A project life cycle is the series of phases a project passes through from start to finish.
Why we use phases:
Different industries may name phases differently, but the idea is the same.
A common life cycle has four broad phases:
Note: Monitoring & Control is often shown as a parallel set of activities across the project.
A deliverable is a tangible output produced by the project. Examples: design document, working software module, completed building floor.
A milestone is a significant point in time that marks progress. Examples: “requirements approved”, “phase 1 complete”.
In exams, write: “Deliverable = output; milestone = checkpoint.”
At the end of each phase, organizations often conduct a phase review (stage-gate) to decide:
This improves control and prevents wasting resources on failing projects.
Stakeholders include sponsor, customer, users, team, suppliers, regulators, etc.
Stakeholder engagement basics:
Unmanaged stakeholders often create delays and conflicts.
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A project life cycle is the series of phases a project passes through from start to finish.
Why we use phases:
Different industries may name phases differently, but the idea is the same.
A common life cycle has four broad phases:
Note: Monitoring & Control is often shown as a parallel set of activities across the project.
A deliverable is a tangible output produced by the project. Examples: design document, working software module, completed building floor.
A milestone is a significant point in time that marks progress. Examples: “requirements approved”, “phase 1 complete”.
In exams, write: “Deliverable = output; milestone = checkpoint.”
At the end of each phase, organizations often conduct a phase review (stage-gate) to decide:
This improves control and prevents wasting resources on failing projects.
Stakeholders include sponsor, customer, users, team, suppliers, regulators, etc.
Stakeholder engagement basics:
Unmanaged stakeholders often create delays and conflicts.
Project governance is the framework of rules, decision rights, and reporting that ensures the project aligns with organizational goals.
Key elements:
Governance ensures accountability and transparency.
A simple exam line: “Sponsor owns the business case; PM owns delivery.”
Matrix can be weak/balanced/strong depending on PM authority.
A PMO is a group/unit that standardizes project management practices and provides support.
Types (basic):
Benefits:
Limitations:
Managing life cycle properly reduces these issues.
Initiation → Planning → Execution → Closure
↘ Monitoring & Control ↙ (throughout)
From this topic
Typical phases: Initiation (objectives/charter), Planning (scope/schedule/budget plans), Execution (perform work), Monitoring & Control (track and correct throughout), and Closure (handover, lessons learned).
Deliverable is an output/result (e.g., design document). Milestone is a checkpoint (e.g., requirements approved). Deliverable = what is produced; milestone = when a key point is reached.
A project life cycle is the sequence of phases from start to finish.
Typical phases:
Initiation → Planning → Execution → Closure
↘ Monitoring & Control ↙ (throughout)
Thus phases help manage the project in a controlled and measurable way.