guide their projects to successful completion. It includes all the stages needed in a project – from the inception of an idea to the final implementation.

When project managers have a clear understanding of the various project management phases , they can see the big picture and better know how to handle each stage. These phases break the project down into simpler steps, making it easier for project managers to anticipate what’s coming next. This, in turn, helps them stay on track and ensure the project’s success. Using the right tools and methods also contributes to effective team management throughout the project life cycle.

The 5 project life cycle phases

The project life cycle outlines the different stages a project goes through from start to finish. It encompasses several key phases, each addressing different needs as the project progresses. This framework offers a high-level view of the project’s evolution, ensuring you hit important milestones along the way. There are typically five project life cycle phases : initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure. 

Initiation is where you define the goals, scope, budget, and timeline. Planning follows, focusing on creating a detailed action plan. Execution then carries out the plans to deliver the product. Once the project begins, you must monitor the project and control for any deviations from the plan. Finally, closure involves wrapping up tasks, obtaining project acceptance, and archiving records.

Even though the names and exact number of phases may differ, most project life cycles follow a similar pattern of planning, execution, and closure. The key is to have a structured approach that helps manage resources, timelines, and deliverables as the project moves from one stage to the next. 

Throughout the phases, project managers monitor and control their teams' efforts, tracking progress and adjusting work as needed to keep the project on schedule and within budget.

Initiation phase

The initiation phase marks the beginning of a project, with the project manager defining the scope and objectives. During this phase, it’s vital to align stakeholders on common goals and lay the foundation for a successful project.

Next, the project manager creates a project charter , outlining the purpose, goals, and scope of the project. This charter includes the following key information:

• Project purpose and justification
• Main objectives and deliverables
• Key stakeholders and team members

Initial schedule and budget estimates

The project manager also conducts a feasibility assessment to determine if the project is realistic and worthwhile.

Planning phase

During the planning phase, the project manager develops a detailed project plan and roadmap . This involves determining key scheduling details, resource allocation, and risks that could impact the project. The goal is to create a comprehensive map of how the team will execute the work.

Jira Product Discovery (JPD) helps gather and organize product ideas, features, and solutions, creating custom, up-to-date roadmaps that show which features the team will build, when, and why. JPD helps project managers identify and prioritize ideas or features that will have the most substantial impact on the project's success. 

Execution phase

During the execution phase, the team puts the project plan into action. The project manager plays a key role in coordinating resources, including people, tools, and materials, while also ensuring the team is well-informed about their individual tasks and timelines.

Jira Software (JSW) and Jira Work Management (JWM) offer simplified project tracking and enable seamless project management across both software and business teams, all while accommodating each team's unique working style. Jira Software is an Agile project management tool, while Jira Work Management (JWM) is a collaboration tool that helps teams track work activities.

Jira provides end-to-end management of this critical stage. The platform handles the day-to-day demands of executing complex projects, freeing up teams to focus on delivering work rather than struggling with spreadsheets and disjointed tools.

With Jira Software and Jira Work Management, project managers can assign tasks, set deadlines, and automate reminders so nothing slips through the cracks. With all their work in one place, they can understand how each task impacts the timeline and budget. This allows for immediate adjustments to keep the project moving forward.

Monitoring and controlling phase

The monitoring and controlling phase involves regularly checking project progress and team performance to ensure everything adheres to the project plan.

During this phase, the project manager identifies any deviations from the plan and budget, determining the cause to take corrective action. Tools such as status reports, time tracking, budget reports, risk management plans, and stakeholder reviews make it easy to see the most important metrics and milestones. To make changes to the plan, team members should submit a change request for approval. 

Closing phase

The closing phase marks the formal end of a project. During this phase, the focus is on getting final approvals and sign-offs, conducting a post-project review, identifying what went well, determining areas for improvement, and documenting lessons learned. These activities foster a culture of continuous learning and promote accountability and transparency.

Agile approaches to the project life cycle

In traditional project management, teams typically establish a fixed plan that does not change. Agile project management , on the other hand, allows for changes to the project plan. In the Agile methodology , teams engage in short, frequent check-ins and make adjustments. This approach focuses on iterative development, customer collaboration, and adaptability. The best methodology depends on the project type.

Scrum is a widely adopted Agile methodology in which Scrum teams work in time-boxed iterations, with daily stand-up meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and plans. In Kanban , another Agile methodology, teams visualize workflows using a Kanban board, allowing them to prioritize tasks and maintain a smooth workflow.

Benefits of effective project life cycle management

Effective project life cycle management streamlines processes in several ways:

• Improved project visibility: Teams can proactively remove obstacles to ensure timely, high-quality results. This enables more effective decision-making.
• Better risk management: Teams can spot risks early and find solutions. Regular risk checks ensure projects stay on time and avoid costly delays or failure.

Enhanced stakeholder communication: With regular updates, progress reports, and meetings, participants stay more informed and involved throughout the project life cycle.

Project managers can use Jira tools to organize and prioritize ideas, making it easy to create and share custom roadmaps with the team.

• Jira Software breaks large projects into manageable tasks, tracks progress, and encourages teamwork.
• Jira Work Management is a simplified work management solution for business teams that enables project collaboration and organization.
• Jira Product Discovery works with JSW and JWM, providing context for and visibility into software development projects, business tasks, and more.

Ensure a successful project life cycle with Jira Product Discovery

Jira Software, a popular project management tool, offers several features and project planning templates to streamline processes and provide context and visibility for projects.

JPD helps with planning, tracking, and managing project phases. With JPD, product teams can neatly gather and organize product ideas, opportunities, features, and solutions within a centralized tool. This helps in the  prioritization of features to find those with the most significant impact.

JSW and JWM are effective project management tools that natively integrate with JPD, providing context for and visibility of all project tasks.

JWM, specifically designed for work management, encourages teamwork and collaboration. JSW, an Agile project management tool, integrates smoothly with JWM, simplifying project management.

Project life cycle: Frequently asked questions

How does agile differ from traditional project life cycles.

Agile and traditional project life cycle approaches differ significantly in their approach to change and planning. Agile is known for its flexibility and iterative nature, embracing change and promoting continuous review and adaptation. As the project progresses, the team continuously gathers new information, insights, and feedback, allowing them to understand what works and what doesn't. This enables them to make dynamic adjustments to the project plan to make it more effective and aligned with the project's goals.

Traditional approaches are more sequential and rigid. Project managers conduct detailed planning upfront, and the team adheres closely to the plan. In this approach, change is challenging to accommodate.

Each approach has advantages, but Agile is better suited for projects where change is expected or necessary.

How does project life cycle management contribute to organizational growth?

Project life cycle management helps teams optimize the utilization of resources, including people and tools. This improved efficiency allows teams to complete projects on time, contributing to the success of the organization.

What are the potential challenges faced during the project life cycle?

Project management can be complex and challenging, requiring careful attention to potential obstacles, such as scope creep, resource constraints, and communication breakdowns.

Scope creep happens when project requirements expand beyond what the team decided at the start of the project, leading to insufficient resources, delays, and deviations from the project plan. Change control processes help eliminate scope creep. Project managers must check the project's scope often, communicate changes, and involve stakeholders to make sure any changes match the project goals.

Resource constraints can cause delays, jeopardizing successful project completion. To overcome these resource issues, check your resources early in the project planning . Create a backup plan ahead of time. This is how you can find potential problems and think of solutions, like getting outside help or shifting your resources.

Productivity suffers when there are communication breakdowns , which encompass insufficient communication, disagreements, and poor collaboration. Creating a culture where people are happy to share information within the project team and holding regular meetings, both formal and casual, can keep everyone on the same page and prevent communication breakdowns. Project management tools, such as Jira, simplify communication, track progress, and simplify information sharing.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Related Content

• Project Management: The Ultimate Guide
• Project Execution Strategies
• Project Initiation: How to Start Your Project Off Right
• 5 Steps to Project Closure (Checklist Included)

ProjectManager is an award-winning project management solution that assists you in all aspects of project management. Online planning tools and web-based task management features let you collaborate on the go and make adjustments. Then, create comprehensive reports from the data with only a few clicks. Try it for yourself by taking this free 30-day trial today.

Deliver your projects on time and under budget

Start planning your projects.

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

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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The Project Life Cycle: Selection

By: Jaume Ribera

One of the ways to study how projects are managed is by reviewing the different stages along the project life cycle. In this note we explore the first of these stages, the selection of projects.…

• Length: 20 page(s)
• Publication Date: Feb 24, 2011
• Discipline: Operations Management
• Product #: IES427-PDF-ENG

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One of the ways to study how projects are managed is by reviewing the different stages along the project life cycle. In this note we explore the first of these stages, the selection of projects. Project selection is usually not considered part of the traditional project management body of knowledge, as we usually assume that the job of managing a project starts when the project has already been selected. However, many problems encountered during the life of a project can be traced to a wrong selection of which projects to do and which to reject. Issues about the alignment of the projects with the intended strategy or, even more often, the selection of too many projects create situations that are impossible to resolve later on.

Feb 24, 2011

Discipline:

Operations Management

IES427-PDF-ENG

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Project phases: An overview with real examples

• by Adrian Neumeyer

Project management phases: the simple view

• Preparation phase
• Execution phase
• Closing phase
• A building is finalized and the customer makes his final inspection.
• Employees are trained for a new process to be used in a company.
• A product is packaged and shipped to the customer. That sort of stuff.

A closer look at the project phases

The 5 project management phases:.

• Project Concept & Initiation
• Project Definition and Planning
• Project Launch or Execution
• Project Performance & Control
• Project Close

Phase 1: Project Concept & Initiation

Phase 2: project planning.

95% of your project’s success depends on how well you plan things

• Define roles and responsibilities  – What kind of skills or people do you need in the project? And what do you expect from each of those members?
• Create a scope statement  – The scope statement is a document which clearly states what the project is expected to deliver. It also defines the boundaries, i.e. what is not expected from the project.
• Create a project plan (Gantt chart)  – Create a project Gantt chart to visualize the flow of the project. This will give everyone on the team clarity on what has to be done by when. Need a good template? Get my project plan template for Excel .
• Define key milestones  – Milestones are goals which have to be accomplished during the project. A milestone could be specification completed or product prototype completed .
• Set up a communication plan  – A simple table which shows how the team and stakeholders will communicate throught the project. Communication can happen in the form of meetings or by email.
• Perform a risk analysis  – It is always better to be prepared for issues than to be surprised. Do a risk analysis to identify the most critical risks and have a “plan B” ready in your pocket.

Phase 3: Project Launch or Execution

Phase 4: project performance & control.

• Are the project targets being met?  – Projects are launched with a specific purpose in mind. As project manager, you should constantly monitor whether the project is on track to meet those targets.
• Are we still within budget?  – Tracking effort and cost is one of the necessary (but most disliked) tasks of a PM. Set aside a few hours for it every month, and get my project budget template to make your life easy.
• Are we deviating from scope?  – Every now and then, a project will face unforeseen changes. The customer may say: ‘I’ve changed my mind. I want the building to be painted blue, not orange.’   Such change request have to be evaluated by the project team. Maybe the changes require extra budget or require special skills to be implemented.

Phase 5: Project Close

Don’t let the project phases restrict you, do you have any questions, got a question need some help.

Have a question about this article? Need some assistance with this topic (or anything else)?  Send it in and I’ll get back to you personally. 

Hi! I'm Adrian, former Senior IT Project Manager and founder of Tactical Project Manager. I created the site to help you become an excellent project leader and manage intense projects with success!

View all posts

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The Easy Guide to Understanding the Phases of Project Management Lifecycle

Updated on: 5 January 2023

Keeping your project on track from beginning to end while preventing the misuse of resources, time and money depends on how well you manage the project lifecycle phases. 

Now, based on the type of project and its requirements, the number of phases of project management lifecycle may change; but in this post we will discuss all five of them and the steps you should follow during each.

What is Project Life Cycle?

The project life cycle is a process that project managers follow through when completing a project. It includes a sequence of phases that a project goes through from its initiation to closure. 

What are the Five Stages of the Project Life Cycle?

Breaking down projects into several stages actually makes it easier to manage and control it, and work on improving its quality.

Project Initiation

The first phase of initiation will lay the foundation for the next few stages of project management. This is where you will define the project at a broad level. 

Here you will,

• Evaluate the value and the feasibility of the project in order to decide whether to move forward with it. During the feasibility study you will look into whether you can meet the project requirements with the available resources and develop a business case . 
• Identify the stakeholders of the project. Here you will conduct a stakeholder analysis to identify them and their needs and prioritize them based on their influence. 
• Identify the deliverables of the project. You can use milestones to break complex deliverables into smaller parts, so it’s easier to track. 
• Define the purpose and requirements (such as the resources, budget and time needed) of the project. Create a project charter or project initiation document including this information. It should also list down the business needs, objectives, stakeholders and project risks.  

Useful Resources 

The Easy Guide to Stakeholder Management

9 Visual Tools to Gather Requirements for Your Software

Project Planning

In the planning phase of the project management life cycle, you will work out a strategy for performing the project steps or in other words determine what exactly needs to be done to achieve the goals you have defined earlier. 

Here you will, 

• Start with clearly defining the goals of the project and the project scope. You can use the SMART criteria which guides you to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. 
• Layout what needs to be done and create a work breakdown structure that will help you break down the project into manageable tasks based on project deliverables.
• Creating milestone charts or Gantt charts where you can display the key milestones and product roadmaps outlining the project timeline and the project milestones for the team

Project schedule template

Product roadmap template

• Estimate and allocate the necessary resources and put together a competent team and clarify their roles and responsibilities.

• Create a risk management plan by identifying the potential risks that could hinder the progress of the project and outlining the steps you need to take to mitigate them. 
• Create a communications plan specifying your communications strategy for stakeholders.

• Do a cost analysis to make sure that everything fits within your budget. And establish performance measures based on project scope, cost and schedule to assess progress and ensure that the project will stay on track.

Useful Resources;

The Visual Guide to Planning a Project

The Ultimate List of Visual Risk Management Techniques

The Easy Guide to Creating an Effective Communications Plan

Using Gantt Charts and Flowcharts in Project Planning

Project Execution

In the execution phases you implement what you have planned. The job of the project manager here is to keep an eye out for errors and supervise the team while making sure that everyone sticks to the original plan. 

• Create workflow diagrams or process maps that outline the steps the team/ individual needs to take to complete each milestone and procuring the resources that are required.

• Hold a project kickoff meeting where you can run through the workflow diagrams, milestone charts, work breakdown structures etc. that you have created with your team. Help them understand what exactly is expected of them. 
• Communicate project updates to stakeholders and hold status meetings as necessary 
• Track progress and update project schedules and make changes to project plans as required

The Easy Guide to Workflows | With Editable Workflow Templates

Project Monitoring

This phase requires the project manager to monitor the project performance and communicating the status to stakeholders. 

You can use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as sticking to the timeline, keeping the budget under control, successfully delivering project outcomes etc. to measure the progress. 

As needed, come up with ways to optimize the performance and make changes to the project management plan to make sure it brings out the best performance.  

Project Closure

This phase marks the closure of the project when the final outcome is delivered. You can leverage the lesson learnt to optimize the project processes and team efforts during future projects. 

 Here you will, 

• Release the resources that were used for the project and allocate them including what is remaining of the budget for future projects.  
• Assess the success of the project and share the reports with the stakeholders. Identify what worked and what didn’t and properly document the information for future reference. 
• Evaluate how the team has performed and brief them on where they need to improve and recognize them for their success.  
• Formally terminate any contractors who were hired for the project. 
• Together with the team create a plan to finish the tasks that were not completed during the project

The end of the project life cycle can be marked with a closing meeting or a party to celebrate the success and congratulate the team. 

What’s Your Project Management Strategy? 

Every project, big or small, simple or complex goes through these few phases. It’s the job of the project manager to have a solid project lifecycle management strategy in place to keep everything on track. 

What’s your strategy? Do share your experience with us in the comment section below.

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Agile Software Development Life Cycle: Case Study

Learn more about our agile software development life cycle from our Mitsubishi case study.

Any software development project, either big or small, requires a great deal of planning and steps that divide the entire development process into several smaller tasks that can be assigned to specific people, completed, measured, and evaluated. Agile Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), is the process for doing exactly that – planning, developing, testing, and deploying information systems. The benefit of agile SDLC is that project managers can omit, split, or mix certain steps depending on the project’s scope while maintaining the efficiency of the development process and the integrity of the development life cycle. 

Today, we are going to examine a software development life cycle case study from one of Intersog’s previous projects to show how agility plays a crucial role in the successful delivery of the final product. Several years back, we worked with Mitsubishi Motors helping one of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to develop a new supply chain management system. With the large scope of the project, its complex features, and many stakeholders relying on the outcomes of the project, we had to employ an agile approach to ensure a secure software development life cycle.

Business Requirements

Mitsubishi Motors involves many stakeholders and suppliers around the world, which makes its supply chain rather complex and data-heavy. That is why timely improvements are crucial for the proper functioning of this huge system and a corporation as a whole. Over the years of functioning, the old supply chain has been accumulating some noticeable frictions that resulted in the efficiency bottlenecks, and Intersog offered came ups with just the right set of solutions to make sufficient solutions that would help Mitsubishi ensure a coherent line of communication and cooperation with all the involved suppliers.

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Previously, Mitsubishi used an outdated supply chain management system that involved a large number of spreadsheets that required a lot of manual input. Considering a large number of stakeholders, the problem of synchronization has been a pressing one as well – different stakeholders would input the data at different speeds and at different times of day, which created a degree of confusion among suppliers. Though the system has been sufficient for a long time, the time has come to eliminate all the redundancies and streamline data input. 

The legacy system has been partially automated and ran on the IBM AS400 server, which allows for impressive flexibility, but it no longer sufficed for Mitsubishi’s growing needs. The main requirement, thus, was to create a robust online supply chain solution that would encompass the entire logistics process starting with auto parts and steel suppliers and ending with subcontractors and car dealerships around the world. That being said, Mitsubishi did not want to completely change the system, they opted for overhaul, and we came up with the idea of an integrated web application that was meant to function in conjunction with a DB2 base that was already used on the IBM AS400 server. 

IT Architecture and Agile SDLC

Mitsubishi employs a series of guidelines and rules on how to build, modify, and acquire new IT resources, which is why Intersog had to be truly agile to adapt to the client’s long-established IT architecture. Adapting to the requirements of the client, and especially to the strict regulations of the IT architecture of large corporations like Mitsubishi requires knowledge, flexibility, and strong industry expertise. Each software development company has its own architecture standards and frameworks for building new systems but many face difficulties when working with the existing systems and modifying them to the new requirements.

Intersog has no such problems. We approached Mitsubishi’s case with strong industry expertise and flexibility to account for all the client’s needs and specifications of the existing system. Obviously, following the client’s architecture regulations requires a profound understanding of said regulations, which is why information gathering is an integral phase of the software development life cycle.

Requirements Gathering

The requirements gathering phase can take anywhere from just a couple of days to several weeks. Working with complex and multi-layered legacy systems like the one used by Mitsubishi requires serious analysis and information gathering. In the case of Mitsubishi, our dedicated team had to gain a clear understanding of how the legacy system functions, create new software specifications, map out the development process, gather and create all the necessary documentation, track all the issues related to the functioning of the legacy system, outline the necessary solutions, and allocate all the resources to achieve the project’s goals in the most efficient manner. 

Working on the Mitsubishi project, our team has been gathering all the required information for up to 4 weeks. This included a profound examination of the legacy system, mapping out all of its flaws and specifications, bridging the gaps between the current state of the system and the requirements of the client, and outlining the development process. 

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The design stage includes all the integral decisions regarding the software architecture, its makeover, the tech frameworks that would be used in the system’s rework. During this stage, developers discuss the coding guidelines, the tools, practices, and runtimes that will help the team meet the client’s requirements. Working with large corporations like Mitsubishi, a custom software development team has to work closely with the company’s own developers to better understand the specifics of the architecture and create a design that reflects all the requirements. 

After all the requirements are gathered, we initiated the design stage based on all of the client’s specifications and came up with a number of solutions that matched Mitsubishi’s specs:

• Convenient data model meant to optimize data duplication;
• Permission system that differentiated the users by their access levels;
• Appealing user interface mockup to improve the comfortability of user-system interaction;
• Integration with the legacy RPG system;
• Notifications for the partners to keep them up with the important activities.

This set of essential solutions has been discussed and approved in the course of the design stage that lasted for 2 months. During this stage, Intersog and Mitsubishi development teams worked closely to come up with the solutions that matched the client’s requirements to the tee. Proper functioning of the supply chain is vital for the entire corporation, which is why it was critical to do everything flawlessly. 2 months might seem like quite a timeline, but for this case study on software development life cycle, it was not that long considering how complex Mitsubishi’s legacy system was. 

Solution Development

After approving the solution design, the team can move to develop those solutions. That’s the core of the entire project, a stage at which the teams meet the goals and achieve the outcomes set during previous stages. The success of the development stage depends heavily on how good a job the teams did during the design stage – if everything was designed with laser precision, the team can expect few if any, surprises during the development stage. 

What happens during the development stage is the teams coding their way towards the final product based on decisions that have been made earlier. With Mitsubishi, we followed the guidelines we came up with earlier and implemented a set of essential solutions:

• We built a convenient data model that minimizes the risk of human error by reducing redundant and repetitive data entry and duplication. 
• Improved Mitsubishi’s security system to differentiate the users by their level of access and give them the respective level of control over the data.
• Added the notifications for the users so that they could react to the relevant changes faster.
• Designed an appealing and comfortable user interface using the AJAX framework to make the user-system interaction more comfortable and time-efficient. 
• Deployed the platform running on the IBM AS400 server with the integration of DB2 databases.
• Integrated the existing RPG software into the new system.
• Migrated the existing spreadsheets and all the essential data into the new system.

All of these solutions took us 6 months to implement, which is rather fast for a project of such scale. Such a time-efficiency was possible only thanks to the huge amount of work we’ve done throughout the research and design stages. The lesson to learn from these software development life cycle phases for the example case study is that the speed of development would depend heavily on how well you prepare. 

Depending on the scale of the project, you might be looking at different timelines for the development stage. Small scale projects can be finished in a matter of weeks while some of the most complicated solutions might take more than a year to finish. In the case of the Mitsubishi project, it was essential for the client to get things done faster. Rushing things up is never a good idea, but you can always cut your development timeline by doing all the preparation work properly and having a clear understanding of what needs to be done and in which order.

Quality Assurance                   

Quality assurance is as vital for your project’s success as any other stage; this is where you test your code, assess the quality of solutions, and make sure everything runs smoothly and according to plan. Testing helps you identify all the bugs and defects in your code and eliminate those in a timely manner. Here at Intersog, we prefer testing our software on a regular basis throughout the development process. This approach helps us to identify the issues on the go and fix them before they snowball into serious problems. 

That’s it, quality assurance is a set of procedures aimed at eliminating bugs and optimizing the functioning of the software solutions. Here at Intersog, we run both manual and automated tests so that we can be truly sure of the quality of solutions we develop for our clients. With Mitsubishi, we ran tests throughout the development process and after the development stage was over. It took us an additional month to test all the solutions we’ve developed, after which we were ready for the implementation stage.

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Integration and Support

Following the testing, and once we are sure all the solutions work flawlessly, the development team gets to the implementation stage. Also known as the integration stage, this is where we integrate the new solution into the client’s pre-existing ecosystem. Basically, you are putting new gears into a complex mechanism that has been functioning for many years, and it is essential to make sure all of those gears fit perfectly. 

With such a complex system as the one employed by Mitsubishi and a vast amount of accumulated data, our developers had to be incredibly precise not to lose anything. We are talking about surgical precision because Mitsubishi’s suppliers amassed thousands upon thousands of spreadsheets full of critical data on supplies, material and product deliveries, accounting data, and more. All of that had to be carefully integrated with the new automated solution. 

After 2 months, the solutions have been fully integrated with Mitsubishi’s existing ecosystem. Intersog usually backs the clients up by offering support and maintenance services to ensure flawless functioning of the system over time, but this time, our client was fully capable of maintaining the new system on their own. As said, Mitsubishi has its own development team that is able to take care of the system maintenance, so that our cooperation was finished after the integration stage. 

Final Thoughts and Outtakes

A software development life cycle depends on many factors that are unique for each company. In the case of Mitsubishi, we’ve managed to get things done in just under a year, which is rather fast for a project of such an immense scale. Different projects have different life cycles, and it depends on the scale, the client’s ability to explain their needs, and the development team’s ability to understand those needs, gather all the necessary information, design the appropriate set of solutions, develop said solutions, ensure their quality, and implement them fast.

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Top 20 Project Management Case Studies [With Examples]

Project management case study analyses showcase and compare real-life project management processes and systems scenarios. These studies shed light on the common challenges that project managers encounter on a daily basis. This helps project managers develop effective strategies, overcome obstacles, and achieve successful results. 

By leveraging project management case studies , organisations can optimise their operations by providing insights into the most effective approaches. With effective implementation of these case studies, strategies, and methodologies, ensuring successful project completion is achievable.

Criteria for Selection of Top 20 Case Studies

The top 20 case studies are selected based on significance, impact, challenges, project management strategies, and overall success. They provide diverse insights and lessons for project managers and organisations.

1. The Sydney Opera House Project

The Sydney Opera House Project is an iconic example of project management case studies as it faced multiple challenges during its construction phase. Despite facing leadership changes, budget overruns, and design failures, the project persevered and was completed in 1973, a decade later than planned. The Opera House stands as a symbol of perseverance and successful project management in the face of humankind.

2. The Airbus A380 Project

The Airbus A380 Project is a project management case study showcasing the challenges encountered during developing and producing the world’s largest commercial aircraft. The project experienced massive delays and impacted costs of more than $6 billion, with several issues arising from the manufacturing and delivery process, outsourcing, and project coordination. 

However, the Airbus A380 was successfully launched through carefully planned project management strategies, delivering a world-class aircraft that met customer expectations.

3. The Panama Canal Expansion Project 

The Panama Canal Expansion Project serves as a compelling case study, illustrating the management’s encounters in expanding the capacity of the Panama Canal. The project included multiple stakeholders, technological innovations, environmental concerns, and safety challenges. 

4. The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project

The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project serves as a project management case study of a large-scale underground tunnel construction project. It successfully addressed traffic congestion and was completed in 2007. The project was completed in 2007, with numerous hurdles delaying progress like complexity, technology failure, ballooning budgets, media scrutiny, etc.

5. The London 2012 Olympics Project

The London 2012 Olympics Project stands as a successful project management case study, showcasing the management of a large-scale international sporting event. This project involved the construction of a new sports infrastructure, event logistics and security concerns. The project was successfully accomplished, delivering a world-class event that captivated the audience.

6. The Hoover Dam Bypass Project

The Hoover Dam Bypass Project was a construction project in the United States of America that intended to alleviate traffic from the Hoover Dam by building a new bridge. Completed in 2010, the bridge spans across the Colorado River, connecting Arizona and Nevada and offers a safer and more efficient route for motorists.

7. The Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project

The Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project is a case study example constructed in San Francisco, California. Its objective was to enhance the bridge’s resilience against earthquakes and aftershocks. Completed in 2012, the project included the installation of shock absorbers and other seismic upgrades to ensure the bridge’s safety and functionality in the event of a major earthquake.

8. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project is a massive case study that intends to connect Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau with a bridge-tunnel system of 55 kilometres. Completed in 2018, the project required massive funds, investments and innovative engineering solutions, providing a new transport link and boosting regional connectivity.

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9. The Panama Papers Investigation Project

The Panama Papers Investigation Project is a global case study of journalistic investigations into offshore tax havens. It involved leaked documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm. Coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the project resulted in major political and financial repercussions worldwide, garnering widespread media attention.

10. The Apple iPhone Development Project

The Apple iPhone Development Project started in 2004, aiming to create a groundbreaking mobile device. In 2007, the iPhone transformed the industry with its innovative touchscreen interface, sleek design, and advanced features. This project involved significant research, development, marketing, and supply chain management investments.

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11. The Ford Pinto Design and Launch Project

The Ford Pinto Design and Launch Project was a developmental project intended to create an affordable, fuel-efficient subcompact car. Launched in 1971, because of its fuel tank design, it became infamous for safety issues. The project was rigged for ethical and safety concerns, lawsuits, and recalls.

12. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response Project

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response Project was a response to the largest oil spill in US history, caused by an offshore drilling rig explosion in 2010. This crisis response project utilised a waterfall project management approach, where the project team followed a pattern of planning, executing, monitoring, and closing phases. 

13. The NASA Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster Project

  The NASA Challenger Disaster Project was a tragic space exploration mission in 1986, resulting in the loss of all seven crew members. Extensive investigations revealed design and safety flaws as the cause. This disaster prompted NASA to address decision-making processes and improve safety cultures.

14. The Three Gorges Dam Project

  The Three Gorges Dam Project was a large-scale infrastructure project developed in China that aimed to build the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River. Completed in 2012, it encountered environmental, social, and engineering challenges. The dam currently offers power generation, flood control, and improved navigation, but it has also resulted in ecological and cultural consequences.

15. The Big Dig Project in Boston

The Big Dig Project was a transportation infrastructure project in Boston, Massachusetts, intended to replace an old elevated highway with a newer tunnel system. Completed in 2007, it serves as one of the most complex and costly construction endeavours in US history. Despite facing many delays, cost overruns and engineering challenges, the project successfully improved traffic flow and urban aesthetics but also resulted in accidents, lawsuits, and financial burdens.

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16. The Uber Disruptive Business Model Project

  The Uber Disruptive Business Model Project was a startup that introduced a new ride business model that disrupted the taxi-cab industry by connecting riders with drivers via a mobile app. Launched in 2010, this project required innovative technology, marketing and regulatory strategies and faced legal actions and ethical challenges related to labour, safety, and competition. Uber has since then dominated the market with its ride-sharing business plan.

17. The Netflix Original Content Development Project

The Netflix Original Content Development Project was an initiative created to launch its original content for its platform. This launch by the online streaming giant in 2012 was a huge success for the company. The project required huge investments in content creation, distribution and marketing and resulted in award-winning shows and films that redefined the entire entertainment industry’s business model.

18. The Tesla Electric Car Project

The Tesla Electric Car Project was a revolutionary project that aimed to compete for its electric vehicles with gasoline-powered vehicles. The project required a strong project management plan that incorporated innovation, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement, resulting in the successful launch of the Tesla Roadster in 2008 and subsequent models. Tesla has one-handedly revolutionised the entire automobile industry on its own. 

19. The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis Management Project:

The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis Management Project was a case study in crisis management in 1982. The project required quick and effective decision-making skills, stakeholder communication, and ethical leadership in response to the tampering of Tylenol capsules that led to deaths. 

20. The Airbnb Online Marketplace Platform Project  

The Airbnb Online Marketplace Platform Project was a startup that created an online platform which connected travellers with hosts offering short-term rental accommodations in flights. The project required innovative technology, user experience design and stakeholder management. Airbnb’s success has led to the disruption of the hospitality industry and inspired many other project case study examples of sharing economy platforms.

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Future developments in project management.

Future developments in project management include all the insights on the increased use of artificial intelligence, agile methodologies, hybrid project management approaches, and emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, along with many more developing ideas that will address the evolving market innovations. 

Key Takeaways from the Case Studies

The project management case study examples illustrate real-life examples and the importance of project management in achieving project success. The cases show the use of innovative technologies, tools, techniques, stakeholder engagement, crisis management, and agile methodologies. 

Project Management also highlights the role of ethical leadership and social responsibility in project management. To learn more and more about case studies, upGrad, India’s leading education platform, has offered an Advanced General Management Program from IMT Ghaziabad that will equip you with in-demand management skills to keep up with the changing trends!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Project Management is extensive planning, executing, monitoring and closing of a project before its deadline. Project management ensures accuracy and efficiency across all organs of a project, right from its inception to its completion.

Project Management case studies are real-life examples of projects to put an insight into all the tools, techniques and methodologies it provides.

The role of a project manager is to ensure that all day-to-day responsibilities are being met by the resources deployed in a certain project. They have the authority to manage as well as lead the functioning members as well.

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Project Management Case Studies

1. Introduction

This individual reflection report will highlight the key lessons learnt during my experience of working in a group during the Project Management Case Studies module. It will also reflect on various project management attributes that I came across while identifying my case study, lessons learnt from visitor speakers and applying various project management models, theories and concepts in different cases. It will describe the allocation of the tasks among the group members, personal behaviour, team dynamics and understanding, synthesis and analysis of data in relation with case studies allocated to our group and in various group tasks held during sessions in depth. Moreover, it also describes the critical incidents that helped in the preparation of a good poster and finally evaluates the whole project from personal and group point of view.

2. Group tasks The class was divided into groups of three to four members. We were asked to work in groups because, in the corporate world and also as a project manager, it is essential to have experience of working in a group. This was provided by the basics of this module. My group had four members in it. The name of my group was ‘Innovations’. From initial stage we decided that we would distribute the work of every task we received among us so that each member could contribute equally to the tasks. I initiated and acted as leader in the group. The group members accepted me as a leader because, knowing me from before, they knew that I would be a better leader than other members in the group. As I had also been the leader of my group in Project Management Theory and Practice module the previous semester, I was confident enough to take on the leadership and knew how I could facilitate and guide work on the tasks which would be allocated to us. We had been given various group tasks, such as a London Ambulance case study, a group task of Logica, and various other case studies such as Project Phoenix on which our group had to present a poster . I know that communication between group members is the most important thing, and we hence all used to discuss every task given and also give each other suggestions. As some of the group members were working part time, they were not able to contribute fully to the group work and hence others, including myself, helped them to complete the tasks successfully. Motivation is another important factor in a group’s success, and hence all the members in the group constantly motivated each other and also appreciated each other’s work wherever needed. This helped spread a positive energy among us and made our work better than that of others.

3. Lessons learnt from Case Studies ­The first case study given to our group was ‘London Ambulance Service Computer Aided Despatch System’ in which we had to discuss the factors that had led to its failure. We had to discuss the problems during planning, real time problems and major system problems. After discussion, we discovered that it was a failure due to many reasons, primarily lack of communication, poor project management, unrealistic timelines and deadlines, lack of experience and training in staff, absence of crisis management, etc.

Then we were given key points for a project to be successful from Synergy Professional Services. These included customer involvement, agreement on the goals of the project, frequent progress checks and course corrections, a plan that shows overall path and responsibilities, constant and effective communication with everyone, controlled scope and management support.

Thereafter, we were assigned a case study of ‘The Custom Woodworking Company- Woody 2000 Project’, in which we had to discuss certain aspects of project management therein. These included the concept and strategy of the project, its scope, planning, quality, and scheduling, estimating the overall cost of the project, communication, people management, evaluating the progress of the project, monitoring and controlling it, cost control, identifying and managing the risks and finally project close-out. Here we had to present some of the key findings from the questions asked in relation with the case study. In this case study, we learnt that lack of experience can result in the delay of a project and eventually cause it to go over budget. Even internal disputes among team members can lead to miscommunication and delay in a project, and thereby incur several losses in the business. It is also important to keep all records of the work on sheet, with proper times and dates, for future use of that project or that particular organisation.

The final case study for which we had to present a poster was ‘Project Phoenix: Rebuilding and American Landmark’ . Different groups were randomly assigned different case studies. Some groups had ‘The Chunnel Project’ as their case study, some had ‘Springfield Interchange Improvement Project’, and the rest had ‘Superconducting Super Collider Project’. Each case study was unique and different from the others. Some projects were total successes, some total failures, and some were a mixture of both. In this final task, all groups had to present a poster documenting the four phases of PMI, and the role of factors such as scope, time, human resources, quality, procurement and risk within each of PMI Project Life-Cycle phase with critical success factors. A detailed explanation of the experience of working in a group while making the poster is also given later in the report.

4. Lessons learnt from Visitor Speakers We had three visiting speakers, the first of who was Mr. Tom Snelgrove (Chief of Staff) in Atlas (Joining Forces). He explained the mission of his firm and its overall working with regards to staff members and procedure of the work and their partners, which included Fujitsu (Tier 1), EADS and Logica (Tier 2). In his speech he said that the two major factors of governance/corporate governance and stakeholder managementare very important for any project. It is essential to know about the governance of the firm to which the project belongs, to be familiar with all the stakeholders involved and their various levels, which stakeholder holds decision-making authority, and which are stubborn and have to be managed additionally.

Our second visiting speaker was Mr. John Lord, a project manager for launching and opening a venue. From his presentation we learnt that there are three main aspects to a project: completion, launching and opening of the venues, stadia, and indoor arenas. We also learnt that establishing the opening date of the venue can speed up construction work, what the correct time that staff should be appointed for the project to start is, marketing of events, soft openings of venue, administration, returns on investment, quality control, cost estimation, confidence, crisis management, right people with right project management model and guarantee maximum price (GMP) are the most important factors considered being a project manager.

Our final visiting speaker was Professor Vassilis Kostoglou, EU project manager (ECQA Certified). He described a case study on MS-Project and explained how a project can be planned using this software. He also explained how to make a Gantt chart with this software and how to conduct budget estimation of a project. He gave an example of an IT company working on a project for a period of one month. For estimation of the project he considered the various phases/activities involved in it and the relevant staff used in those activities.

Project Initiation: In this phase the project definition is identified or project proposal is formed. Organisational strategy, scope, project architecture, linkage of projects with other projects, alternate options in case of failure (i.e., crisis management, etc) are the factors which are considered in this phase.

Project Planning: In this phase, detailed planning of the project is carried out. The design which will be used, formulation, engineering, organising, estimating, budgeting, scheduling and formal approach are the aspects considered in this phase.

Project Execution: This is the most important phase in the project life-cycle. In this phase the project is implemented, monitored and controlled. Various attributes such as cost, time, risk, resources, risk and change management, documentation and training are considered in this phase.

Factors that can lead to project failure: If the there are unrealistic deadlines, lack of communication, continuous changes in scope, dependencies of work, insufficient resources or competition for them, lack of team skills, no risk management, non-involvement of end users and customers in the project, unavailability of crisis management plan, or unclear goals and vision, the chances that a project will fail are good. It is very important to consider these factors in order to be a successful project manager (Ford, 2004).

It is essential to stipulate the time required for each sub-task, and therefore our group decided to allocate more time to the areas which are very complex and crucial. By looking at the Gantt chart, we can see that, for identification and understanding of the entire case study and for allocation of tasks among the group members, we allocated the first two weeks. In the second week, we simultaneously identified the theories and concepts related to case study. In the third and fourth week of the task we performed synthesis and analysis which included data in terms of critical success factors of the case study, designing the poster, and formatting and reformatting of the ideas data to produce a draft poster. At the same time we had a meeting with the tutor for approval and suggestions. We made the requested modifications to the draft poster in the fourth and fifth week and finally submitted the poster for printing. After receiving the printed poster, we had our presentation on the same day.

While performing all the above tasks we also had to manage our daily study routine with other subjects in our MBA course and those in this module too. In the above time period, two visiting speakers came to share their experiences as project managers and taught us the key points for being a successful project manager. We were also given different case studies to work on as a part of the module, and we thus had to cope up with all the tasks simultaneously with the making of the poster. Hence, we were sometimes not able to dedicate all our time to the preparation of this poster, but we nevertheless managed it all in a suitable manner with proper planning and co-ordination.

8. Conclusion I would like to conclude this reflective report by thanking all the visiting speakers and our module tutors who helped us immensely in learning Project Management and all the various factors related to it. I became more acquainted with the skills required to be a successful project manager and active team member while working in a group. This reflective report showed my personal understanding of application of theories, models and concepts of project management in various case studies. It also helped me get to know practical examples of project management rather than just the theoretical part. For me every case study was different from every other, and hence from each case study there were unique and different project management attributes to learn.

References Lewis, J. P., 2006. Fundamentals of Project Management. 3rd Ed. United States of America: Amacom.

Lock, D., 2009. Project Management. 9th Ed. England: Gower Publishing.

Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M. & Sutton, M. M., 2007. Project Management in Practice. 3rd Ed. United States of America: John Wiley & Sons.

Munns, A. K. & Bjeirmi, B. F., 1996.The role of project management in achieving project success. International Journal of Project Management [Online] 14 (2). pp.81-87. Available at: http://blackboard.uwic.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/courses/MBA424_SEM1_10/ The_role_of_project_management_in_achieving_project_success.pdf [Accessed 2 January 2011].

Ford, P. W., 2004. Top 10 project management challenges., [Online] Available at: http://blackboard.uwic.ac.uk/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp? content_id=_1508385_1 &displayName=Top+10+Project+Management+ Challenges+by+P+W+Ford&course_id=_187554_1 &navItem=content&href=http://projectmanagementcourse.com/project-challenges.html [Accessed on 2 January 2011].

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