Life cycle of a project

Project life cycle: example

Most project types are framed in a predictive lifecycle, as goals are usually clear when undertaking any activity. However, some characteristics of iterative and adaptive lifecycles can complement the development of a project and lead to success. To exemplify the above, the following case can be presented:

A group of accounting consultants, together with a team of programmers, raised the need to develop software that facilitates the analysis of financial statements of companies requesting consultancy. As you can see, the project is divided into two branches:

accounting branch: refers to the set of objectives focused on the financial area. The idea, as mentioned, is to optimize financial calculations through a tool that automates this type of work.

IT branch: It is the technological part of the project and, therefore, is subject to continuous improvements due to the progress of the medium, as well as the identification of problems or the addition of new features.

Therefore, although the accounting branch of the project has specific objectives, those that are part of the IT branch are open-ended, since the Software they can undergo various modifications due to advances in the field of technology. This is where the three types of life cycles are evident.

Once the previous point is understood, the working group begins the project life cycle:

Start: once a clear idea of the project is made, the team members establish the specific objectives. In this case, when trying to develop a program for calculating budgets, each of them can be named individually (for example, the Financial statement, general balance, Income statementamong others).

As for the technical part of the program, the programmers set themselves the goal of developing an interface that includes all the basic tools for calculating budgets, so it will be necessary to design math functions and use databases.

Finally, all the goals and approaches implemented by the team are recorded in a document.

Planning: Both programmers and accounting consultants draw up a program of activities for project development, taking into account that the work of both groups must complement each other. Some of the activities that can be mentioned in connection with this example are:

Budget analysis.

Budget documentation.

Meeting between programmers and consultants for the presentation of the different accounting formulas.

Design of the thematic base.

Development of the back-end and front-end of the program.

Execution: both consultants and programmers carry out their respective activities taking into account what was planned. Likewise, the existence of two leaders who guide the groups will strengthen the union between the two, coordinating processes and results and guiding all team members through a single vision.

For example, one of the accounting consultants is responsible for ensuring that all accounting practices are considered for the accurate calculation of the financial statements, as well as constantly reviewing the documentation. On the other hand, a programmer reviews how the program works and tests it in different contexts.

Monitoring and control: leaders in each group manage project processes and outcomes, verifying compliance with the delivery of required products and contributing ideas for correcting or changing a particular aspect.

Finalization or closure: finally, the two teams meet and generate a discussion on some points of the project, such as aspects to improve, what has been done well, opinions on the individual work, among others. All this is recorded in a report, which, given the nature of the project, must be constantly reviewed for continuous improvement of the latter.