An Introduction to PMI’s Project Management Life Cycle

This paper provides a review of the steps and stages associated with project management according to the Project Management Institute® (PMI). It is a primer for anyone new to the Project Management Body of Knowledge® (PMBOK®) and who is preparing to take the PMP exam. In order to understand how the Project Management Institute (PMI) recommends that projects be run it is nec- essary to understand the project management life cycle. The project management life cycle is the framework around which project management activities are structured. It is a key concept in formal project management according to PMI | Global Knowledge Expert Reference Series ofWhite Papers An Introduction to PMI s Project Management Life Cycle 1-800-COURSES An Introduction to PMI s Project Management Life Cycle Brian Denis Egan Global Knowledge Instructor PMP The Project Management Life Cycle. This paper provides a review of the steps and stages associated with project management according to the Project Management Institute PMI . It is a primer for anyone new to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK and who is preparing to take the PMP exam. In order to understand how the Project Management Institute PMI recommends that projects be run it is necessary to understand the project management life cycle. The project management life cycle is the framework around which project management activities are structured. It is a key concept in formal project management according to PMI. In this paper the structure and function of the project management life cyle is introduced along with a number of related terms that are commonly confused. What Is a Life Cycle The term life cycle implies two things that a process is perpetual and that the sequence of events is obligatory or uni-directional. A typical life cycle is depicted below. There is no beginning or end to a life cycle and the sequence of events cannot change. A seed cannot go directly to being a mature plant nor revert back to the blossom stage. Seeds Blossoms Seedling Copyright 2006 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. PMI PMP and PMBOK are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute Inc. 2 The Project Management Life Cycle The term life cycle is misleading because it is neither a perpetual circle of events nor is the sequence of events rigidly fixed. There are five stages to the project management life cycle 1 2 3 4 5 Initiate Plan Execute Control Close Begin The five stages usually occur in sequence. If the project is relatively simple and there is no need to rethink or re-plan the project