Project Life Cycle Phases
This chapter walks through the phases a project moves through from start to finish. You will learn the purpose of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing, along with the key documents produced in each and the role of change control.
Initiating and the project charter
Initiation formally authorizes the project. Its central output is the project charter, which appoints the project manager, states high-level objectives and constraints, and gives the manager authority to apply resources. Stakeholders are also identified during initiation so their expectations can be considered from the outset.
Planning and the work breakdown structure
Planning defines how the work will be accomplished. The scope is decomposed into a work breakdown structure (WBS) of progressively smaller deliverables and work packages, which becomes the basis for estimating effort, building the schedule, and assigning responsibility. Planning also produces the budget, risk register, communication plan, and quality plan.
Executing, monitoring, and controlling
Execution is where the team produces the deliverables. Running alongside it, monitoring and controlling compares actual performance against the plan, addresses variances, and manages change requests through change control. Protecting approved baselines with change control prevents scope creep, because every requested change is evaluated for its impact on scope, schedule, cost, and risk before being approved or rejected.
Closing the project
Closing finalizes the project after deliverables are complete. It includes obtaining formal acceptance from the customer, releasing the team and other resources, closing out contracts, and documenting lessons learned so future projects can benefit. Skipping closure risks leaving contracts open, resources tied up, and valuable knowledge undocumented.