SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED TO:
PRATIVA MISHRA
FACULTY OF CMR UNIVERSITY
BANGALORE

BY:
ANIL V

MCOM
14PG01001

QUESTION AND ANSWERS

1. Identify the key aspects in which modern software project management practices differs from those
of traditional software project management.

Comparisons between traditional project management and modern project management from
the four perspectives of planning, leading, organisation and controlling are explained below.
1. Planning
i. Traditional planning: Planning for an operational environment consists primarily of
establishing the schedules people work, assigning individual tasks, scheduling vacations and
adjusting for expected and unexpected time away. Plans for Continuous Efforts may assume
highly stable end-products, a well-defined process and task based workers. This yields plans
that are very predictable early on and highly stable over time. Many of the project
management techniques and current day expectations were based on these assumptions. Staff
planning for a Single-Time Effort is complicated by dynamic teams comprising of people
who typically do not report administratively to the Project Manager. Matters become
seriously complicated when these people are available on a limited, unpredictable basis.
ii. Modern planning Project planning focuses on breaking down the total effort into
assignable units, estimating this work, defining the most efficient order in which the work
should be performed, and then deploying available staff to specific work packets for specific
windows of time. Perhaps the most significant influence of modern project management is on
project plans and the planning process. Because Single-Time Effort projects are only
performed once, and in many cases, have never been done before [5]. It is impossible to
create final, stable plans early in the life of the project.
2. Leading
i. Traditional Leading: Leading any human organisation requires managers, working in a
benevolent manner with their subordinates, helping them learn how to accomplish assigned
work. In Repeating Effort and Continuing Effort, the manager is often the task expert and is
fully qualified to perform any work within their managerial domain. If not, they can easily
retain an advisor or consultant who fills this role. These traditional supervisors and managers
are expected to make the hard decisions, even when others do not agree with their
conclusions.

ii. Modern Leading Due to the complexity and diversity of skills needed to perform SingleTime Effort; it is impractical for the project manager to be the task expert of all work that
must be done. When these managers attempt to blindly dictate direction, they are quickly
exposed by their impractical or unreasonable edits. Instead, modern managers work to solicit
individual contributions, create consensus within the project team, facilitate group decisions
and create an environment where it is possible for people on the project to accomplish their
work with a minimum of distractions. The modern Project Manager plans, organises and
controls the project with the team and not for the team
3. Organisation
i. Traditional Organisation: The operational manager is primarily concerned with creating a
structure within his or her control Iman Attarzadeh and Siew Hock Ow Communications of
the that monitors the work flow. They must insure the proper number and alignment of
employees to accomplish the work in a consistent manner. Well-defined career paths are
established with the promise of a in-line promotion for length of service. A managers
personal ranking in an organisation is often directly related to the number of people in their
employ. In this setting, the traditional manager often has both administrative and functional
authority over their employees. Administrative duties include the care and feeding of their
employees such as salary administration, training plans and employee evaluations. Functional
authority is the right to assign work to an individual and have that work be accountable back
to the boss. When this view dominates an organisation, it creates serious conflicts for
managers of Single-Time Efforts.
ii. Modern Organisation: A modern Project Manager must establish clear roles and
responsibilities needed for the success of their project. Project staffs often include many
people who do not report administratively to this manager and may even be at a higher
corporate level. Organising a project structure begins with defining what is expected of the
Project Owner along with each member of the Project Team. The Project Manager must also
define and explain the responsibilities they will have to the project. Further, these managers
typically have only functional authority over their team. This authority is often
compromised by the priorities, views and occasional interference of the actual administrative
managers. It becomes illogical and unfair to hold a Project Manager responsible for
deliverables and dates when they have such limited and tainted authority over their team.
Even more vexing is the tendency of out-of control organisations to improve the look of
productivity by deploying the same people to multiple simultaneous projects. Organisations
must address this condition with well-defined roles, clearly stated responsibilities, full release
of people to a project and a corporate resource management process that insures team
members are never over-deployed to multiple projects.

Controlling
Traditional Controlling: Controlling an operational organisation includes establishing
organisational performance goals and then determining what each individuals contributions

should be. Individual goals are assigned and measure to insure the employee is meeting their
goals. Control is usually established around target performance over a standard period of
time, such as a quota measured within an hour, day or week.
ii. Modern Controlling: Single-Time Efforts are measured based on creating quality, not
quantity. It is critical to first verify the completion of promised deliverables. Objective
criteria for completeness and quality must be met before a deliverable is considered done.
Performance and productivity may then be measured by comparing planned hours, durations,
start dates and finished dates against the actual. However, instead of comparing performance
against the original plans created during the first days of a project, measurements must be
against revised and relevant baseline plans.

2. What are the major short comings of the water fall model? How can those shot comings are
overcome by the agile model.
The Waterfall Model was first Process Model to be introduced. It is also referred to as
a linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall
model, each phase must be completed fully before the next phase can begin. This type of
model is basically used for the for the project which is small and there are no uncertain
requirements. At the end of each phase, a review takes place to determine if the project is on
the right path and whether or not to continue or discard the project. In this model the testing
starts only after the development is complete. In waterfall model phases do not overlap.
Advantages of waterfall model:

This model is simple and easy to understand and use.

It is easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model each phase has specific

deliverables and a review process.

In this model phases are processed and completed one at a time. Phases do not

overlap.
Waterfall model works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well

understood.
Disadvantages of waterfall model:

Once an application is in the testing stage, it is very difficult to go back and change
something that was not well-thought out in the concept stage.
No working software is produced until late during the life cycle.
High amounts of risk and uncertainty.
Not a good model for complex and object-oriented projects.
Poor model for long and ongoing projects.

Not suitable for the projects where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of
changing.

Agile and Waterfall are two distinct methods of software development. The Waterfall model
can essentially be described as a linear model of software design. Like its name suggests,
waterfall employs a sequential design process. Development flows sequentially from start
point to end point, with several different stages: Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design,
Construction, Testing, Implementation, and Maintenance.
The emphasis of Waterfall is the project plan and therefore before beginning any kind of
development there needs to be a clear plan and a clear vision in order. Because the
Waterfall method requires upfront, extensive planning, you can launch software fairly
quickly. You can also estimate timetables and budgets more accurately, which definitely
tends to please clients.
Furthermore, Waterfall development processes tend to be more secure because they are so
plan oriented. For example, if a designer drops out of the project it isnt a huge problem, as
the Waterfall method requires extensive planning and documentation. A new designer can
easily take the old designers place, following the development plan without a problem
Agile offers an incredibly flexible design model, promoting adaptive planning and
evolutionary development. Agile might be described as freeform software design. Software
developers work on small modules at a time. Customer feedback occurs simultaneously
with development, as does software testing (for more information about software
testing, take a look at this software testing course). This has a number of advantages,
especially in project environments where development needs to be able to respond to
changes in requirements rapidly and effectively.
Agile can be especially beneficial in situations where the end-goals of projects are not
clearly defined. For example, if you are working with a client whose needs and goals are a
bit hazy, it is probably worthwhile to employ the Agile method. The clients requirements
will likely gradually clarify as the project progresses, and development can easily be
adapted to meet these new, evolving requirements. Agile is also an excellent option for
experimental software design.

Lastly, this method also facilitates interaction and communication collaboration is more
important here than design. Because interaction among different designers and stakeholders
is key, it is especially conducive to teamwork oriented environments. Different developers
work on different modules throughout the development process and then work to integrate
all of these modules together into a cohesive piece of software at the end of the project. If
you think Agile might be right for your next project, check out this great introduction to
agile course
3Explain the major activities carried out by a software project manager and the order in
which these are carried out.
Project Planning
Software project planning is task, which is performed before the production of software
actually starts. It is there for the software production but involves no concrete activity that
has any direction connection with software production; rather it is a set of multiple
processes, which facilitates software production. Project planning may include the
following:
Scope Management
It defines the scope of project; this includes all the activities, process need to be done in
order to make a deliverable software product. Scope management is essential because it
creates boundaries of the project by clearly defining what would be done in the project and
what would not be done. This makes project to contain limited and quantifiable tasks, which
can easily be documented and in turn avoids cost and time overrun.
During Project Scope management, it is necessary to

Define the scope

Decide its verification and control

Divide the project into various smaller parts for ease of management.

Verify the scope

Control the scope by incorporating changes to the scope

Project Estimation

For an effective management accurate estimation of various measures is a must. With correct
estimation managers can manage and control the project more efficiently and effectively.
Project estimation may involve the following:

Software size estimation

Software size may be estimated either in terms of KLOC (Kilo Line of Code) or by
calculating number of function points in the software. Lines of code depend upon
coding practices and Function points vary according to the user or software
requirement.

Effort estimation
The managers estimate efforts in terms of personnel requirement and man-hour
required to produce the software. For effort estimation software size should be
known. This can either be derived by managers experience, organizations historical
data or software size can be converted into efforts by using some standard formulae.

Time estimation
Once size and efforts are estimated, the time required to produce the software can be
estimated. Efforts required is segregated into sub categories as per the requirement
specifications and interdependency of various components of software. Software
tasks are divided into smaller tasks, activities or events by Work Breakthrough
Structure (WBS). The tasks are scheduled on day-to-day basis or in calendar months.
The sum of time required to complete all tasks in hours or days is the total time
invested to complete the project.

Cost estimation
This might be considered as the most difficult of all because it depends on more
elements than any of the previous ones. For estimating project cost, it is required to
consider o Size of software
o Software quality
o Hardware

o Additional software or tools, licenses etc.

o Skilled personnel with task-specific skills
o Travel involved
o Communication
o Training and support
Project Scheduling
Project Scheduling in a project refers to roadmap of all activities to be done with specified
order and within time slot allotted to each activity. Project managers tend to define various
tasks, and project milestones and they arrange them keeping various factors in mind. They
look for tasks lie in critical path in the schedule, which are necessary to complete in specific
manner (because of task interdependency) and strictly within the time allocated.
Arrangement of tasks which lies out of critical path are less likely to impact over all
schedule of the project.
For scheduling a project, it is necessary to

Break down the project tasks into smaller, manageable form

Find out various tasks and correlate them

Estimate time frame required for each task

Divide time into work-units

Assign adequate number of work-units for each task

Calculate total time required for the project from start to finish

Resource management
All elements used to develop a software product may be assumed as resource for that
project. This may include human resource, productive tools and software libraries.
The resources are available in limited quantity and stay in the organization as a pool of
assets. The shortage of resources hampers the development of project and it can lag behind
the schedule. Allocating extra resources increases development cost in the end. It is therefore
necessary to estimate and allocate adequate resources for the project.
Project Risk Management

Risk management involves all activities pertaining to identification, analyzing and making
provision for predictable and non-predictable risks in the project. Risk may include the
following:

Experienced staff leaving the project and new staff coming in.

Change in organizational management.

Requirement change or misinterpreting requirement.

Under-estimation of required time and resources.

Technological changes, environmental changes, business competition.

Risk Management Process

There are following activities involved in risk management process:

Identification - Make note of all possible risks, which may occur in the project.

Categorize - Categorize known risks into high, medium and low risk intensity as per
their possible impact on the project.

Manage - Analyze the probability of occurrence of risks at various phases. Make plan
to avoid or face risks. Attempt to minimize their side-effects.

Monitor - Closely monitor the potential risks and their early symptoms. Also monitor
the effects of steps taken to mitigate or avoid them.

Project Execution & Monitoring

In this phase, the tasks described in project plans are executed according to their schedules.
Execution needs monitoring in order to check whether everything is going according to the
plan. Monitoring is observing to check the probability of risk and taking measures to address
the risk or report the status of various tasks..
Project Communication Management
Effective communication plays vital role in the success of a project. It bridges gaps between
client and the organization, among the team members as well as other stake holders in the
project such as hardware suppliers.
Control

Control is function of configuration management, which ensures that all changes made to
software system are consistent and made as per organizational rules and regulations.

4 Discuss the importance of top management commitment and the development of standards
for successful project management. Provide examples to illustrate the importance of these
items based on your experience of any types of project
Top management commitment is the number one factor associated with the success of
information technology projects, so its very important to get and maintain this support. Top
management can help project managers get adequate resources, approve unique project
needs, get cooperation from other parts of the organization, and provide support as a mentor
and coach to project managers. Examples will vary
People in top management positions are key stakeholders in projects. A very important factor
in helping project managers successfully lead projects is the level of commitment and support
they receive from top management. Project managers must take time to identify, understand,
and manage relationships with all project stakeholders. Using the four frames of
organizations can help meet stakeholder needs and expectation if the organization has a
negative attitude toward IT, it will be difficult for an IT project to succeed. Having a Chief
Information Officer (CIO) at a high level in the organization helps IT projects. Assigning
non-IT people to IT projects also encourage more commitment
Top management commitment and support is the number one factor associated with the
success of information technology projects, according to Extreme Chaos, 2001 of textbook
p.17. Its very important to get and maintain this support. Top management can help project
managers get adequate resources, approve unique project needs, and help get cooperation
from other parts of the organization, and provide support as a mentor and coach to project
managers.

5. Describe project integration management. How does project integration management

related to project lifecycle, stakeholders and other project management knowledge areas?
Project Plan Development: taking the results of other planning processes and putting them
into a consistent, coherent documentthe project plan. Project Plan Execution: carrying out
the project plan. Integrated Change Control: coordinating changes across the entire project. A
project plan is a document used to coordinate all project planning documents. Its main
purpose is to guide project execution. Project plans assist the project manager in leading the
project team and assessing project status. Project performance should be measured against a
baseline plan. A stakeholder analysis documents important (often sensitive) information about
stakeholders such as

Stakeholders names and organizations

Roles on the project
Unique facts about stakeholders
Level of influence and interest in the project
Suggestions for managing relationships
Project Integration Management defines the processes and activities that integrate the
various elements of project management .This chapter includes:

Develop Project Charter

Develop Project Management Plan

Direct and Manage Project Execution

Monitor and Control Project Work

Perform Integrated Change Control

Close Project or Phase

6. Describe a project that suffered from scope creep. Could it have been avoided? How? Can
scope creep be a good thing? When?
Development of an information system is often seen as a life cycle, in that it is created, it
goes through testing, it is sold or implemented, it will go through periods of enhancements, it
will eventually go through a decline, and will eventually be replaced or terminated. The
creation through implementation life stages are often performed inside a project, which is a
planned effort of needed activities in order to meet a goal. Many companies will follow a
project methodology when executing a project. These methodologies are standard processes
for how to approach a project.
The first phase in many project methodologies is to define the scope of the project. The
scope states what the objectives of the project are and what work will be done to accomplish
the project. The scope describes the parameters for what is included in a project and what is

excluded from a project. The scope will become more refined as a project progresses, but it
will always remain within the initial parameters defined.
When through the evolution of a project, the direction of a project changes where it
goes outside the initial parametersthis is a change in the scope of the project. Similarly, if
there are any changes to what will be done for the project, no matter how small or how large
and no matter if they were specifically requested or not, it is a change in scope of the
project. Scope changes can make a project larger or smaller. Scope changes can affect the
timeline of the project and the cost of the project. These changes in scope are more
commonly referred by the term scope creep. In a nutshell, scope creep is the change or
growth of project scope.
Scope creep more frequently occurs during the later stages of a project, such as
programming and testing, than during the earlier stages, such as design. Changes may
happen in the later stages as the project team gains more knowledge of the problem and
solution. Scope changes can be numerous small changes or can be a fundamental design
change.
A project manager often tries to manage scope creep. The goal in managing scope creep is to
try to minimize the impact of any changes on the project, such as on the timeline and
cost. Many company methodologies have change control processes for managing scope
creep. These change control processes often include filling out forms describing the
requested change in scope and an approval process. Some view this form as a good method
to raise awareness of the project stakeholders to what the change is and what the implications
of the change are, such as an increase in the timeline and an increased cost. Others view a
change control process as a way to deter potential changes in scope
Scope creep is frequently viewed as one of the top reasons for project failures.5 Scope creep
can cause projects to go over timelines and over budget. For some projects, when an
excessive amount of scope creep is not being managed well, this may result in the project
being completely stopped. As a result, scope creep is often viewed as bad or evil. One
source found even referred to it as a devil. This evil view of scope creep is not just held by
project managers, but by I.T. and company management as well, whose additional dollars are
being spent and whose projects are not being completed in a timely manner or in some cases
at all. In Larry Murphys article Using Software Project Should-Cost Models, he
summarized findings from The Standish Group that more than $250 billion is spent each year
in the US on information technology software development. Nearly 70 percent of these
projects will reportedly fail in some manner. Close to 53% will cost 189% of their
original estimates? Over 30% will be cancelled.
Causes
1 Poorly detailed Project Scope Statement in the Project Initiation Document: This is the
first project document where project scope is detailed. Too many Project Managers skim over
this to their detriment, as this is the number one reason for scope creep. After all if the project
scope isn't accurately detailed within the PID, how can anyone really say what was in and out

scope for the project to deliver? I have documented how to correctly fill in this section of
the Project Initiation Document above.
2 Poor Project Management Requirements: These are usually documented by Business
Analysts. However if not correctly detailed the Project Management Requirements will be
both ambiguous or open to interpretation. Worst still the Business Analysts may have
forgotten to document the requirements in a few key areas.
3 Poor control of the Project by the Project Manager: The weaker a Project Manager is
perceived to be in terms of gravitas and experience, the more Project Stakeholders and others
will try to shift the goal posts on project scope.
4 Indecisive Project Stakeholders: You may be surprised to learn that Project Stakeholders
are often indecisive regarding the functionality and scope they require. This indecisiveness
usually translates itself into requirements and scope changing.
5 Too many Project Stakeholders who have differing priorities and objectives: Most
projects have more than one Project Stakeholder. They often have different priorities and
objectives. For example you could have a Project Stakeholder from Marketing and another
from Finance. Both want the project to deliver the same end result but they both have
different reasons why. This often leads to arguments regarding prioritisation of functionality
to be delivered as well as an ever moving project scope.
7. What is involved in project scope management, and why is good project scope
management so important on information technology projects?.
Scope refers to all the work involved in creating the products of the project and the processes
used to create them. It defines what is or is not to be done.Deliverables are products
produced as part of a project, such as hardware or software, planning documents, or meeting
minutes.The project team and stakeholders must have the same understanding of what
products will be produced as a result of a project and how theyll be produced. Scope of
a project is the sum total of all of a project's products and their requirements or features.
Sometimes the term scope is used to mean the totality of work needed to complete a project.
In traditional project management, the tools to describe a project's scope (product) are
the product breakdown structureand product descriptions. The primary tool to describea proje
ct's scope isthe Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).Extreme project management advocates th
e use of user stories, feature lists and featurecards to describe a project's scope (productdeliverable).If requirements are not completely defined and described and if there is
no effective change control in a project, scope or requirements creep may ensue. t is one
of the major scope communication documents. The Project Scope Management
Plan documents how the project scope will be defined, managed, controlled, verified
and communicated to the project team and stakeholders/customers. It also includes all
work required to complete the project.
The documents are used to control what is in and out of the scope of the project by the

use of a Change Management system. Items deemed out of scope go directly through
the change control process and are not automatically added to the project work items.
The Project Scope Management plan is included in as one of the sections in the overall
project management plan. It can be very detailed and formal or loosely framed and
informal depending on the communication needs of the project
9. What are the different types of project organization? Discuss each with its merits and
demerits.
The current types of organizational structure of project management are: functional
organizational structure, project-based organizational structure and matrix organizational
structure.
1.
Functional
organisational
structure
Functional organizational structure is to be managed in the current organization hierarchical
structure, once the project begins operation, the various components of the project are taken
by the functional units, each unit is responsible for its charged component. If the project
established, a functional area play a dominant role, functional areas on completion of the
project,
senior
managers
will be responsible
for project coordination.
Advantages of this structure:
1. First, the use of personnel with greater flexibility, as long as the choice of a suitable for
functional departments.
2. As the project supervisor, the department will be able to provide professional and technical
personnel required by the project.
3. Technology experts can also be used by different projects and after completion of the work
can go back to his original world.
4 The project team members leave or leave the company, the functions can be used as the
basis for maintaining the continuity of the project.
5. Functional department can provide a normal career path for professionals.
The disadvantage of this structure is:
1. Projects often lack of focus, each unit has its own core functions of general business.
2. In order to meet their basic needs, responsibility for the project will be ignored.
3. Motivation is not strong enough for project participants.
4. In such organizational structure, sometimes no one should assume full responsibility for
the
project.

2.

Project-based

organizational

structure.

Project organizational structure refers to the creation of an independent project team, the
teams management is separated from the parent organizations other units, have their own
technical staff and management, enterprise assigns certain resources to project team, and
grant project manager of the largest free implementation of the project .
The advantages of this structure:
1. Focus on this project team, project manager is solely responsible for the project.
2. The only task for project members is to complete the project, and they only report to the
project manager, avoiding the multiple leadership.
3. The project teams decision is developed within the project.
4. Project, members work with strong power, high cohesion, participants shared the common
goal
of
the
project,
and
individual
has
clear
responsibilities.
The disadvantage of this organizational structure:
1. When a company has several projects, each project has its own separate team which will
lead to duplication of efforts and the loss of scalable economies.
2. The project team itself is an independent entity, prone to a condition known as Project
inflammatory disease.
3. The project team members lack of business continuity and security, once the project
ended,
return
to
their
original
functions
may
be
more
difficult.
3.

Matrix

organizational

structure.

Matrix organizational structure is a hybrid form; it loads a level of project management

structure on the functional hierarchical structure. According to the relative power of project
managers and functional managers, in practice there are different types of matrix systems,
respectively, Functional Matrix: in this matrix, functional managers have greater powers than
project managers); Project Matrix: in this matrix, project managers have greater powers than
functional managers); Balance Matrix: in this matrix, functional managers and project
managers
have
the
equal
powers.
The advantages of this organizational structure:
1. It is the same as functional structure that resources can be shared in multiple projects.
2. Project is the focus of work, with a formal designated project manager will make him give
more attention to the project.

3. When there are multiple projects simultaneously, the company can balance the resources
to ensure that all the projects can progress to complete their respective costs and quality
requirements.
The disadvantage is that this organizational structure:
1. The matrix structure has exacerbated the tensions between functional manager and project
manager.
2. Under any circumstances, sharing equipment, resources and personnel among different
projects will lead to conflict and competition for scarce resources.
3. The process of project implementation, the project manager must negotiate and consult
with the department managers on various issues, which leads to the delay in decision making.
4. Matrix management is not according to the principles of unified management, project
members have two bosses.

10. What makes information technology project different from

other types of projects? How should project managers adjust to
these differences?
IT projects are different from other types of projects because they can be very diverse in
terms of size and complexity, they often include team members with very diverse
backgrounds and skills, and he technologies involved are also very diverse. Project managers
should adjust to these differences by paying careful attention to the goals of the project and
the needs of various stakeholders.

Humans can be thrown a problem, and demonstrate remarkable ability to adapt to a

situation if we're inclined. That means we can respond quickly to troubles in a
project
quickly
if
we're
inclined.
Technology is crafted, it doesn't just morph into a different form if itself if it's wrong.
It takes time to adapt it. That's why it's so important to have a clear sense of the
outcome
before
you
dive
in
to
the
technology
solution.
I'm sure there are many other differences, but that's the one that seems to elude
inexperienced stakeholders the most in my world.

The difficulty of IT project management is reflected in the relatively high

rate of failure for information technology projects. In fact, a 2009 report
published by The Standish Group indicates that only 32% of the
information technology projects undertaken by companies were
considered successful. Nearly one-quarter of all IT projects failed, while
44% were considered challenged,

IT Project Life Cycle

There are several different approaches to managing an IT project that affect the project life
cycle. Organizations can select one of these popular approaches to help reduce the risk of
expensive rework, risks from quickly changing technology, or expansive planning at the
launch of the project. The project life cycle of a typical IT project moves through iterations of
planning, executing, and controlling until the project is ultimately closed and transferred into
operations. However, there are three distinct IT project management life cycles:
Predictive life cycle: this is the most common and traditional project life cycle for IT
projects. In this approach the project manager and the project team first define the project
scope, project schedule, and expected project costs before the project execution begins. As
part of the project planning its typical for the phases of the project to be defined (each phase
does a specific type of project work). In order for the project to move from its initiation to its
closure each phase must be started and completed in the specific order as planned. This type
of approach is sometimes called a waterfall approach as the project waterfalls down the
phases of the project.
Iterative life cycle: this approach to IT project management requires that the project
management be defined early in the project, but the cost estimates and activity duration
estimating are planned at a higher level early in the project. As the project execution occurs
costs and duration estimates are created for the most imminent work through iterations of
planning. The iterative life cycle also plans for iterations of benefits released to the
organization. For example, an iterative life cycle may create a new software with more
features with each new release as part of the project.
Adaptive life cycle: this project life cycle also uses an iteration of planning and executing,
but the planning that typically last for two weeks. This approach uses a rolling wave of
planning and executing through short bursts of both planning and executing. Change is
expected in this approach to the IT project and its ideal for software development project.
Agile project management and Scrum are examples of the adaptive life cycle.
All of these life cycles use the concept of phases to move the project work forward. A phase
describes the type of work that will take place in that portion of the project. The project

manager, the organizational requirements, and even customer requirements can influence
what type of project life cycle the project manager will adapt in the project.