2. Project Lifecycles

Question 1

Why linear project structured into phases?

Answer 1

Framework for budgeting, scheduling, allocating resources and assigning team members and experts
Governance - clear gate stages
Consistency - of project structure across organisation
Easier to manage - Treat as sub projects
Facilitate continuous Improvement - Pass lessons learnt through stages

Question 2

What are the 4 project lifecycle stages and what is the extended lifecycle.

Answer 2

Concept, Definition, deployment and transition plus benefits realisation

Question 3

What happens in the concept stage

Answer 3

Sponsor appointed
Need confirmed and investigated
High level requirements investigated
Align with portfolio and programme
Identify stakeholders
Outline Business case developed
plans for next phase produced

Question 4

What happens at the definition phase

Answer 4

Appoint PM
Confirm preferred solution
Develop detailed requirements and scope
Produce detailed plans for development stage
Create PMP
Sign off PMP and business case
Preparation for gate review

Question 5

What happens at Deployment phase

Answer 5

Specific outputs developed
Implement the PMP
Develop product / solution
Sign off solution
PM monitoring and controlling work packages ensure compliance to cost, quality and time
Manage Issues and risks
Updating stakeholders on project progress
Prepare for gate review

Question 6

What happens at the transition stage

Answer 6

Ensure project outputs handed over and accepted by sponsor on behalf of users
Project outputs formally accepted
Complete project documentation and archive
Close down project team and associated infrastructure
Review project performance
Final Report to project sponsor
Capture lessons learnt
Hold gate review to accept final report and confirm project closure

Question 7

What happens in the benefits realisation stage?

Answer 7

Realise expected benefits as per business case.
Produce realisation plan
Track and measure benefits
Identify problems regarding product quality and performance
Identify opportunities to increase benefits, ie more advertising spend would increase sales
Capture lessons learnt

Question 8

What to plan for the extended lifecycle

Answer 8

Financial planning - More time / people / termination costs
Benefits planning - how will benefits be generated. Benefit owners need to be identified and allocated to ensure realisation
Scope Management - To allow realisation activities such as monitoring. Termination costs of compliance with regulations and policy.

Question 9

Differences between Linear and Iterative lifecycles

Answer 9

Linear set steps / Iterative continual cycles
Linear - full requirements before can proceed / iterative specify part of requirement and repeat with new version each cycle. Allows emerging solution and client can see progressive solutions.
Linear - Set process of go / no go, resources allocated by phase so low risk. Fixed scope and quality avoiding over runs. Iterative - short cycles with user feedback. Time & resources fixed with scope and quality adjusted

Question 10

What lifecycle review take place and benefits?

Answer 10

Decision gates - go/no-go decisions. Event driven for linear and time bound for iterative. Prepared by PM, review through PMP and BC.
Benefits - Support governance only viable project continue, confirm viability.
- Can be used to trigger funds release
- Can allow project re alignment
- Provide communication opportunity
- Provide opportunity to capture lessons learnt

Post project review - After handover before closure. How project performed against expectations and lessons learnt.
Compare actuals to original deliverables - benefit.
Should involve sponsor, PM and project team members.
Can be used to assess individual performance - benefit.

Benefit Review - establish if benefits realised
Takes place after a period of operation
Sponsor accountable
Benefits measured against business case
Identify issues caused by new deliverables
Some benefits may happen during project so should be reviewed in project lifecycle.
Benefits - Opportunity to increase value to organisation
Provide valuable lessons learnt
Ensures realisation of benefits measured

Question 11

Why might a project close prematurely?

Answer 11

Benefits lower than expected
Technical failure of product
Requirement change so significantly project no longer economically viable
Intended result becomes obsolete
Force Majeure

Question 12

How does knowledge and information management inform decisions?

Answer 12

Supporting Gate decisions
Anticipating changes to the project and responding in a timely manner
Avoiding repetition of errors
Taking action to progress data

Question 13

Explain 3 differences between linear and iterative lifecycles

Answer 13

The number of passes through the lifecycle phases
The level of uncertainty
The length if time to realise the benefits

Question 14

Explain 2 differences between a project lifecycle and an extended lifecycle

Answer 14

The project delivers the product whilst the extended realises the benefits

• PLC end after transition phase.
• PLC focus on delivering on time, to budget and to quality rather than benefits
• EPLC extended to include m’ment of change and realisation of benefits.
• EPLC gives focus to benefits, ie wider picture.

The roles involved

• PM off,
• Temp team support,
• Sponsor accountable,
• Sponsor may need change managers.

Question 15

Explain benefits of conducting Decision gate, Benefits review, Audits

Answer 15

Decision gates support governance

• only viable project proceed
• Project unlikely to deliver expected benefits
• Opportunity to review progress
• Point to capture lessons learnt

Benefits review focus on delivery of benefits

• Ensure delivery of benefits tracked
• Helps ensure benefits realised in the most efficient way and gets ROI.
• Opportunity for Sponsor to consider ways to exploit opportunities
• Lessons learnt

Audits provide an independent and unbiased view of how well a project is being run

• Focus specifically on checking process
• Designed to give stakeholders confidence
• Outputs can be fed to CI activities
• May be carried out by an external regulatory body

Question 16

Explain two reasons why projects are structured in phases in a linear project life cycle – 20 marks (10 marks each)

Answer 16

To support governance.
• It does this by ensuring that all projects follow an approved lifecycle with clear decision points, allocated roles and responsibilities and clear processes.
• This promotes confidence at the board level and makes it easier to review projects as they are in a ‘standard form’. It also documents the various levels of responsibility and authority, so the right people make the right decisions.
• The go/no-go decision points that ensure that only viable projects proceed into the next phase. This stops valuable resources (e.g. labour and material) from being committed to projects which are not forecast to give a return on their investment
• It also provides opportunities to revise budgets and timescales in the light of previous phase performance and reset the expectations of the stakeholders which in turn helps gain their support and confidence

a)/2 It makes them easier to manage.
• Each phase can be treated as a mini project with clear phase objectives, outputs and processes. This allows processes and procedures to be established and communicated across the organisation and inputs and outputs for each phase to be determined.
• This structured way of working helps teams know exactly what they should do at each stage of the project. This removes ambiguity and reduces the probability of errors and mistakes.
• It also documents who is responsible for project activities and who is authorised to make decisions at the various levels.
• It provides clarity and gives people the knowledge and confidence to perform project management on a consistent basis across the organisation
• Resources for each phase can be planned in advance and allocated based on the known skills required e.g. planners for the definition phase.