Project Life Cycle in Industrial Engineering

All projects can be mapped to a generic life cycle structure. A project life cycle is a sequence of steps through from the beginning to the end of the project, they are sequential and, generally in industrial engineering, there are 4 four main phases which are: Initiation, Planning, Execution and Closure. Phases can be broken down by intermediate milestones, specific results or deliverables. The project life cycle also allows for the gate procedure to be used, this is a tried and tested method for delivering projects on time, within budget and to the expected quality targets. The life cycle provides the basic framework for managing the project, regardless of the specific work involved, it is independent from the product life cycle produced by or modified by the project.

Big idea

Most of industrial projects follow a Life Cycle Model which have all the time the same structure, with 4 steps: Initiation, Planning, Execution and Closure. This structure is often used in industrial engineering, because there is a communication with upper management or other entities less familiar with the details of the projects. Taken together, these steps represent the road a project takes from the beginning to its end and are generally referred to as the project “Life Cycle”. The interfaces of the phases form milestones for progress payments and reporting progress to top management, who can then make the decision to abort or provide further funding. Sometime, the production of a prototype begin before the end of the design, this is known as concurrent engineering and is often employed to reduce the overall project programme.

Initiation: Starting the project

This phase is where the project objectives are defined and the aspects of the project agreed. It is the phase where a problem is identified and potential solutions suggested. The scope of work is now defined in detail.

Planning: Organizing and preparing

This phase is where the project is broken down into manageable areas of work and planned in terms of time, cost and resources. This is a continuous process and will extend throughout the execution phase of the project.

Execution: Carrying out the work

During this phase the work is implemented, controlled and monitored.

Closure: Closing the project

The purpose of the Project Closure Phase is to formally close the project. During Project Closure, there are several key activities that need to be performed...

• Verify that the completion criteria are met
• Create a project closure report
• Collect and archive project artifacts
• Perform a project postmortem

Limitations

It is important to ensure the project life cycle used on your project is appropriate to the work being carried out and split into distinct and manageable phases.

Annotated Bibliography

• Project Management Institute (2013). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide): This book explains in details the Life Cycle Model.
• Albert Lester (2007). “Project Management, Planning and Control” : This book explains differents methods and model of project management, planning and control.