The project management life cycle in my current organization is called the PROPS C model and it follows a particular sequence

as explained below: 1. Project analysis phase: This phase is similar to the Scoping Process Group (Wiley, 2009). During this phase, some pre-study is done on the what goals the project is supposed to achieve, meetings are held with the customer to determine their true needs (what the project manager needs to do) and the project manager expresses how possible it is to carry out what is requested of him. Both parties are clear on what they want from each other. Some documentations are made and together with the prestudy results, these are used for two purposes: to draw up a proposal (that will be submitted to the client during the next phase) and also as a reference at the end of the project for the project manager to know if his deliverables met the needs of the customer. Note that this phase addresses the questions: What business situation is being addressed, What needs to be done, What will be done, and for later, How will you know you did it (Wiley, 2009)

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Project Planning Phase: This phase is similar to the Planning Process Group (Wiley, 2009). During this phase, the project proposal is drawn up and this will include an analysis of the requirements in terms of cost, scope, time, resource and risk, and a prepared estimation of each. Negotiations are made between both the client and my company till both parties finally reaches an agreement. The client agrees with the terms in the proposal and the project manager agrees that he can still deliver with any changes that may or may not have been made to the proposal. The manager documents a mapped out plan he intends to use to accomplish the project goals and submits to both the client and the managers in my company. The end of this phase is the signing of the contract and closing the deal and having a go-ahead from the mangers in my company to go ahead with the project. Note that this phase addresses the question: How will you do it (Wiley, 2009) Project Execution Phase: This phase is further subdivided into three. a. Project Establishment Phase: This phase is similar to the Launching Process Group (Wiley, 2009). After the contract has been signed, the project manager works with the supply and sourcing department to start the process of securing the materials (software, hardware and licenses) needed to execute the project, contacts Line Managers for competent resources that will be capable of delivering the project and with that, sets up the project

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team. The manager also delegates the task of drawing up the solution description to the people on the Network Design team. This design is first approved by the client before it is distributed to the project team along with a summary of what is required of them. This is done before the project team is assembled to a meeting together with a few client representatives. During this meeting, introductions are made and each person is made to understand what is required of them and can mention whatever it is they will need to deliver on the task that is delegated to them. The project plan is shared; travel plans are made for those who will need to be on site to work and everyone is given a go-ahead order to start work. b. Project Realization Phase: This phase is similar to the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group (Wiley, 2009). After work has started on the actual realization of the project deliverables by the project team, there is need for the project manager to monitor and control work progress on the project to ensure the five project constraints (Scope, Quality, Cost, Time and Resources) are being managed effectively by requesting for constant feedback on progress from each team member to ensure no one is lagging behind and any issues that come up are taken care of as quick as possible to avoid delays and ensure on time delivery. During this time, the project manager also gives regular feedback to the client and the senior managers in my company to report project progress. Any creeps that may occur in the project mostly happens in this stage and a good project manager should be able to accommodate and adapt this changes in the projects such that is would not lead to a failure in delivery. Concerning the risks that may be experienced on the project during this phase, there is a MINIRISK tool used in my company for risk identification, their probability of occurrence and consequences (which would have been done earlier), as well as to help with response planning and action plans (the expected outcome of each action, as well as the person responsible for carrying it out and the date of its expected completion, should be stated). (Ericsson Notes)

c. Handover: After each team member has finished delivering on the task delegated to them, an acceptance test is conducted using the document that was drawn up in the analysis phase with the customer. During these tests, the customer sees that the solution is doing the required function it was meant to fulfill as per their initial discussions in the beginning and the deliverables are according to their required specifications. The outcomes of these tests are documented and if they

are all successful and all pending issues are fixed, the document is signed by both the team member and the customer. This signifies the handover from my company to the customer

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Project Conclusion Phase: This phase is similar to the Closing Process Group (Wiley, 2009). Here the Client is billed for the project and checks are made to ensure there are no outstanding issues. At this stage the project manager is able to answer the question How well did you do? using the results of the acceptance tests. The project manager writes a final report, gathers lessons learned and OFI (Opportunity for Improvements) and closes the project.