Project life cycle in software project management

In the world of ever-changing technology and business trends, project management is in great demand. In this Topic, we are going to learn about the Project management life cycle. According to PMI, a project is defined as temporary with a definite beginning and end in time. Also, the project is unique without routine operation and meant to meet the singular goal with a specific set of operations. PMI further defines project management as the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

Whether the project is software development , or new product launch, or even a movie, its management will progress through five life cycle phases. This is the starting point of the project. The project gets conceptualized in this phase. In this stage, the following steps are implemented:. This is the second phase of project management. During this phase, a detailed project plan is created. This plan includes tasks, resources required, timelines, cost, etc. In addition, further planning for prioritizing requirements is done.

Gantt chart, which indicates timelines for the various task, is one of the important documents created for planning. Different plans that are created depending on the type of project are:.

Post the completion of various plans; risk management is carried out depending on the criticality of the project. Identifying the potential threats and analyzing the impact of such threats occur from the part of this sub-phase. A risk management report is prepared with a plan to mitigate future threats. Done with the project idea finalization and planning.

Change Language. Related Articles. Table of Contents. Improve Article. Save Article. Like Article. Last Updated : 31 Mar, Previous History of Blockchain. Next An Overview of Cluster Computing. Recommended Articles. Even in an agile environment. During this phase, you need to analyze the collected requirements. For the sake of better quality and engaged stakeholders, you can do it in an iterative and incremental manner. You may need to integrate with it to get access to the database of the employees.

So, you need to integrate with it. All-in-all, you need to integrate your piece of software with the business processes of the company or a market you sell the app. So, you better plan this one ahead of time. Pay close attention to the possible risks and integration requirements of other services.

You need to understand that you should be testing your application continuously from the beginning. Moreover, you need to prevent defects in the process of development. You do need to provide the list of all known defects in the application as part of the quality certificate.

Be that a server, your PC or Mac, or a mobile device you need to deliver your application or service there. You need to set up servers, upload your application, connect it with all the other services and servers. In regards to mobile devices and desktops, you need to create an installer for the application. You may also need to submit this installer to the market App Store, Google Play, etc. During this period a part of the project team continues to work with the application after it gets to the users.

You need to collect all the generated knowledge about the application and its specifics. After that, you need to transfer this knowledge to the support team. Also, you may need to create documentation, specific capabilities to administrate the service and so on.

But quite often you will notice that even the plan-driven life cycle will have iterations and increments. Small projects are harder to dissect into phases because they overlap with the project management process.

Understanding of Software Development Life Cycle makes the process of project management efficient. With so many different frameworks and project management approaches, life cycles are confusing. At this level, we are not talking about how to organize the phases and work within.

Or you may work in an agile environment, and you perceive as if your project starts with the Sprint 1. And each phase has its exit criteria. For example, something you need to create or achieve to move forward. Project Management Leadership Career Development. Get The Course. My goal is to help you become a capable Project Manager and Leader with skills and knowledge that work in the real world. That's why all articles, videos, and career development tips come from the front line, not some academic books.

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