What Are The Five Phases Of Project Management

Introduction

Project management is a process which involved application of knowledge, techniques and skills to execute a project efficiently and effectively. There are five phases of a project (four stages plus control) : Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and controlling, and Closing (ProjectInsight).

Initiating

"The Initiating Process Group consists of those processes performed to define a new project or a phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase." (PMBOK)

Intiating involves definig a project and getting an approval to begin the project. Inputs to this phase involves generally a project statement or a project request document and a contract and the output of this phase is the Project

This is the phase or process where these tasks are performed.

Closing

The closing process group is responsible for closing the overall project and delivering the “Project Deliverables” to the customers. The inputs to this process group are the “administrative and contract closeout procedures”.

Project Management Tools and Techniques

All the five phases explained above in project management requires some kind of project management tools and techniques in order to be executed properly, most commonly used tools include t, namely: Critical Path Analysis, Brainstorming, Fishbone Diagrams, and Gantt Charts (BusinessBalls). The tools have their strengths and specific purposes and are explained in following matrix:

Information: M: Main Tool, O: Optional Tool, S: Sometimes useful

B: Brainstorming, G: Gantt Charts, C: CPM, F: Fishbone diagrams B F C G

Initial Aims, Concept brainstorming and aims M O

Identification of all elements, hidden factors S M

It’s generally shown as a flow diagram in a linear organized line format with specific time line. These diagrams show independent factors whose timings overlaps and also enable to plan the schedule accordingly to the timescale. It also allows costing and budging but is a bit tricky method. Example: Assuming that the project team will work a standard working week (5 working days in 1 week) and that all tasks will start as soon as possible and following is the schedule Following will be critical path analysis:

ID Task Name Predecessors

(Enter one ID per cell) P

(max) Duration

(exp. time) ES EF LS LF Slack

10 Start 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

20 Task A 10 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

30 Task B 20 15 5.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 5.00 0.00

40 Task C 30 25 8.33 5.00 13.33 5.00 13.33