DEM405: PROJECT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

Lesson 4 and 5
13/3/25

PROJECT LIFE CYCLES

Every program, project, or product has certain phases of development. A clear understanding of these
phases permits managers and executives to better control total corporate resources in the achievement of
desired goals. The phases of development are known as life-cycle phases. Like any life cycle phases of
development, project life cycle is designed to help project managers guide their projects successfully
from start to finish. The purpose of the project life cycle is simply to create an easy-to-
follow framework to guide projects. The diagram below is an illustration of project life cycle. Below is
an illustration of a project life cycle.

The 5 main phases/stages of the project life cycle

Project life cycle stages are explained as follows:

1. Initiation/conceptual stage: The first phase, the conceptual phase, includes the preliminary
evaluation of an idea. Most important in this phase is a preliminary analysis of risk and the
resulting impact on the time, cost, and performance requirements, together with the potential
impact on company resources. The conceptual phase also includes a "first cut" at the feasibility
of the effort. In simple terms, this stage defines project goals, evaluate feasibility and establish
the project’s purpose and stakeholders.
2. Planning: The second phase is the planning phase. It is mainly a refinement of the elements
described under the conceptual phase. The planning phase requires a firm identification of the
resources to be required together with the establishment of realistic time, cost, and performance
parameters. This phase also includes the initial preparation of all documentation necessary to
support for project completion. Most importantly, planning create a comprehensive project
blueprint outlining tasks, timelines and resource allocation. It is also at the planning stage that
project feasibility study takes place. Once the approximate total cost of the project is determined,
a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) should be conducted to determine the feasibility of the project.

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 3. Execution/implementation: At this phase, the project plan into action, ensuring effective
communication and coordination among team members.
4. Monitoring and evaluation:

5. Closure: It is a phase that makes the competition of all project tasks, obtain client approval and
conduct a thorough review to capture valuable insights for future projects.

PROJECT GRAPHICS

 These are visual images or designs that are created for specific project.
 What the graphics do: They communicate information about the specific project. I.e. Project graphic is a
visual representation of a piece of data, plans, progress and performance of a specific project. I.e.
Equipment, floor, building, a plant for a specific project. Project graphics can be in terms of drawing,
photograph, line chart, charts, diagrams or mathematical graphs etc. Any plan, schedule, drawing, or
specification that will be read by more than one person must be regarded as vehicle for the
communication of information. Hence, Project graphics is a communication tool of the project. If
effective communication is to be established and maintained in compliance with the requirements, this
information must be expressed in a language that is understood by all recipients.

Whenever a project has to be accomplished according to a time or date deadline, then both the customer
and contractor must have an accurate picture of the relations between the time allowed and the time
needed. There are three important parameters to be communicated in the project graphics: 1. Time. 2.
Cost. 3. Performance.

Types of project graphics

Gantt chart:
The most common type of visual project graphic display is the bar or Gantt chart, named after Henry
Gantt, who first utilized this procedure in the early 1900s. Gantt chart – This is a bar that illustrates a
project schedule, showing tasks, durations, dependencies, and progress over time.

Advantages of Gannt chart design

i. The bar chart is a means of displaying simple activities or events plotted against time or
dollars.
 An activity represents the amount of work required to proceed from one point in time whereas
events are described as either the starting or ending point for either one or several activities.
ii. Bar charts are most commonly used for exhibiting program progress or defining specific work
required to accomplish an objective.
 Bar charts often include such as items as listings of activities, activity duration, schedule dates,
and progress-to-date. Bar charts are advantageous in that they are simple to understand and easy
to change. They are the simplest and least complex means of portraying progress (or the lack of
it) and can easily be expanded to identify specific elements that may be either behind or ahead of
schedule.

Disadvantages of Gannt chart design

i. Bar charts provide only a vague description of how the entire program or project reacts as
a system
ii. A bar chart lacks degree of detail,

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 iii. A bar chart does not show the progress of work and hence it cannot be used as a control
device.
iv. A bar chart is unable to show the interdependencies of various activities. Therefore do
not represent a "network" of activities. This relationship between activities is crucial for
controlling program costs. Without this relationship, bar charts have little predictive
value.
v. No provision to account for time uncertainties. NB. Even with these limitations bar charts
do, in fact, serves as a useful tool for program analysis. Even the earliest form of bar
chart, as developed by Henry Gantt, still has merit under certain circumstances.

Network Diagram: This project graphic is a flowchart that represents project tasks, dependencies, and
sequences. The common network diagrams are Program Evaluation and Review (PERT) chart;
Critical Path Methodology chart.(CPM Chart).
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – A hierarchical tree diagram that breaks down a project into
smaller, manageable components or deliverables. Important: It helps in organizing work, assigning
responsibilities and estimating resources.
Risk Matrix (Heat Map) – A grid that categorizes project risks based on their probability and
impact, helping with risk assessment and mitigation planning.
Milestone Chart – A timeline or table showing major project milestones, deadlines, and key
deliverables.
Importance of project graphic displays
Graphical displays are the prime means for tracking cost, schedule, and performance. Good graphics
usually makes the information easy to identify. Unfortunately, not all information can be displayed, and
quite often any additional information requests require addition al cost and effort. Proper graphical
displays can result in:
i. Cutting project costs and reducing the time scale: This is essential in minimizing
costs and time expected to complete a project;
ii. Coordinating and expediting planning: Information regarding coordinating and
speeding up tasks and activities to meet deadlines
iii. Eliminating idle time;
iv. Obtaining better scheduling and control of subcontractor activities;
v. Developing better troubleshooting procedures;
vi. Cutting time for routine decisions, but allowing more time for decision making; etc.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES

Achieving project management excellence, or even maturity, may not be possible without a repetitive
process that can be used on each and every project. This repetitive process is referred to as the project
management methodology.

Methodologies applied in projects, tend to directly influence the efficiency and effectiveness of project’s
outcomes. However, mistakes happen regardless of the methodology applied. The first rule in project
management is that ‘’Nothing goes as planned’’.

Methodology is defined as strictly defined combination of logically related practices, methods (tools) and
processes that determine how best to plan, develop, control and deliver a project throughout the
continuous implementation processes until successful completion of a project. Continuous use of a single
or multiple methodologies will drastically improve chances of the project success.

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 The purpose of Project Management methodology is to:

 Establish a common basis for all project tasks/or activities, and most importantly, it establishes
the grounds for project success. I.e. it provides guidelines, processes and best practices to be
followed by team members.
 It offers the perfect planning framework to support the project throughout its life cycle.
 It also helps project managers lead team members and manage work while facilitating
collabollation.
 Minimizes wasted time and resources by following structured processes. This ensures increased
efficiency in tasks and activities performed and quality project deliverables.
 Defines clear objectives, milestones, and deliverables.
 Helps allocate resources efficiently and identify potential risks early.
 Provides techniques to identify, assess, and mitigate risks.
 Helps teams handle issues systematically, reducing project failure rates.

Types of Project Management Methodologies

There are several project management methodologies. The major and popular ones are as follows:

WATERFALL METHODOLOGY: This may be the most straightforward and linear of all the project
management methodologies. The waterfall methodology is a process in which the phases of the project
flow downwards. This model requires moving from one phrase to another only once that phrase has been
successfully completed.

 Waterfall methodology helps to achieve objectives of a project through sequential steps.

 It is the simplest type.
 The logic of application and understanding of requirements (request for the project) in waterfall
methodology is easy. The order of tasks is crucial, since the task should come before the second.
This method is best applied in projects that are related to physical results. E.g. Multistory house
construction. It is also to note that any changes in the stakeholder’s requirements can lead to
essential changes throughout the project. Stakeholders cannot change requirements once the
project has started. Waterfall methodology is suitable for software designs and development.

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 . Phases of Waterfall methodology explained
1. Requirement and planning:
 The phase identifies what the project should do. The project manager tries to
understand the project’s requirements based on what the project sponsors need.
 The phase involves identifying and describing the project’s risks, assumptions,
dependencies, quality metrics, costs, and timeline.
 During this stage also involves analyzing, whereby project managers and team
members collect, collect, analyze, and document the needs and expectations of
stakeholders. It is at this stage where the project is defined and everything is planned
out. At this phase, the financial and technical resources are also analyzed or tested
for feasibility before the start of the project. Technical resources such as tools,
systems, equipment, and expertise are essential for the successful completion of a
project.

2. Design: at this stage the focus is on the technical implementation of the project. I.e.
Design involves creating a detailed blueprint/proposal for how the project, will be
developed. This phase ensures that all technical specifications and structural plans are in
place before actual implementation begins.
3. Implementation: this stage is about using the prior stages’ results to try test/or analyze
and implement the logic to make the project;

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 4. Verification/analyzing: This is where testing of the project comes to place and analyze if
there are any issues that may face the project. If the project is verified then it continues
forward
5. Maintenance: It involves the continual improvement of the project outcomes or
deliverables. I.e. maintenance ensures security and quality of the product or service
produced out of a project all the time. It is at this phase where identifying and fixing
issues that were not detected during testing are done.

Advantages of waterfall methodology

i. It is simple and straightforward that allows everyone in a team to be aware and move
forward toward the project aim. The reason is that waterfall methodology helps to
achieve objectives of a project through sequential/ chronological steps. The order of
tasks is crucial the task should come before the second. This method is best applied
in projects that are related to physical results. E.g. multistory house contraction.
ii. The logic of application and understanding of requirements (request for the project)
in waterfall methodology is easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model. Each
phase has specific deliverable and review process;
iii. It clearly defines the objectives and deliverables;
iv. It allows for managerial control, based on the deadline that is provided.
v. The order of tasks is crucial, since the task should come before the second.
vi. Phases are processed and completed one at a time.

Disadvantages

i. Lack of Flexibility: If there is a mistake, the entire project starts all over again. There is no room
for making changes or correct errors. For example. Stakeholders cannot change requirements
once the project has started.
ii. Testing is done at the end of the project, hence, increasing the risk of major defects,
iii. Reduces efficiency by not allowing stages to overlap;

iv. If stakeholders change their expectations mid-project, adjustments are difficult and costly.
v. Clients or end-users are typically involved only during the initial requirements phase and final
delivery.
vi. Teams working on later stages (e.g., testing, deployment) may remain idle during earlier phases
etc…

AGILE METHODOLOGY: Is a project management approach that involves breaking the project
into several stages known as sprints and emphasizes continuous collaboration and improvement.
Agile methodology allows teams to release segments of the project that are completed.

Reasons for adaptation of agile methodology

Agile methodology has been adopted by several types of industries. E.g. Software companies, product
development, marketing and even construction companies.

Reasons:

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 i. High product quality: high quality testing is performed all throughout the project processes, and
teams perform regular checkups to improve the product quality.
ii. High customer-satisfaction: customers have full knowledge of what is being done in the project. –
agile methodology,
iii. Enhances continuous and fast delivery;
iv. Reduces risks: The project is divided into sprints/or segments and the first sprint will not affect the
next sprint. I.e. risk analysis is simultaneously done with other project processes. Early adaptation to
clients’ requirements or through the development phase.
v. Better and faster Return on Investment (RoI): The project is completed in several versions, so that
the project is market ready after few versions.

CRITICAL PATH METHODOLOGY: The critical path is a technique or tool that allows identification
of tasks that are necessary for project completion. The critical path in project management is the longest
sequence of activities that must be finished on time to complete the entire project. Or an algorithm used
in project management that is used to schedule project activities.- A critical path is determined by
identifying the longest stretch of dependent activities and measuring the time required to complete them
from start to finish. Example See the diagram below

SCRUM METHODOLOGY: With Scrum, the tasks are in sprints/segments. During each sprint, teams
work on a particular deliverable/feature. Note: teams should hold daily status update meetings. Review of
the completed task/activities in the sprint before moving to the next sprint is key.

The scrum methodology emphasis teamwork and tresses accountability and iterative ( overlap or doing
again and again to improve it) progress towards a well-defined goal.

It is also to note that scrum method/tool is part of agile process, but certainly not the only party. Agile is
sub-framework in agile methodology. The difference between the scrum and agile frameworks is that
agile is a large ‘tent’ and the scrum is the pillar. For example think of scrum as a framework by which
you can implement agile development.

The scrum team is lead by scrum master. The scrum master is scrum methodology expert. He makes sure
the scrum team understands how the scrum framework works. He also leads scrum meetings. NB. Its
advantages are the same as agile advantages.

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 SCRUM AGILE METHODOLOGY

KANBAN -AGILE METHODOLODY

Kanban is an agile method that aims at continuous improvement, flexibility in task management, and
enhanced workflow. Kanban is about envisioning the existing workflow in terms of steps. These steps
can be created on the whiteboard. The goal of the Kanban execution is to ensure work items move to
the next steps quickly to realize the project value faster.

LEAN METHODOLOGY

Lean approach to project management is all about the creation of value. Whatever is not included in
the category of creating value for a company or a project is considered waste. The goal is to develop
processes that are working toward continued success. Those who believe in lean approach to project
management also look at value and progress through the eye of the customer, who is respected as one
of the most important stakeholders.

Lean methodology aims at maximizing value and minimizing waste through application of its principles.

Key lean principles are as follows

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 i. Specify value: the team must be aware of customers’ wants;
ii. Map the value stream: this is the way of visualizing the project from the start to finish, then
analyze the waste;
iii. Create the flow: once the visualizing and analyzing is completed, then the team make sure the
project runs smoothly;
iv. Establish pull: then the project moves forward;
v. Pursue perfection: continuous improvement towards a perfect process is ultimate goal for lean.
i.e. Assessing what works and does not work for the project and adjust accordingly.

3 M’s in lean quality waste management

First M: Muda: These are activities that consume resources without adding value;

Second M: Muri: this means misuse of equipments or employees;

Third M is Mura: this means overburden, burnout. I.e. overworking employees.

N/B Your objective as a lead team is to cutout these wastes as much as possible.