Page 18 - DMGT302_FUNDAMENTALS_OF_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 1: Introduction to Projects

Development Phase Notes

During the development phase, everything that will be needed to implement the project is
arranged. Potential suppliers or subcontractors are brought in, a schedule is made, materials
and tools are ordered, and instructions are given to the personnel and so forth. The development
phase is complete when implementation is ready to start. All matters must be clear for the
parties that will carry out the implementation.
In some projects, particularly smaller ones, a formal development phase is probably not necessary.
The important point is that it must be clear what must be done in the implementation phase, by
whom and when.

Implementation Phase

The project takes shape during the implementation phase. This phase involves the construction
of the actual project result. Programmers are occupied with encoding, designers are involved in
developing graphic material, contractors are building, the actual reorganization takes place. It
is during this phase that the project becomes visible to outsiders, to whom it may appear that the
project has just begun. The implementation phase is the doing phase, and it is important to
maintain the momentum.
In one project, it had escaped the project teams attention that one of the most important team
members was expecting to become a father at any moment and would thereafter be completely
unavailable for about a month. When the time came, an external specialist was brought in to
take over his work, in order to keep the team from grinding to a halt. Although the team was
able to proceed, the external expertise put a considerable dent in the budget.

At the end of the implementation phase, the result is evaluated according to the list of
requirements that was created in the definition phase. It is also evaluated according to the
designs.

Example: Tests may be conducted to determine whether the web application does indeed
support Explorer 5 and Firefox 1.0 and higher. It may be determined whether the trim on the
building has been made according to the agreement, or whether the materials that were used
were indeed those that had been specified in the definition phase. This phase is complete when
all of the requirements have been met and when the result corresponds to the design.
Follow-up Phase

Although it is extremely important, the follow-up phase is often neglected. During this phase,
everything is arranged that is necessary to bring the project to a successful completion. Examples
of activities in the follow-up phase include writing handbooks, providing instruction and training
for users, setting up a help desk, maintaining the result, evaluating the project itself, writing the
project report, holding a party to celebrate the result that has been achieved, transferring to the
directors and dismantling the project team.
The central question in the follow-up phase concerns when and where the project ends. Project
leaders often joke among themselves that the first ninety per cent of a project proceeds quickly
and that the final ten per cent can take years. The boundaries of the project should be considered
in the beginning of a project, so that the project can be closed in the follow-up phase, once it has
reached these boundaries.

It is sometimes unclear for those concerned whether the project result is to be a prototype or a
working product. This is particularly common in innovative projects in which the outcome is

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 13