2.1 Project Life Cycle and Organisation

2.0 Project Life Cycle and Organisation

• Aim: understand the broader context in which projects are carried out
• 2.1 The Project Life Cycle – Overview and Characteristics
• PMBOK Definition: "Collection of generally sequential and sometimes overlapping phases"... "determined by the management and control needs", "the nature of the project itself, and its area of application"
• Shaped by the organisation, industry & technologies involved
• Can be documented by a methodology; framework for managing the project
• Life cycle structure (phase : end artefact)
• Starting : Project Charter
• Organising & preparing : PM Plan
• Execute : Accepted deliverables
• Closing : Archived Project Documents
• Cost & staffing goes from zero, peaks & plateaus in execution, falls to zero by end of closing
• Stakeholder influences, risk, and uncertainty start high and lower throughout the project life cycle
• Cost of changes & error correction start low and get steadily greater during project
• Product V Project Life Cycle Relationships
• Some parts of Product Life Cycle involve a Project e.g. feasibility study, market research
• A product can have many associated projects
• Project phases
• PMBOK definition: "divisions within a project where extra control is needed"
• each phase has: IPEC processes (initiating, planning, executing, closing)
• often sequential but can overlap
• phase closes with a deliverable handed over
• Governance
• method of controlling a project that is described in the PM Plan
• Project Manager decides how to manage resources and direct the project within the governance structure and constraints
• initiating a phase
• each phase is formally started with a management review
• especially if preceding phase is not finished
• review activities and processes e.g. procurement...
• closing a phase
• phase-end review deliverables (completed, accepted?)
• 3 types of phase-to-phase relationship
• sequential
• overlapping
• iterative (plan 1 phase at a time; plan for the next phase during current phase; used in uncertain environments like research)