Identify key stakeholders and describe how the project affects them and their needs.

Identify the project’s high-level scope and define your product or service.

Create a project charter or initiation document outlining the project’s vision, objectives, and goals.

Create a business case by comparing the potential costs and benefits of the project to determine if it moves forward.

Perform a feasibility study to identify the primary problem the project hopes to solve and its possible solutions.Without this clarity, you risk not accomplishing the project goals and meeting stakeholders’ expectations. This stage is crucial to the project’s success as it’s where you determine an objective for your project, decide whether or not it is feasible, and identify its major deliverables. Outline the project goals, scope, resources, and what roles you need on the team. Begin by defining the project on a broad level. In the project initiation phase, you turn an abstract idea into a meaningful goal. The 5 Phases of a Project Management LifecycleĪccording to the PMI (Project Management Institute), the project management life cycle is split into 5 phases:Īlthough we describe these phases sequentially, in practice, some of them-such as execution and monitoring and controlling-may overlap or be applied concurrently during the project’s lifetime.īelow, we detail each life cycle phase and what you should do in each for successful project delivery. The project manager sets specific deliverables for each cycle and must review them at the end of that phase before proceeding to the next one.īy following this cycle, project managers have a structured way to plan, execute, and close a project. Each phase addresses a specific aspect of project management from conception to completion. The project lifecycle splits a project into several phases. This step-by-step framework follows best practices to shepherd a project from beginning to end. The project management life cycle is a structured, timely and methodical process used to deliver successful projects.

We’ll also outline the documents and tools you need to keep your project organized and on track from initiation to close. In this article, we’ll explore the project life cycle in detail, discussing each stage’s purpose and key activities. The project manager must have comprehensive knowledge of each phase to ensure success. This framework is called the project management life cycle.Įach stage has individual challenges, deliverables, and stakeholders. While each project requires its own set of unique tasks, they all have a beginning, a middle, and an end. But interestingly, they all go through the same stages. Projects come in different sizes and complexities.

Project management phases