Project development life cycle phases

The Project Development Life Cycle (PDLC) is the series of phases a project passes through from the idea to its completion and operation. It gives the manager a structure for planning, approval and control. Common phases are identification (conception), formulation, appraisal, planning and design, implementation, and operation/termination.

Identification -> Formulation -> Appraisal
                                    |
                                    v
                            Planning & design
                                    |
 Termination <- Operation <- Implementation

Phases, stages and activities

1. Project identification (conception)
   • Find a need or opportunity; generate ideas.
   • Activities: needs survey, problem statement, preliminary idea note.
2. Project formulation / feasibility
   • Study whether the idea is workable: technical, economic, financial, operational, legal and schedule feasibility.
   • Activities: data collection, alternatives, cost-benefit estimates, risk review.
   • Output: feasibility report and detailed project proposal.
3. Project appraisal
   • Independent evaluation by the sponsor, a bank or the government.
   • Activities: check financial returns (NPV, IRR, payback) and social and environmental impact. Decision: approve, revise or reject.
4. Planning and design (pre-implementation)
   • Detailed scope, WBS, schedule, budget, resources, procurement and quality plans.
   • Contracts are signed and the team is formed.
5. Implementation (execution)
   • Build, code, install and test; monitor and control progress; manage changes.
   • Output: deliverables and progress reports.
6. Operation and termination (close-out)
   • Hand-over to users, training, documentation, final acceptance, lessons learned and release of resources.
   • A post-implementation review confirms the benefits.

Importance

• Gives checkpoints (gates) to stop weak projects early.
• Clarifies roles for each stage.
• Helps match resource use with progress.

Example: For a hospital management system, the idea comes from long queues (identification), the study shows it is affordable (feasibility), the board approves it (appraisal), the vendor builds and tests it (implementation), and staff are trained and it goes live (operation).