Here is a comprehensive list of steps, phases, and groups that cover complete project management,

along with detailed explanations of each part:

Pre-Project Phase

The pre-project phase is the initial stage of the project management life cycle. It involves identifying
business needs and opportunities, defining project goals and objectives, and conducting feasibility
studies and cost-benefit analysis.

 Idea Generation:

 Identify business needs and opportunities: This involves identifying areas where the
organization can improve or expand its operations, products, or services.

 Define project goals and objectives: This involves defining what the project aims to
achieve, including specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART)
objectives.

 Conduct feasibility studies and cost-benefit analysis: This involves assessing the
practicality and potential return on investment of the project.

 Project Initiation:

 Develop project charter and scope statement: This involves creating a document that
outlines the project's objectives, scope, stakeholders, and overall approach.

 Identify stakeholders and their roles: This involves identifying individuals and groups
who will be impacted by the project, including their roles and responsibilities.

 Establish project management team: This involves assembling a team of individuals with
the necessary skills and expertise to manage the project.

Project Planning Phase

The project planning phase involves developing a detailed plan for the project, including scope,
schedule, budget, quality, resources, and risk management.

 Scope Planning:

 Define project scope and boundaries: This involves identifying what is included and
excluded from the project.

 Identify and document project requirements: This involves gathering and documenting
the requirements of the project stakeholders.

 Develop work breakdown structure (WBS): This involves breaking down the project into
smaller, manageable tasks and activities.

 Schedule Planning:

 Develop project schedule and timeline: This involves creating a schedule that outlines
the project's milestones, deadlines, and dependencies.
  Identify and sequence project tasks: This involves identifying the tasks and activities
required to complete the project and sequencing them in a logical order.

 Estimate task durations and resources: This involves estimating the time and resources
required to complete each task.

 Cost Planning:

 Establish project budget and cost constraints: This involves determining the project's
budget and identifying any cost constraints.

 Estimate costs for resources and activities: This involves estimating the costs of the
resources and activities required to complete the project.

 Develop cost management plan: This involves creating a plan for managing and
controlling project costs.

 Quality Planning:

 Identify quality objectives and standards: This involves defining the quality standards
and objectives for the project.

 Develop quality management plan: This involves creating a plan for ensuring that the
project meets the required quality standards.

 Establish quality metrics and benchmarks: This involves identifying metrics and
benchmarks to measure project quality.

 Resource Planning:

 Identify and acquire project resources: This involves identifying the resources required
to complete the project and acquiring them.

 Develop resource allocation plan: This involves creating a plan for allocating resources
to project tasks and activities.

 Establish resource management plan: This involves creating a plan for managing and
controlling project resources.

 Risk Planning:

 Identify and assess project risks: This involves identifying potential risks and assessing
their likelihood and impact.

 Develop risk management plan: This involves creating a plan for managing and
mitigating project risks.

 Establish risk mitigation strategies: This involves identifying strategies for mitigating
project risks.

 Communication Planning:
  Develop communication plan and strategy: This involves creating a plan for
communicating with project stakeholders.

 Identify stakeholders and their communication needs: This involves identifying the
stakeholders and their communication needs.

 Establish communication protocols and procedures: This involves establishing protocols

and procedures for communicating with stakeholders.

Project Execution Phase

The project execution phase involves carrying out the project tasks and activities, managing and
controlling project resources, and monitoring and reporting project progress.

 Task Execution:

 Carry out project tasks and activities: This involves executing the project tasks and
activities outlined in the project plan.

 Manage and control project resources: This involves managing and controlling the
resources allocated to the project.

 Monitor and report project progress: This involves monitoring project progress and
reporting it to stakeholders.

 Quality Control:

 Monitor and control project quality: This involves monitoring and controlling project
quality to ensure that it meets the required standards.

 Conduct quality assurance and testing: This involves conducting quality assurance and
testing to ensure that the project meets the required quality standards.

 Identify and correct quality defects: This involves identifying and correcting quality
defects.

 Risk Management:

 Monitor and control project risks: This involves monitoring and controlling project risks
to ensure that they are mitigated.

 Implement risk mitigation strategies: This involves implementing risk mitigation

strategies to minimize the impact of project risks.

 Identify and respond to new risks: This involves identifying and responding to new
project risks.

 Communication and Stakeholder Management:

 Implement

What is the project life cycle?

The term “life cycle” sounds like something straight out of your high school biology class, but the
concept is actually pretty straightforward. The project life cycle is the set of stages a project moves
through from beginning to end. You move sequentially through the phases to take a project from an
idea to a completed deliverable.

Rather than tackling a project haphazardly and knocking out the low-hanging fruit first, understanding
the project management life cycle enables teams to:

 Move projects from start to finish in an organized and strategic way

 Monitor project progress and status

 Complete projects faster, because they’re more accurately planed with less unforeseen
obstacles

Add all of those benefits together, and you get the biggest benefit of all: teams can deliver more
successful projects more quickly.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), for every $1 billion invested, $122 million is
wasted due to poor project performance.

Using the project life cycle to your advantage means you won’t throw money at projects that don’t meet
their original goals.

Alright, you get it. The project life cycle has a lot of pluses. Now, what stages do you need to push
projects through?

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) breaks the project management life cycle into
five distinct stages:

1. Initiation

2. Planning

3. Execution

4. Monitoring

5. Closure

Now that you have the bird’s-eye view, it’s time to dig in.

The 5 steps of the project management life cycle

Five stages might seem like a heavy lift (especially if you’re used to thinking of projects only in terms of
“beginning” and “end”). Each phase serves a distinct purpose in pushing your project toward best
results.

Much like the alphabet, these phases are sequential. In order to reap the benefits of the project
management life cycle, you need to move through these phases in order.

Phase #1: Project initiation

Sofia and her team are eager to give their employee onboarding process a much-needed reboot. Think
the first step is mapping out a plan and a timeline? Not so fast.

Planning isn’t the first step of the project life cycle —it’s initiation.

During this stage, the project isn’t actually approved and in motion. Sofia’s team is staying broad and
defining it from a high level, with the goal of determining if the project is even worth pursuing in the first
case. To do so, they’ll figure out:

 The business case for the project

 The benefit of completing it (i.e. what broader business goal does it support?)

 The major deliverables

 What success looks like

After thinking through these elements, Sofia and her team members have determined:

 Business case: Sofia’s company has been struggling with employee turnover. The majority of
employees leaving within their first 12 months of employment.

 Benefit: The revised onboarding process will boost clarity, communication, and engagement
during an employee’s first few months with the company, and hopefully keep them around for
the long haul.

 Deliverables: The HR team needs a documented procedure to refer to and manage, as well as
an online dashboard for employees to work through during their first weeks of employment.

 Success Metrics: A 15% increase in employee retention by the end of Q4, and positive feedback
scores from at least 85% of new employees.

All of these elements can be pulled into a project poster, which Sofia’s team can reference whenever
they need to zoom out and understand the project at a higher level.

Once the team has worked through all of these factors, they should ask: Is the project feasible and
worth pursuing?

If the answer is yes, they’ll get approval on the project (if necessary) and move to the next phase. If not?
No need to panic. The team will head back to the drawing board and see if there’s a different way to
solve the problem they’re facing, like using a project poster template.

Phase #2: Project planning

Now that Sofia has defined the project at a broad level, it’s time for her to get into the minutiae. In this
phase, she and her team will hash out a plan for actually getting the project completed.

Even if you’re eager to get to the actual work, it’s important not to cut corners in the planning stage.
Effective planning can prevent a lot of the main causes for project failure, including inadequate vision
and goals, poor communication, and inaccurate time estimates.
Planning is also going to require some time and elbow grease, so make sure you set aside plenty of time
for it at the start of your project.

Questions Sofia and her team will answer in this phase include:

 What is the goal of this project?

Project Overview

To provide a comprehensive answer, I will outline the key elements of a project plan, addressing the
questions you've posed.

Goal of the Project

The goal of the project is to deliver a specific outcome or product that meets the needs of the
stakeholders. This could be a new product launch, a process improvement, or a strategic initiative.

 What are the key performance indicators (KPIs)?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPIs are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively the project is achieving its objectives.
Examples of KPIs include:

1. Project timeline: completion date, milestones, and deadlines

2. Budget: cost variance, return on investment (ROI), and cost savings
3. Quality: defect rate, customer satisfaction, and quality metrics
4. Resource utilization: resource allocation, utilization rate, and productivity

 What is the scope?

Scope

The scope of the project defines what is included and excluded from the project. It outlines the specific
objectives, deliverables, and boundaries of the project. A well-defined scope statement should include:

 Project objectives
 Project Scope Statement

The project scope statement is a critical document that outlines the project's objectives,
deliverables, boundaries, assumptions, and constraints. It serves as a guide for the project team and
stakeholders, ensuring everyone is aligned and working towards the same goals.

 Project Objectives
Project objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) statements
that define what the project aims to accomplish. They should be concise, clear, and aligned with the
organization's strategic goals.

Example of project objectives:

 Increase sales revenue by 15% within the next 12 months

 Improve customer satisfaction ratings by 20% within the next 6 months

 Reduce production costs by 10% within the next 9 months

 Deliverables
Deliverables are the tangible or intangible products or services that the project will produce. They
should be specific, measurable, and aligned with the project objectives.

Example of deliverables:

 A new product launch

 A process improvement plan

 A software application

A marketing campaign

 Boundaries
Boundaries

Boundaries define what is included and excluded from the project. They help to clarify the project's
scope and prevent scope creep.

Example of boundaries:

The project will focus on the development of a new product, but will not include the launch and
marketing of the product.

The project will only include the redesign of the company's website, but will not include the
development of new content.

 Assumptions
Assumptions are factors that are believed to be true, but may not be entirely accurate. They can impact
the project's success and should be identified and validated.

Example of assumptions:

 The project team will have access to the necessary resources and expertise.
  The project timeline will not be impacted by external factors such as weather or economic
conditions.

 The project stakeholders will be available and responsive throughout the project.

 Constraints
Constraints

Constraints are limitations or restrictions that can impact the project's success. They can be related to
time, budget, resources, or scope.

Example of constraints:

 The project must be completed within a specific timeframe (e.g., 6 months).

 The project budget is limited to $100,000.

 The project team will only have access to a limited number of resources (e.g., personnel,
equipment).

 The project scope is limited to a specific geographic region.

By clearly defining the project objectives, deliverables, boundaries, assumptions, and constraints, the
project scope statement provides a solid foundation for the project plan and ensures that everyone
involved is aligned and working towards the same goals

 What is the budget?

Budget

The budget outlines the financial resources allocated to the project. It includes:

 Total budget

 Breakdown of costs (e.g., labor, materials, equipment)

 Contingency fund

 Funding sources

 What are the risks?

Risks
Risks are potential events or circumstances that could impact the project. They can be categorized as:

 High-risk: high likelihood and high impact

 Medium-risk: medium likelihood and medium impact

 Low-risk: low likelihood and low impact

Risk mitigation strategies should be developed to minimize the impact of potential risks.

 What team members are involved?

Team Members

The project team includes all stakeholders involved in the project, including:

 Project manager

 Team members

 Stakeholders

 Sponsors

 Customers

 What tasks are involved?

Tasks

Tasks are the specific activities required to complete the project. They should be:

 Specific

 Measurable

 Achievable

 Relevant

 Time-bound (SMART)

 What milestones need to be met?

Milestones

Milestones are significant events or accomplishments that mark progress toward the project's
objectives. They should be:
  Specific

 Measurable

 Achievable

 Relevant

 Time-bound (SMART)

Example of a milestone: "Complete the project plan by the end of week 2."

Project Schedule

The project schedule outlines the timeline for the project, including:

 Start date

 End date

 Milestones

 Dependencies

 Critical path

Project Plan

The project plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the project's objectives, scope, timeline,
budget, and resources. It should include:

 Project charter

 Scope statement

 Project schedule

 Budget

 Resource allocation

 Risk management plan

 Quality management plan

 Communication plan

 Stakeholder management plan

By addressing these key elements, you can develop a comprehensive project plan that ensures the
successful delivery of your project.
It’s best to start by defining an objective for the project using the SMART goal framework. That stands
for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Following that acronym, Sofia and her team define the following goal for their employee onboarding
project:

Create a new employee onboarding process that educates and engages new hires and boosts employee
retention by 15%. This new program should be launched by January 25, 2021.

Now Sofia and her team know what they have their sights set on. But, they aren’t going to reach that
goal by wishing and hoping. The team needs to figure out what work actually needs to be accomplished.

Creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) can help. This splits the entire project into tasks that are
displayed in a graphic format, so everyone involved can easily see the project’s action items. In the case
of Sofia and her team, they identify the following tasks:

 Survey existing employees for feedback on the current onboarding process

 Interview managers about what they want included in the process

 Create general flow of new onboarding process/90-day plan

 Record video tutorials to be included in the employee dashboard for extra clarification

 Build a digital employee dashboard

 Launch a portal where new employees can ask for help

 Draft procedures and checklists for onboarding process

 Upload videos and documentation to the dashboard

Once the team knows what the project requires, it’s a lot simpler for them to figure out how much time
it will take, what supplies they need, and what they should do first.

They’re also able to identify who the key project players are (in this case, the HR team, web
development team, graphic designer, and content team), as well as any task and resource
dependencies. These dependencies are aspects of the project that are tied to another.

For example, here’s a task dependency: materials can’t be uploaded to the employee dashboard before
the dashboard actually exists. One task needs to be completed before the next. Or maybe the web
development team can’t help with this project until they wrap up the company’s website redesign. A
required resource isn’t readily available, because it’s dependent on something else.

Now, Sofia’s team can keep those dependencies in mind, put the project tasks in a reasonable order,
and assign deadlines to each and every step on individual to-do lists.

Once they’ve done that, they’ve just crafted their project plan. It should be documented and stored
somewhere that the whole team has access to (Confluence is the perfect place for this).

Phase #3: Project execution

This phase is where a lot of the hard work actually happens.

This is when Sofia’s team goes heads down and completes those project tasks they identified. They’re
drafting the procedures, recording videos, conducting interviews, and more.

As they keep trucking through those project to-do’s, they’ll also be engaged with the following phase…

Phase #4: Project monitoring

Let’s go back to our baking a cake example. Do you only glance at the recipe once and then watch in
amazement as the world’s greatest cake comes to fruition? Probably not.

You refer back to that recipe as you crack eggs and stir the batter to make sure you’re doing things right.
You peek into the oven every five minutes to make sure the top isn’t burning. You keep a close eye on
that precious cake of yours.

Projects work the exact same way, and that’s what the monitoring phase is all about. It happens at the
same time as the “executing” phase, and Sofia will evaluate the project at regular intervals to make sure
the team is:

 Meeting task deadlines

 Avoiding scope creep

 Sticking with the budget

 Staying committed to the goal (the broader vision can get lost when you’re executing — it’s the
old “missing the forest for the trees” trap)

Monitoring is much easier when using project management software. It increases visibility into the
entire project and centralizes project-related conversations and information.

Additionally, regular status meetings help the entire team stay on top of progress. This weekly meeting
notes template makes it easier to record discussion topics, decisions, and action items from those
conversations.

If Sofia notices that things aren’t working as planned, she can either course correct right away or make
adjustments to the original project plan to account for this new direction.

Phase #5: Project closure

The team did it! They rolled out a new and improved employee onboarding process. They’re ready to
celebrate with a victory team lunch and wash their hands of that project once and for all.

But before they chalk this project up as a win, they need to move through this closure phase to wrap up
any loose ends. This includes:

 Conducting a postmortem or retrospective to discuss what went well and what they would’ve
like to go better
  Preparing a final project report and presenting it to stakeholders if necessary

 Storing all project documentation somewhere safe so it can be easily accessed and referenced at
a later date (again, Confluence can keep all of that in one organized spot!)

After all of that hard work, your projects deserve to end on a high note. Even though the actual project
tasks are behind you, closure is important for ending this project right and setting future projects up for
success.

How project management software can help

Think project management software is one of those “nice to have” things? Think again. If you want to
boost success and reduce stress, project management software is a must. In fact, 77% of high-
performing projects use project management software.

What makes it so great for managing the project management life cycle? This software:

 Improves transparency and visibility, since the entire team can track the life cycle

 Clarifies roles and responsibilities, so everybody knows what’s expected of them

 Makes the project plan more actionable by creating assignable tasks, owners, and more

 Reduces inaccuracies, because everybody knows how to find the right information

 Provides real-time updates, so nobody is operating with outdated information

Don’t try to manage your project life cycle with endless email threads, random documents, and messy
spreadsheets. Project management software like Jira will help your team take projects from lightbulb to
launch day with strategy and organization.

Score more project wins

Projects don’t just jump from point A to point Z. Project management will guide you through the
different stages of your project and help you tackle it strategically.

Move through the phases in order and, much like Sofia and her team, you’ll be ready to pat yourselves
on the back for yet another project win. We recommend celebrating-- with cake, of course.

The planning phase of project management is where a lot of the thought and hard work happens.
Simplify it with our project planning templates or browse all our project management templates.