A project life cycle is the series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its completion.
It provides the basic framework for managing the project.
This basic framework applies regardless of the specific project work involved.
The phases may be sequential, iterative, or overlapping. All projects can be mapped to the generic life cycle shown in Figure 1.8.
Project life cycles can be predictive or adaptive. Within a project life cycle, there are generally one or more phases that are associated
with the development of the product, service, or result. These are called a development life cycle.
Development life cycles can be predictive, iterative, incremental, adaptive, or a hybrid model.
It is up to the project management team to determine the best life cycle for each project.
The project life cycle needs to be flexible enough to deal with the variety of factors included in the project.
Life cycle flexibility may be accomplished by:
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* Identifying the process or processes needed to be performed in each phase,
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* Performing the process or processes identified in the appropriate phase,
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* Adjusting the various attributes of a phase (e.g., name, duration, exit criteria, and entrance criteria).