Four phases of project management

Project management flowchart, phase 1For Brookes there are four distinct phases within Project Management

  1. Concept
  2. Definition
  3. Implementation
  4. Handover and close

Concept

The purpose of the concept phase is to assess each particular investment against all others which Brookes might make and be clear about what it entails and the value for money which it will deliver.

The information presented must permit the project board to make a clear ‘go/no go’ decision and to have confidence in delivery of the benefits upon which the project is being justified.

Project concept phase will be conducted under the following circumstances:

  • During the annual planning round where schools and directorates submit their proposals for projects to fulfil organisational objectives
  • Where ideas for projects arise outside the annual planning cycle

In either case, where projects can be conducted within existing resource constraints then they can be authorised at school/directorate level.

Graph of project management activity against time

Project initiation should give a clear indication of the deliverables, outcomes and benefits of the project and at a high level, the funding and resources required to deliver them with budget and key milestones outlined. At the end of the initiation phase, the project ‘mission’ should be framed, establishing:

  • the purpose, problem or opportunity which the project is addressing
  • the objective
  • the critical success factors, deliverables, outcomes, benefits and risks, and the relationship between these elements

This will culminate in the production of a Business Case.

Once the project mission is established, the project is understood and scoped at this high level and the go-ahead is given by the project board, then it is ready to proceed into executing the project.

Once a ‘go’ decision is made, the project team will be reviewed to ensure the right resources are allocated and available and a steering group established, if required. This body will take over the day-to-day decision-making around the project and would typically be chaired by the project sponsor with the project manager focusing on the day-to-day running of the project.