1 Project Life Cycle

PROJECT LIFE CYCLE
By
Oguta James
3/23/2021 1
Introduction
• Project Life Cycle (PLC) serves to capture and define
the beginning to end of the project.
• Usually projects are scaled down into phases for easy
management and accountability.
• The project phases may be many, but most
practitioners use four (The Generic Project Life Cycle)
• The PLC refers to a logical sequence of activities to
accomplish the project’s goal, purpose & objectives.
3/23/2021 2
3/23/2021 3
According to Project Management Institute, The project
life cycle consists of the following phases,
• Initiation
• Planning
• Execution (including monitoring and controlling)
• Project closure and evaluation
• Handover
3/23/2021 4
Initiation Phase
This phase involves defining the purpose and scope of the
project, the justification for undertaking the project and
the solution to be implemented. It also involves recruiting
the project team and carrying out a Phase Review, before
proceeding to the next stage.
Activities conducted under this phase include;

A Problem analysis is conducted, describing the problem
to be addressed by the project, the alternative solutions
and the potential costs and benefits associated with each.
The problem analysis forms the Business Case and is the
foundation for the project as it fully describes the project,
the reasons for creating it and the key benefits to be
produced.
3/23/2021 5
Activities in the Initiation phase cont’d
A Feasibility Study is then conducted to ascertain the

likelihood of alternative solutions for delivering the stated
benefits in the problem analysis. This is used to identify
the preferred solution, which must be approved before
proceeding.
Develop the Terms of Reference. These describe what

the project intends to achieve and the boundaries within
which it must achieve it. This includes the project vision,
objectives, scope, deliverables, project organisation and
an Implementation Plan.
3/23/2021 6
Activities in the Initiation phase cont’d
Project team: Once the project is defined, it is time to
appoint the Project Team. The Project Manager is
recruited to take on responsibility for the project and
recruit the remaining members of the team.
Finally, a Phase Review is carried out to ensure that all of

the required activities have been completed and
get/have formal approval to proceed to the next phase of
the project.
3/23/2021 7
Planning
The Planning phase involves the creation of a set of
planning documents which will guide the team
throughout the project.
The key stages are as follows:

A comprehensive Project Plan is critical to the success of
the project.
It identifies the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) of

phases, activities and tasks to be undertaken to complete
the project. It also identifies the sequencing, duration
and dependencies of tasks and the resources and
financial expenditure required to complete the project.
3/23/2021 8
The Resource Plan gives a detailed assessment of the
resources required to undertake the project. It should list
the required labour, equipment and materials and
quantify the amount of each resource. It should also give
a resource usage schedule to give the Project Manager
with a complete view of the total amount of resources
needed at each stage.
The Financial Plan describes the financial resources

required during each stage of the project.
The total cost of each item of labor, equipment and
materials is calculated, as well as the total cost of
undertaking each activity.
3/23/2021 9
The Quality Plan lists the quality targets that need to be
achieved to ensure that the project deliverables meet
customer requirements. Quality Assurance and Quality
Control activities are scheduled to make sure that the
required level of quality is achieved throughout the
project.
The Risk Plan identifies all foreseeable project risks and

rates them in terms of their likelihood of occurrence and
potential impact on the project. The risks are prioritized
and actions identified to reduce the likelihood of each risk
and minimize its impact on the project.
3/23/2021 10
An Acceptance Plan is created to ensure that customer
acceptance is sought for each deliverable produced by the
project. The Acceptance Plan provides a schedule of
Acceptance Reviews.
The Communications Plan describes the information to

be provided to project stakeholders to keep them
informed of the progress of the project. A schedule of
communication events and activities is drawn up to make
sure that the right information is communicated to the
right people at the right time.
Finally, a Phase Review is carried out to ensure that all of

the required Planning activities have been completed and
to3/23/2021
provide formal approval to proceed to the next phase.11
Execution
The first and most important step is to identify all the
deliverables specified in the Terms of Reference. During
this activity, a detailed design of activities that lead to
achievement of each deliverable are physically
constructed and reviewed to determine whether they
meet the quality criteria and the acceptance criteria.
During the construction of the deliverables the project

manager performs several management processes
to monitor and control the time, cost and quality of each
deliverable as follows:
3/23/2021 12
Management processes
Time Management involves monitoring and controlling
the time spent by staff on the project. Timesheets are
used to track and record time spent, so that the project
manager can ascertain the overall progress of the project.
Cost Management involves identifying project costs and

recording the rate of consumption of the project budget.
Quality Management involves undertaking the Quality

Assurance and Control activities specified in the Quality
Plan, to manage a project's level of quality and ensure that
the project deliverables meet customer requirements.
3/23/2021 13
Risk Management involves monitoring and controlling
project risks by taking the steps necessary to prevent risks
and minimise the impact on the project should those
risks occur.
Issue Management involves resolving any unforeseen

issues that may arise before they affect the ability of the
project to meet its stated objectives.
Acceptance Management involves carrying out

Acceptance Reviews to gain the customer's approval of
each deliverable. If the customer does not accept that the
deliverables meet their requirements the success of the
project will be compromised.
3/23/2021 14
Communications Management involves completing the
activities specified in the Communications Plan to ensure
that every stakeholder receives the right information, at
the right time.
Finally, a Phase Review is undertaken to ensure that all of

the required activities in the Execution phase have been
completed and the project is ready to proceed to the next
phase.
3/23/2021 15
Closure and Evaluation
The Project Closure phase involves;
• releasing the final deliverables to the customer,
• handing over project documentation,
• terminating supplier contracts,
• releasing project resources and
• communicating project closure to all
stakeholders.
The final step is to undertake an Evaluation to

determine the extent to which the project was
successful and note any lessons learned for future
projects.
3/23/2021 16
The Project Closure Report should list all the
activities required to close the project, to ensure
that project closure is undertaken smoothly and
efficiently. Once the report has been created and
approved, the closure activities specified within
the report are undertaken and the project is then
officially closed.
An Evaluation, often referred to as a Post
Implementation Review (PIR) is then conducted.
Evaluation is often carried out by
an independent person evaluator to provide an
unbiased opinion of the project outcome.
3/23/2021 17
The first step is to review the project
performance to determine whether the project
delivered the benefits, met the objectives, operated
within the scope, and produced the deliverables on
time, within budget and using the allocated
resources.
The review also needs to determine whether the

project conformed to the management
processes specified in Terms of Reference.
3/23/2021 18
It should also identify the key project achievements,
failures and any lessons learned for future reference. The
evaluation should review how the project performed
against each of the targets set during
the Initiation and Planning phases of the project, i.e. has
the project:
• Delivered the project benefits described in the project
analysis?
• Achieved the objectives specified in the Terms of
Reference?
• Deviated from the original scope as defined in the
Terms of Reference?
3/23/2021 19
• Met the quality targets defined in the Quality Plan?
• Proceeded according to the planned Delivery
Schedule?
• Deviated from the budgeted project expenditure as
defined in the Financial Plan?
• Deviated from the forecast resource levels as defined
in the Resource Plan?
3/23/2021 20
The next stage is to identify the extent to which the
project has conformed to the management processes as
set out in the Terms of Reference
Finally, the Evaluation should:
• List the major achievements for this project and
describe the positive effect that each achievement has
had on the customer's business.
• List any project failures and describe the effects they
have had on the customer's business.
• Describe the lessons learned from undertaking this
project and list any recommendations for similar
projects in the future.
Successful project management models can often be

used
3/23/2021as templates for future projects. 21
1. The Traditional Model
1. The Traditional PLC, developed by Baum (1970)
while working with the World Bank.
- Identification (Needs assessment)
-Preparation (Design, formulation and proposal
development)
- Appraisal and selection (Viability and feasibility)
- Negotiation & Board Approval (Seeking for funds)
-Implementation (Coordination, networking,
monitoring and control)
- Evaluation
3/23/2021 22
2. The New World Bank Model
The idea has been that the past projects were

not demand driven but rather supply driven,
thus project failures.
• Listening (Identify and listen)
• Piloting (Pre-testing)
• Demonstration
• Mainstreaming(Sustainability & bringing
everyone on board)
3/23/2021 23
3.Development Project Management Centre
Model– By Bradford University (UK)
• Pre-Authorization Planning (Identification and

Formulation)
• Post-Authorization Planning (Implementation)
• Output Production and Distribution
(Deliverables/Outputs)
3/23/2021 24
4.United Nations International
Development Organization – UNIDO Model
• Pre-Investment Phase (Identification,
Preparation and Appraisal)
• Investment Phase
(Negotiation,Contracting,Commissioning
and set up of industry, Design and training)
• Operating Phase (Replacement, Innovation
and Expansion)
3/23/2021 25
5.The Integrated Project Planning and
Management Cycle Model
• Planning, Appraisal and Design
• Selection, Approval and Activation
• Operation, Control and Handover
• Evaluation and Refinement
3/23/2021 26
6.The Rondinelli Cycle/Model
• Project Identification and Definition
• Project Formulation, Preparation and feasibility
analysis
• Project Design
• Project Appraisal
• Project Selection, Negotiation and Approval
• Project Activation and Organization
• Project Implementation and Operation
3/23/2021 27
Rondinelli Cycle Continued
• Project Supervision, Monitoring and Control
• Project Completion and Termination
• Output Diffusion and Transition to normal
administration
• Project Evaluation
• Follow up analysis and action.
3/23/2021 28
END
THANK YOU
3/23/2021 29

1 Project Life Cycle

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 Project Life Cycle

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

Activities conducted under this phase include;

A Feasibility Study is then conducted to ascertain the

Develop the Terms of Reference. These describe what

Finally, a Phase Review is carried out to ensure that all of

The key stages are as follows:

It identifies the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) of

The Financial Plan describes the financial resources

The Risk Plan identifies all foreseeable project risks and

The Communications Plan describes the information to

Finally, a Phase Review is carried out to ensure that all of

During the construction of the deliverables the project

Cost Management involves identifying project costs and

Quality Management involves undertaking the Quality

Issue Management involves resolving any unforeseen

Acceptance Management involves carrying out

Finally, a Phase Review is undertaken to ensure that all of

The final step is to undertake an Evaluation to

The review also needs to determine whether the

Successful project management models can often be

The idea has been that the past projects were

• Pre-Authorization Planning (Identification and

You might also like