Our Approach

The Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC) is a standard project management methodology used for project planning and implementation. It offers a clear and common approach to taking an initiative through the various project stages using project management principles that clarify expectations, streamline communications and ensure thorough planning and execution.

This approach enables clear ownership and empowerment of project leadership. PMLC can be applied to complex cross-functional initiatives that require the use of trained project management professionals as well as within your own department to help organize and manage a smaller scale initiative. Benefits include:

Clearly defines roles, requirements and responsibilities to allow for greater ownership, buy-in, coordination and efficiency of processes
Establishes clear communication with project sponsors, owners and team members
A standardized methodology that allows for clear expectations and streamlined training

Project Management Life Cycle

Proposal

Detailed business case, solution description and comparison of alternatives
Charter approval

Planning

Project kickoff
Project planning
Development of schedule and communications plan

Delivery

Design/develop
Testing and readiness
Cutover and post go-live

Closing

Lessons learned
Formally transition to the permanent owner
Release project team

Clearly Defined Roles and Responsibilities

Roles are clearly identified and communicated at the beginning of a project
Defined executive sponsors, project owner and a single empowered project manager are assigned prior to initiation of a project

Careful, Timely Planning and Documentation

Standard, required documentation which may otherwise be delayed or disregarded is developed with input from all appropriate parties
Tasks are assigned to appropriate project team members with clear due dates, as documented in the Action Item Register
Change management is carefully thought through as part of the Communications, Testing and Deployment planning

Approval Throughout Process

Gate structure is used to achieve buy-in/approval from senior management and key leaders at designated points in the process
Gate reviews are often held at the end of a PMLC phase and require clear documentation of what is to occur in the next phase

Clear Communication

Standardized status reporting is developed for senior management review
Criteria for when and how to escalate issues are defined and owned by all members of the project team

Roles & Responsibilities

Project Executive Sponsor

An executive leader who has sanctioned the project
Monitors the overall progress of the project at a very high level
Assists the project owner in escalations when necessary

Project Owner

Accountable to the executive sponsor for delivery of the solution
Often a director-level leader
Provides regular decision-making and direction for the project
Manages the overall timeline at a milestone level
Ensures that the necessary resources are included in the project team, including the project manager

Project Manager

Manages the overall project team; PMLC documentation from Planning, Delivery, and Closing phases; and the detailed schedule and timeline for the entire project
Accountable for project execution from planning through closing
Directs appropriate Gate Review Board reviews
Regularly reports status and escalates issues as appropriate to the project owner(s)

Project Team

Includes resources from functional groups, and a vendor, when required
Owns related pieces of a project from their respective areas
Coordinates functional and technical resources to complete tasks and support the project manager in developing and maintaining applicable documentation
Provides necessary updates to project manager regarding the status of tasks, risks and schedule

Tools & Templates

Come back soon to review training, tools and templates as they become available. For questions about the PMLC contact us at bdogroup@georgetown.edu to schedule a training session for your team.