project phases
project phases
1. Project Initiation
2. Project Planning
3. Project Execution
5. Project Closing
The project initiation phase is the first stage of turning an abstract idea into a
meaningful goal. In this stage, you need to develop a business case and define the
project on a broad level. In order to do that, you have to determine the need for
the project and create a project charter.
The project charter is an important document consisting of details like the project
constraints, goals, appointment of the project manager, budget, expected
timeline, etc. Project managers can utilize background removal tools to create
clean, professional-looking project visuals and presentations.
Once you have the project goals and project scope, identify key project
stakeholders–the people who are to be involved in the project. Create a
stakeholder register with the roles, designation, communication requirements,
and influence.
While a clear goal of the project is established in this phase, a project charter
does not contain any technical details that happen in the planning stage.
Consider the example of an automobile manufacturer assigned to develop an
electric vehicle. The selection of the design, capacity, and battery power of the
vehicle will not be a part of the initiation phase. The only certainty would be that
an electric vehicle will be developed within the given timeframe and budget.
The project planning stage requires complete diligence as it lays out the project’s
roadmap. Unless you are using a modern project management methodology like
agile project management, the second phase of project management is expected
to take almost half of the entire project’s timespan.
In this phase, the primary tasks are identifying technical requirements, developing
a detailed project schedule, creating a communication plan, and setting up
goals/deliverables. Some examples of web applications include shopping carts,
online forms, spreadsheets, word processors, PDF file conversion programs, video
and photo editing software, file scanning tools, and email programs such as Gmail
and Yahoo.
There are several methods of setting up the project’s goals but S.M.A.R.T. and
C.L.E.A.R. are the most popular.
S.M.A.R.T Goals:
The ‘SMART’ criteria ensure that the goals you set for your project are critically
analyzed. It is an established method that reduces risk and allows project
managers to make clearly defined and achievable goals.
C.L.E.A.R. Goals:
The ‘CLEAR’ method of setting up goals is designed to cater to the dynamic nature
of a modern workplace. Today’s fast-paced businesses require flexibility and
immediate results and CLEAR can help citizen developers with that.
During the planning stage, the scope of the project is defined. There is a
possibility of changing the scope of the project demands it but the project
manager must approve the change. Project managers also develop a work
breakdown structure (WBS), which clearly visualizes the entire project in different
sections for the team management.
In the absence of a working change management plan, scope creep happens and
causes huge problems for the project team in the later stages of the project. So,
it’s best to reduce the possibility of unforeseen changes as much as possible.
The project execution stage is where your team does the actual work. As a project
manager, your job is to establish efficient workflows and carefully monitor the
progress of your team.
In the project management process, the third and fourth phases are not
sequential in nature. The project monitoring and controlling phase run
simultaneously with project execution, thereby ensuring that objectives and
project deliverables are met.
As a project manager, you can make sure that no one deviates from the original
plan by establishing Critical Success Factors (CSF) and Key Performance Indicators
(KPI).
This is the final phase of the project management process. The project closure
stage indicates the end of the project after the final delivery. There are times
when external talent is hired specifically for the project on contract. Terminating
these contracts and completing the necessary paperwork is also the responsibility
of the project manager.
Most teams hold a reflection meeting after the completion of the project in order
to contemplate their successes and failures during the project. This is an effective
method to ensure continuous improvement within the company to enhance the
overall productivity of the team in the future.
The final task of this phase is to review the entire project complete a detailed
report that covers every aspect. All of the necessary data is stored in a secure
place that can be accessed by project managers of that organization.