Project Management and the Four Phases of a Lifecycle

When starting a new project, one needs to consider the project management lifecycle. Whether you are creating a campaign, building an app or designing a new piece of furniture, you will go through a step by step framework, that will guide you from beginning to end.

Any project management will have four phases: planning, build up, execution and closing. These distinct steps are crucial for the success of any project although in some cases they may overlap.

Here’s how it evolves.

1. Planning: don’t jump into scheduling yet, in the planning phase you will be brainstorming which problems should be solved, how to proceed, who will be involved and what is the project scope of work. In this phase you will also define your goals; what this project is aiming to achieve and how.
2. Build up: it’s time to get your team together, assess the skills needed and assign tasks. Now you can start developing a budget, fixing schedules and putting deadlines to commit to.
3. Execution: the moment you’ve been waiting for is here. This is when you implement the work you have been planning for. It can prove to be satisfying but also frustrating, given the attention you need to give to every detail. Make sure you stay on top of things by constantly monitoring budget and following up on progress.
4. Closing: despite the odds, all projects come to an end. To close your project, you and your team must track performance to make sure needs were met and goals were reached.

At the end, always finish with a debrief. Evaluate what you have achieved and document lessons learned.