Phases Of Project Management Life Cycle For Business Success
We’ve now learned that traditional project management approaches are not working. There are too many misunderstandings between clients and developers because of a lack of effective communication. This often leads to the final product that is developed to be underwhelming and not meeting the required standards which is one of the main reasons why we have adopted the concept of the agile methodology, especially now with the volume of applications being released into the market daily. Agile project management life cycle procedures stress on breaking down the phases of the project development process into a series of short sprints or phases. We have been doing this at GeekyAnts to create many successful applications, and we have found out that this makes it easier to communicate with clients and get feedback.
What is agile and how is it different from the traditional project development method?
Agile is a methodology that focuses on speed, flexibility, and working software. It has gained a lot of popularity in the development community, especially over the past decade. It is an effective alternative to the traditional waterfall model where the project is executed in one shot. On the other hand, the agile methodology is a software development method wherein we break down the entire project into short iterative sprints.
“If you adopt only one agile practice, let it be retrospectives. Everything else will follow.” -Woody Zuill
Having better control of the project management lifecycle processes
When we look at a big project with various elements, it is easy to get confused about the particulars. However, when we break down the project management lifecycle and tasks, we get a much clearer picture of what needs to be done and we can execute it much more efficiently. Software projects are inherently unpredictable and we have found that they can lack a lot of the structure that can be applied to other engineering endeavors. Breaking down a project into sprints will give all stakeholders a better idea of how long it will take to build the app, the cost that will be incurred, and the expected quality standards, amongst other features. Moreover, when we break down the project management lifecycle into phases, we can also make realistic estimates and increase the predictability of our timeline to ensure that our partners are also happy with the outcome of the collaboration.
Sequencing activities in a phase-wise manner for enhanced development
A software development project is essentially a series of activities that are performed by a team. Some activities are generally not sequential and can be performed simultaneously. Still, in most cases, we have found that it is better to prioritize these activities and perform them one after another in short iterative sprints. This is one of the reasons why our project managers focus on breaking down project lifecycle into phases and it has helped us to not only manage the project better but also push out deliverables that are of better quality without causing any delays.
Ensuring effective sprint wise communication
One of the primary advantages of implementing sprints and splitting the project management lifecycle into phases is that it allows us to effectively communicate with our partners throughout the project management lifecycle. While the traditional waterfall approach focuses on looking at the bigger picture, this differs in the agile model where our developers constantly contact all the stakeholders involved throughout the project. This allows for feedback from our clients through constant communication which helps us to refine the project by understanding it better through sprint-wise iterations wherein the product and its development are thoroughly discussed.
Introducing flexibility to the project management lifecycle
Building an app meant for success in a market where the competition is quite intense is a tricky job. This holds true especially in the software industry where updates are being released regularly. The primary benefit of splitting the project management lifecycle into phases allows for flexibility throughout the course of the development and it will enable our developers and our tech partners to assess the product iteratively and implement changes that can improve and align it according to the standards of the industry.
In Conclusion
In the software industry, there is no way to predict what will happen next and it is crucial to stay up to date with the changing trends in technology. If you are developing an application for your business, we suggest following an iterative and incremental approach as it allows for updates and changes to be made and implemented accordingly.
I hope this article helps you to understand why breaking down the project management lifecycle into phases works and why we follow it at GeekyAnts to make the development process more efficient.
Book a Discovery Call.
