The significance of each project phase

Initiating the project

This is the phase Jason rushed through in the first scenario. Ideally, in this phase, Jason discusses project goals with Flight Simulators, Inc. to gain a clear understanding of what they are asking for. Once Jason has defined the project goals, he can gather the stakeholders and project team members to define what needs to be done to successfully create this training for Flight Simulators, Inc. Jason identifies the skill sets required, the timeline, and the cost to develop the training. He identifies and documents the value that this project creates for the company. He presents all of the information he has put together to his company’s leadership team, who approves Jason’s proposal. Jason then submits the proposal to Flight Simulators, Inc., and they accept it.

Making a plan

Now that Jason has the green light to work on the project, he makes a project plan to get from start to finish. Having a plan in place ensures that all team members and stakeholders are prepared to complete their tasks. Jason outlines the important deadlines and tasks for the project to be successful. He creates a schedule to account for all resources, materials, and tasks needed to complete the project.

Executing and completing tasks

During this project phase, Jason’s project team puts his plan in motion by executing the work. Jason monitors his team as they complete project tasks. His role as the project manager is not to complete the individual tasks but to help break down any barriers that would slow or stop the team from completing their tasks. It is also Jason’s responsibility to communicate schedule and quality expectations. Jason uses his communication skills to keep Flight Simulators, Inc. up to date on the project status and gather feedback from them. This keeps the project on schedule and within budget.

Closing the project

Jason’s team has successfully completed the training, and he delivers it to Flight Simulators, Inc. They are very pleased with how it turned out! Jason is now ready to close this project and move on to the next one. Before he closes this chapter, Jason and his team discuss and document the lessons learned from the project. What worked well, and what could work better next time? Jason also puts together a small lunch gathering for his team to celebrate and recognize their hard work.

Key takeaway

It may seem like a lot of work to go through an entire project life cycle, but the long-term impact it will have on your project is huge! It is your job as the project manager to make sure that your leadership truly understands the risk of not properly preparing for a project. Making assumptions that are incorrect can put your company at risk. Instead, taking the time to carefully initiate, plan, execute, and close your project leads to project success and good working relationships with customers.

The consequences of rushing through a project phase It’s Friday night when Jason, a project manager at a company that specializes in virtual reality software, receives an urgent call from his manager, Mateo. Mateo tells Jason that he needs a cost and timeline for a virtual reality training program for Flight Simulators, Inc., a company that does aircraft maintenance, by the end of the weekend. Jason spends the weekend working through a proposal for Flight Simulators, Inc. He quickly throws together a proposal estimating that it will cost $200,000 and take six weeks to develop the course. This is the standard cost and time frame for developing training on his company’s platform. He sends the proposal over to Flight Simulators, Inc. so that he can meet their deadline. When Jason walks into the office on Monday morning, Mateo tells him that he got reprimanded for not following the company’s process for building out a proposal and including the engineers in the process. The engineers take a look at the information presented by Flight Simulators, Inc. and realize that the company’s software won’t work with their platform. It will take six months to develop their platform to meet the needs of the organization’s software and another six months to test the software and platform integration. The cost to develop and test this software will be over a million dollars. This project has failed before it even started. There’s no way to complete the request from Flight Simulators, Inc. without impacting the budget, quality, and timeline. What should have happened When his manager calls, Jason tells him that while he understands that Mateo wants to make the customer happy by getting them a proposal promptly, he would like to take a little more time to get the proposal right. Jason tells Mateo that he will draft up an email to Flight Simulators, Inc. and request additional time to develop an accurate and reasonable proposal. Mateo is hesitant but agrees. On Monday morning, Jason sees that Flight Simulators, Inc. has responded to his request. They appreciate the fact that he communicated his concerns about the quick turnaround on the proposal request. They say they will give him a week to work with his team to provide an estimate for the project. Now Jason has the time to get all of the key players involved in estimating the effort it will take to complete the project, including the cost, schedule, and resources. Let’s apply the project life cycle to this project.

Test your knowledge: Understanding the project life cycle Total points 4

1. Question 1 What are some potential consequences of rushing through the initiation phase of a project? Select all that apply. 1 / 1 point Impact to previous projects Impact to quality Correct During the initiation phase, it’s important for the project manager to clearly define the project’s goals and gather information from team members about what will be involved in accomplishing those goals. Otherwise, they risk impacting the project’s quality. Impact to the budget Correct If a project manager does not take the time to define the project’s goals and gain a clear understanding of what the stakeholders are asking for during the initiation phase, they risk impacting the project’s budget. Impact to the timeline Correct Failing to gather information from project team members to define what needs to be done at the start of the project can result in impact to the project’s timeline at a later stage. 2. Question 2 Imagine that a project manager has just begun working on a project for a trucking logistics company. The customer wants to see a proposal as soon as possible, but it is taking the project manager longer than expected because he needs more input from stakeholders and the project team. What should the project manager do to turn the project into a success? 1 / 1 point Tell the customer he will need four to six weeks to formulate a proposal. Research the cost and timeline for similar projects at other trucking logistics companies and share that information with the customer. Ask the customer for more time to consult with stakeholders and the project team to deliver an accurate cost and timeline proposal. Immediately provide the customer the most recent comparable cost and timeline estimate for the work. Correct Taking the necessary time to get input from all stakeholders and the project team is a key part of formulating an accurate proposal. 3. Question 3 What are the main phases of the project life cycle? Select all that apply. 1 / 1 point Initiate the project Correct In the initiation phase, a project manager defines project goals and deliverables, identifies the budget, resources, and people they need, and confirms any other details that can impact the successful completion of the project. Make a plan Correct In the planning phase, the project manager makes a plan for how to achieve the project goals. The plan should include a budget, a breakdown of all the project tasks, ways to communicate team roles and responsibilities, a schedule, and what to do in case their project encounters problems. Define project roles Execute and complete tasks Correct In the execution phase, the project team completes project tasks while the project manager monitors progress and keeps the team motivated. The project manager also removes any obstacles that come up in order to execute the tasks well and on time. Close the project Correct In the closing phase, the team celebrates all of their hard work and evaluates how the project went. It is also an opportunity to let everyone who had interest in the project’s goal know what the team accomplished. 4. Question 4 What are three benefits of closing a project? 1 / 1 point Celebrate the team’s success Correct Closing the project gives the team an opportunity to celebrate and be acknowledged for all of their hard work. Remove any obstacles that come up Evaluate what worked and what didn’t work Correct Closing a project allows the project manager to make note of what worked and what didn't so they can plan better for the next project. Share the team’s accomplishments with people outside the team Correct When closing a project, the project manager lets everyone who had an interest in the project’s goal know what was achieved.