There are two different lifecycles that work in conjunction with one another throughout the course of every project.
The project lifecycle describes the processes and tasks that must be completed to produce a product or service. Different project lifecycles exist for specific products and services. (For example, the lifecycle followed to build a house is very different from the lifecycle followed to develop a software package.)
The project management lifecycle defines how to manage a project. It will always be the same, regardless of the project lifecycle being employed.
One of a Project Manager’s challenges is to understand how to align the specific project lifecycle with the project management lifecycle. Project tasks and project management tasks are concurrent and ongoing, and can be associated by project management deliverables. The Project Schedule, for example, contains both project and project management tasks. The two lifecycles will overlap, depending upon the project lifecycle being employed. The Project Manager needs to be aware of how the inputs and outputs of one lifecycle affect and shape the other.
The material in this section is organized according to the project management lifecycle. While no two projects are exactly alike, all projects should progress through the same five project management process groups:
In Project Initiation an individual (usually the project sponsor) proposes a project to create a product or develop a service that can solve a problem or address a need in the organization(s). The Charter is generally submitted to a selection process.
The Project Charter:
describes the business case or project need
describes the proposed solution and/or the product description
identifies the customers of the project and why they will benefit from the project
ties the project to the organization’s business and/or strategic plan
provides a list of any known constraints and major alternatives considered
includes the budget, resource requirements, and governance for completing the Project Initiation Plan
The purpose of the Project Charter is to authorize the sponsor to assign a project manager and to apply resources with developing a Project Initiation Plan. Depending upon the standards and practices of the organization, there may be a time delay between the creation and selection of a project’s Charter, and the actual start of the project.
In Project Planning (High Level) the sponsor, project manager, and key stakeholders are charged to develop the Project Initiation Plan. The Project Initiation Plan begins to define the overall parameters of your project. The Project Initiation Plan includes the goals, objectives, scope, high level work breakdown structure (WBS) / key deliverables, a milestone schedule, governance, stakeholder accountabilities, benefits, costs, high level resource requirements, the management approaches, a communication plan, and a risk plan. This plan, once approved or agreed to, ensures a consistent understanding of the project, helps to set expectations, and identifies resources necessary to move the project to the next level of detailed planning.
To develop the Project Initiation Plan:
invite key stakeholders to a project planning session; sometimes this takes multiple sessions
produce the Project Initiation Plan using input from planning session
review the plan with sponsor to get his/her approval
review the plan with team and key stakeholders. Get commitment to stakeholder roles and responsibilities
Note: In the Project Initiation Plan, the WBS/key deliverables are generally at a high level. The Project Plan lives throughout the project and will continue to have increasing level of detail.
At the conclusion of Project Planning (High Level), based on the Project Initiation Plan, the Business Case is revised and re-evaluated, and a decision is made either to halt the project or proceed to Project Planning (Detail level).
Project Planning (Detail Level) builds on the work done in Project Planning (High Level), refining and augmenting Project Plan deliverables. Usually, additional members join the Project Team, and they assist the Project Manager in further elaborating the details of the Triple Constraints: Budget, Scope, and Schedule. The team develops the detailed project schedule.
To develop the Detail Plan:
confirm detailed customer requirements
decompose the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to the level of detail you plan to use to manage the project
determine activity sequencing
plan for resources
determine activity duration
create budget from estimated costs
develop quality plan
develop transition plan
create Baseline Project Plan and Schedule
If the budget is different from the estimated budget in the Project Initiation Plan, then have the project sponsor(s) approve the new budget. This will become the baseline plan, and any change of scope will require approvals as defined in the Project Plan from this point forward.
The initial list of project risks is augmented and detailed mitigation plans are developed. Project-specific tasks normally begin while you are doing detail planning. Project Planning (Detail Level) marks the completion of the Project Plan. However, during execution and control you will continue to update the plan in more depth (for example, Transition and Implementation details may not be developed until later in Project Execution). At the conclusion of Project Planning (Detail Level), the Business Case is revised and re-evaluated based on the completed planning documents, and a decision is again made to either halt the project, or to commit the resources necessary for Project Execution.
Project Execution and Control is where most of the resources are applied/expended on the project. A significant number of team members will join the project at the beginning of Project Execution and Control. The primary task of the Project Manager during Project Execution and Control is to enable the Project Team to execute the tasks on the project schedule and develop the product or service the project is expected to deliver. The Project Manager uses the processes and plans prepared during Project Initiation and Project Planning to manage the project, while preparing the organization for the implementation of the product/service and for transitioning responsibility of the product/service from the Project Team to the Performing Organization. The major control tasks are monitoring progress, quality, and costs; identifying and resolving problems; applying corrective actions; and managing scope changes and risks.
In Project Closeout, the Project Team assesses the outcome of the project, along with the performance of the Project Team and the performing organization(s). This is accomplished primarily through soliciting and evaluating feedback from Customers, Project Team members, Consumers, and other Stakeholders. The primary purpose of this assessment is to document best practices and lessons learned for use on future projects. Key project metrics are also captured to enable the organization to compare and evaluate success measures across projects.
Throughout this section, reference is made to specific roles that must be performed at various times throughout the life of the project. The Project Roles and Responsibilities section provides an overview of the various roles that are required on projects, what the responsibilities are for each role, and some examples of how organizations have filled those roles on projects of varying size.
The following diagram illustrates the five process groups and their processes in the project management lifecycle for Cornell Project Management Methodology (CPMM).
Diagram: The Cornell Project Management Lifecycle