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Understand the phases of a project lifecycle and know how to approach a predictive project versus an adaptive project.

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Quick reference

Project Lifecycle

The Project Lifecycle is the set of phases that a project goes through – it is a high-level outline of the project activities.

When to use

An understanding of the lifecycle is beneficial during the planning phase of the project to set expectations on project planning detail.  Project lifecycle is also used to structure the project execution phases.

Instructions

All projects go through a project lifecycle.  There are four categories of lifecyles.  Although a project normally remains in one category throughout the life of the project, it can change categories based upon business and organizational constraints and initiatives. 

Predictive

If the project is well-defined, conducting familiar types of effort, and using a stable resource pool; the project can use a predictive lifecycle that allows the entire project to be planned in detail at the beginning of the project.  Each phase and the activities within that phase are understood and therefore can be “predicted.” The predictive lifecycle is driven by the project plan.

Iterative

The iterative project is performed as a series of miniprojects that are often similar in nature.  Each iteration follows a similar pattern.  It is either duplicating the same project activities in a new location or time period.  Or it is following a standard approach for discovery.  The results of one iteration are often the starting point for the next iteration.  The iterative lifecycle is driven by the discovery, or lack thereof, of new information from the previous iteration.

Incremental

The incremental project is one whose performance grows over time.  A stretch goal is set at the beginning of the project and the work is done in phases, with an assessment being made at the end of each phase to determine how much progress has been made towards the goal.  The number of increments that are needed are not known at the beginning of the project.  In addition, the nature of the work in later increments will depend upon the results of the previous increment.  The incremental lifecycle is driven by performance growth.

Adaptive

If the project is uncertain or unstable; an adaptive lifecycle is more appropriate.  In an adaptive lifecycle, the instability and uncertainty prevents the project team from planning the project in detail at the beginning of the project.  In this case, the team must plan portions of the project one phase or element at a time, “adapting” the plan to the current situation.  An adaptive lifecycle requires a high degree of stakeholder interaction due to the continuous changes that occur in the project.

Hints & tips

  • Most organizations have created a procedure or template for categories of projects that outline the project lifecycle and phase exit criteria.
  • The phase entry and exit points are typically reviewed with the stakeholders to demonstrate progress and obtain stakeholder buy-in.
  • Ideally, lifecylce phases represent completing and retiring a major amount of project risk.
  • Project Lifecycle Definition:  “The series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its completion.” PMBOK® Guide

This definition is taken from the Glossary of the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2017.

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  • 00:05 Hello again.
  • 00:06 I'm Ray Sheen and I'll be discussing Project Lifecycles
  • 00:09 with you in this lesson. >> The Project Management Body of
  • 00:14 Knowledge, the PMBOK Guide, defines a Project Lifecycle as,
  • 00:18 the series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its completion.
  • 00:24 The number and names of phases can vary based upon the type of project and
  • 00:28 the project management control system being used.
  • 00:31 In addition,
  • 00:31 the unique needs of the project can impact a number of phases in the business.
  • 00:36 The best lifecycle methodology should vary based upon the level of uncertainty and
  • 00:41 the organizational culture of the company.
  • 00:43 There are numerous life cycles, but they typically can be classified as predictive,
  • 00:48 iterative, incremental, or adaptive lifecycles.
  • 00:52 Let's look at each of those.
  • 00:54 I'll start with the Predictive Lifecycle since this is the approach that has been
  • 00:59 taught as the preferred lifecycle by many organizations.
  • 01:02 The Predictive Lifecycle is a plan-driven lifecycle.
  • 01:05 A plan is established and everything must be aligned to the plan.
  • 01:09 Following the plan becomes the most important element for managing and
  • 01:13 controlling the project.
  • 01:15 The scope boundary, the time boundary, and
  • 01:17 the total cost boundary are set at the time of initiation.
  • 01:20 The plan for creating all of deliverables is created and
  • 01:24 deliverables are defined and are assigned to their respective phases.
  • 01:28 There's time and budget allocated to each phase, and a detailed plan for
  • 01:32 each of those phases culminating with the completion of their deliverables.
  • 01:37 On these projects,
  • 01:38 the plan is the most important aspect of the project management.
  • 01:41 A thorough plan that is closely followed is likely to lead to success.
  • 01:45 This type of approach is often called a "Waterfall" project,
  • 01:49 because of the orderly flow of all the project tasks.
  • 01:52 Now let's look at the Iterative Lifecycle.
  • 01:55 This is a discovery-driven lifecycle.
  • 01:57 The project is performed in a series of phases or iterations, and
  • 02:01 the discoveries from one iteration are used to plan the next iteration.
  • 02:05 The overall goal of the project is normally set near the beginning of
  • 02:09 the project.
  • 02:10 This acts as a guide throughout all the iterations.
  • 02:13 Because of uncertainty in the work to be done or the resources available,
  • 02:18 the project is managed one iteration at a time.
  • 02:20 Each iteration will uncover new information that is
  • 02:24 used when creating the plan for the next iteration.
  • 02:27 This may be a clarification of deliverables required,
  • 02:30 or the ability to create a good estimate.
  • 02:33 The approach is used when details of what is to be done or
  • 02:36 how it is to be done is not known when the project starts.
  • 02:39 The project team can discover the path forward.
  • 02:43 Next is the Incremental Lifecycle.
  • 02:45 This approach is a performance-based lifecycle.
  • 02:48 The project is often done in a series of phases or sprints,
  • 02:51 with each one seeking to improve the performance of the project results.
  • 02:55 The project continues until the performance exceeds a target threshold.
  • 03:00 Again, the project scope or goal is established at the beginning of
  • 03:03 the project, but this time the deliverables are well understood.
  • 03:06 They're often allocated to phases and completed one subset at a time,
  • 03:11 with an evaluation of the project goal occurring
  • 03:13 within each incremental completion.
  • 03:16 The next increment builds on the previous one until the project performance goal is
  • 03:20 reached.
  • 03:21 The end point of this project is uncertain, since we don't know how many
  • 03:25 increments will be needed to achieve the desired performance.
  • 03:28 The final approach is the Adaptive Project Lifecycle.
  • 03:31 This is a change-driven approach.
  • 03:33 It is based upon managing the project through changes,
  • 03:37 such as unfolding set of requirements or business conditions.
  • 03:40 The project is often managed through a set of decision points or meetings.
  • 03:44 At each meeting, the learnings from the previous phase or
  • 03:47 iteration are used to redefine or change the project's scope.
  • 03:51 Although the specific scope is changed, the overall project vision and
  • 03:54 direction is set at the time that the project is initiated.
  • 03:58 The details of scope, time, or cost, remain variable and adaptive.
  • 04:03 The project is performed in a series of iterations or phases.
  • 04:06 Each new phase is defined at the end of the proceeding phase and
  • 04:09 changes are incorporated based upon the results of the proceeding phase.
  • 04:14 Finally at some point, the project would be declared complete, and the results
  • 04:18 handed over to the stakeholders who had authorized the project.
  • 04:21 These stakeholders should be included in each of the decision points along the way,
  • 04:25 so that they can guide the direction that the project is
  • 04:28 taking. >> Understanding the Project Lifecycle
  • 04:31 you're using, will aid a project manager and the project team,
  • 04:34 by guiding them as to what activities they should be doing, and
  • 04:38 the decisions that they should be making.

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