By dividing your project into project management phases you simplify the target-oriented project process

The subdivision of a project into project management phases helps you as a manager to organize and control your project and thus lead it safely to the specified goal.

Why is a project divided into project management phases?

There are several reasons to divide a project into project management project phases. In the overview you can see the most important ones:

Clear overall view through project management phases

Using a phase model in project management, you can easily overlook complex interrelationships and thus save resources for

• Time,
• Personnel and
• Budget
  
  

organize safely and quickly.

Precise planning with the project management phases

The general overview makes it easier for you to plan the individual work steps precisely. This makes it easy for you to coordinate the individual project tasks with each other and to align them optimally with the overall goal.

Significant error reduction by means of the project management phases

Targeted planning based on the overall view reduces the risk of errors. The project management phases therefore ensure that you

• put all project sections in the right order,
• handing over every task to the right team,
• provide each team with the necessary resources
  and thus lead the project to success.

The phases of a project in classical project management

Classic project management is divided into a so-called "4-phase model project management":

Phase 1: The definition

In the definition phase you clearly summarize the most important contents of a project.

You should decide on this:

• The initial situation in which you determine the framework conditions.
• The goals you want to achieve with the project.
• The way in which you set the direction of the project in the form of a detailed assignment.
• The feasibility study, in which you assess whether the defined objective can be achieved in practice along the planned path.
• Profitability, in which you check whether the investment required to achieve the project objective is economically appropriate.
  
  
  

Phase 2: The planning

The planning phase is the core of project management. It involves the basic organization of the entire process, which is what makes the subsequent implementation of the project possible.

The planning phase includes the following elements:

• The work breakdown structure
  The work breakdown structure contains all the information required to control a project. In particular, you should define the individual areas of responsibility, the precise time frame and the agreed quality criteria.
  
  
• The resource plan
  Resources are a scarce commodity in any project. In a resource plan, you should therefore estimate as accurately as possible how much staff, technical equipment, materials and rooms you will need to carry out the project successfully.
  
  

• The cost plan 
  In a cost plan it is important for you to realistically estimate the individual expenses and then add them up to total project costs. If the calculated sum is significantly higher than the approved budget, you should renegotiate the financing with the client. If the budget cannot be changed, you could cancel services that pose the least threat to the project goal.
  

• The milestone plan
  In a milestone plan you arrange the individual project tasks according to so-called milestones. Milestones are important interim successes that mark the progress of the overall project. At each milestone you measure the achieved result against the objectives and determine the further course of the project on the basis of the success.

• The risk management
  In risk management you define project risks and evaluate and prioritize them. With higher priority you consider those risks whose occurrence is highly probable or whose impact will cause great damage. Then, in Risk Management, you draw up action plans to counter the risks in the best possible way - if the worst comes to the worst.

• The project documentation
  The project documentation is very important for you, because it contains all plans and rules that have been worked out during the project. The information is important not only for stakeholders but also for the team members who are new to the project already underway, so you need to update them quickly and thoroughly.

Phase 3: The realization

In the realization phase you will systematically implement the tasks.

With project controlling you ensure that:

• the direction of the project is respected,
• the project is on schedule,
• the budget and quality standards are respected
  
  
  

The basis in the realization phase is the seamless communication between departments, teams and individual employees. This enables you to achieve the set goal and thus successfully complete the project.

Phase 4: The conclusion

Once the project is completed, you should evaluate and process the results and experiences gained.

The following questions in particular should therefore be answered at the final project meeting:

• Has the target set been fully achieved and if not, why?
• Is the client satisfied with the success of the project?
• How was the cooperation within the team and between the specialist departments?
  
  
  

From the experiences of the project, which you record in the final project meeting and the documentation, you gain valuable experience and insights that you can use for future projects.

Conclusion

The skilfull, professional application of the project management phases in the project often decides on a successful project organization and thus on the final success of the project. This applies to agile project management as well as hybrid project management or multi-project management.