Project life cycle

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Project life cycle is a term that is mainly found in the area of project management . In order to subdivide large project and work volumes into clear phases or work packages, it is one of the most important and most frequently used processes in this area of ​​business management , alongside the work breakdown structure (PSP).

The project life cycle

While the work breakdown structure is a hierarchical subdivision into controllable elements, in the project life cycle the entire workload is divided into individual, successive project phases . From preparation to final project completion, the project life cycle describes the entirety of all phases of a project. The term “project life cycle” is also often used, as every project is unique in its life cycle and will not be found a second time in exactly the same version. Even if every project is unique in its entirety, there are still certain phases that every project goes through, or at least should go through. When it comes to the question of exactly how many project phases are involved, the project managers do not always fully agree, as this depends in part on the project in question and on the specific industry in which the project is being carried out.

Usually, however, a total of four project sections are assumed:

  1. Definition phase
  2. planning phase
  3. Realization phase
  4. Final phase.

These phases are worked through one after the other in the course of a project by the assembled project team. In practice, however, so-called fast tracking sometimes occurs, in which a phase is started before the previous one has been completed. This effective approach is often used in product development. There, the competition is often working on similar products at the same time, so it is particularly important for companies to complete their projects as quickly as possible in order not to lose the advantage of the first mover advantage . In the area of ​​project management, in addition to the project life cycle, the so-called product life cycle is also relevant for project managers , although these two life cycles should not be confused with one another. In general, the project life cycle determines the following things:

  • Which delivery items should be created from the individual project phases, when and which criteria should apply to their quality control and inspection
  • Which work processes have to be taken over in which work packages or project phases
  • Which members of the project team are assigned which tasks
  • The control and approval of the individual project phases

Whether a company standardizes its “personal” project life cycle and thus specifies the individual work steps in detail, or whether the decision-making for the projects is left to the project team through only a rough description of the life cycle is up to the respective organization. Here, decisions are usually made based on one's own experience and preferences.

Projects

In general, projects are referred to as one-off plans to perform a task. Due to the steadily increasing complexity in business and technology, the number and scope of projects have increased significantly in recent years. Typical features of a project are:

  • The definition: It describes the content of the project, the duration of the project and the composition of the project team
  • The uniqueness: Even if all projects have certain characteristic features in common and can be very similar to one another, each project is still unique and differs from others, for example, in terms of financial, time or personnel characteristics.
  • The duration: Each project is structured in terms of time with a fixed start and a planned end.
  • The complexity: Projects have to be planned in detail and constantly monitored throughout the implementation. As a result, the level of difficulty is viewed as tending to be high.

Of course, every project is also associated with a certain degree of uncertainty and can, if the risk is assessed as too high, be stopped early.

Project phases

Project phases , or simply called phases, consist of individual sub-phases, which in turn can be divided into different components. The task of the project team is to divide the project to be carried out into such phases, sub-phases and components and to create a so-called work breakdown structure from this. Even if the phases are very similar to the process management groups, they must not be confused with these. Rather, process management groups are an integral part of almost all project phases within a project life cycle. In addition to input values, each project phase also has output values, the so-called delivery items. They are a measurable work product and can be in the form of a document, a specification or a prototype. If a phase is to be completed, the corresponding delivery item must be checked for faultlessness and quality. Either the successful acceptance takes place, whereupon the following project phase can be started, or individual reworking is necessary in order to be able to finally end the phase.

Phases of the project life cycle

Definition phase

In this phase of the project life cycle, the starting signal for the upcoming project is given. We are not really talking about a project here, but more about a rough project idea. Since a project is always associated with an increased provision of personnel and with enormous costs, the importance, feasibility and the intended goals of the project must be checked and demonstrated in the definition phase. The approval of the project ends the first phase and is recorded in writing in a project order, which is the link between the client and the project team.

planning phase

The rough ideas from the definition phase are further developed into concrete project approaches in the planning phase. All the necessary activities and their timing are planned in so-called work packages. The individual work packages are based on the milestones already defined in the project order. Possible risks should also be planned in here from the start. In order to have a contact person for any questions that may arise, one person from the project team is given responsibility for a work package. Everything that is invested in this phase has a positive effect in the following phase.

Realization phase

In the implementation phase, the plans drawn up by the project team are implemented. The progress of the project is checked, constantly monitored and in the event of discrepancies from the original project plan, it must be adapted again. This phase usually lasts the longest compared to the other three.

Final phase

The fourth and thus also the last phase deals on the one hand with the acceptance of the project completion by the client. On the other hand, the course of the project should be evaluated by all employees in order to learn from it for recurring, comparable situations and future projects. With the experience gained from completed projects, the final phase closes the project life cycle and thus lays the foundation for planning future projects that are more successful from the start.

literature

Professor Klaus Olfert: Compact Training Practical Business Administration - Project Management, 10th edition, Herne: NWB Verlag, 2016, ISBN 978-3-470-48590-4

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ What is the project life cycle? | The WINF. Retrieved December 26, 2017 (English).
  2. ↑ Professor Klaus Olfert: Compact Training Practical Business Administration - Project Management, 10th edition, Herne: NWB Verlag, 2016, pp. 18-19. ISBN 978-3-470-48590-4
  3. ↑ Project phase - project management: definitions, introductions and templates. Accessed December 26, 2017 (German).
  4. ↑ Project life cycle: Targeted through all project phases . In : wirtschaftswissen.de . ( wirtschaftswissen.de [accessed December 26, 2017]).