Applying the Project Life Cycle

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Applying the Project Life Cycle

Introduction

A project consists of sequential phases for the purpose of managerial control and to provide links to ongoing operations, with the attainment of each phase, "marked by the completion of one or more milestones (Gray, 2006). The life cycle of a project, more formally known as a project life cycle, includes all phases of the projects development, from the point of inception to final termination. These phases are extremely useful in planning a project since they provide a framework for budgeting, manpower and resource allocation, and for scheduling project milestones and project reviews.
In this report, many off the reasons for and the purpose of applying the project life cycle model to a project development program will be made very clear.

Communications Plan

One very important aspect during the entire project life cycle is that of effective communication. Time and time again in post-project assessments, project teams list communication as of the most needed areas for improvement. Many times on troubled projects, project team members feel that if the communication had been better, the project would have run smoother.

Effective communication not only allows everyone involved in the project to stay up-to-date on the projects progress, but also facilitates buy-in and ownership of major project decisions and milestones. Information, including expectations, needs, goals, resources, status reports, budgets, and purchase requests, needs to be communicated on a regular basis to all of the major stakeholders in order to ensure the success of a project.

Communication in the midst of a project can often be made more difficult due to challenges unique to project management. Many projects being short-term require that communication systems be established quickly in a short period of time, sometimes at a cost to quantity and/or quality to detail. Another challenge to effective communication can be the sometimes cross-functional nature of project teams, sometimes not even residing in the same geographical location. In such a case unique delivery systems must be established in order to insure the timely flow of necessary information.

One very effective method of improving the flow of information is through the use of a communications table, such as illustrated below.

As can be seen in the attached Communications Table, the Item/Delivery column describes exactly what information needs to be communicated, and how it is to be delivered. The next column, Accountability; lists the specific team member responsible for ensuring that the communication occurs. The third column, Objectives; describes which particular objective will be accomplished once the communication occurs. The fourth column, Recipients; describes which person or group is to receive the intended information. All stakeholders who are affected by the project should be listed in this column - all project teams, all project team members, their super visors, senior management, customers, end-users, contractors, and/or vendors - anyone who has a vested interest in the successful development of the project and its outcome. The fifth and final column, Frequency; describes how often the specific communication is to take place.

A breakdown in communication is an unacceptable reason for a project delay, particularly when a little strategic planning and the use of a communications table such as the example found on the previous page, can reduce, if not completely eliminate the likelihood of a breakdown in communication from ever occurring.

Project Duration

In order to accurately determine the duration of a project, one must first gain a full understanding of the processes, the scheduled tasks, assignment of resources, and the relevant phases of the assignment. Starting with a time-phased budget, such as the one attached below, one is able to gain an understanding of the specific tasks, their material requirements, as well as ...