4 main phases of project implementation

The vast majority of popular project management methodologies, such as Prince2 and PMP, distinguish four main phases of project implementation: initiation, planning, execution, and closure. Setting up a project management process that covers all these stages brings many benefits to an organization. Read on to discover the key phases of project implementation for successful project delivery!

In this article, you will learn:

The four main phases of project implementation
How project ideas are collected and evaluated during initiation
The importance of a detailed Project Charter in the planning phase
Key activities for successful project execution and monitoring
The role of project closure and documenting lessons learned
How FlexiProject supports each phase of project management from start to finish

Overview of project implementation phases

To ensure projects progress smoothly and effectively, it’s important to divide the work into clear phases with formal decision points. Similar to the Stage-Gate methodology, after completing each project phase, a decision gate is reached where the project’s continuation is evaluated and the plan for the next phase is approved. Once the initiation phase is completed, the project’s attractiveness to the company is assessed, and the planning phase begins. This way, the company consciously and structurally builds its project portfolio, avoiding randomness. In the following sections, we will discuss each phase in detail.

Phase 1: Project Initiation

This phase may have a different name depending on the organization. The most common names are the initiation, idea, or initiative phase. However, regardless of the name, this is virtually always the moment when an idea for a potential project begins to take shape. In many organizations, project ideas are collected and evaluated. Companies make the correct assumption that their employees are creative, and this potential for creativity must be leveraged for the company’s development. Ideas are collected in very different ways. It can be a list kept in Excel, or the company has a dedicated IT program for collecting ideas. A simple form is used to describe the idea in such a system. Equally, the idea-collection process itself varies between companies. In some organizations, an employee with an idea for a potential project must first discuss it with their supervisor, and only after approval is given, is the project idea entered into the system. Often, ideas are evaluated through appropriate scoring models. The illustration below from a project and portfolio management program shows the attractiveness of projects and ideas on a matrix.

Illustration showing the project evaluation module in the FlexiProject PPM tool, used during the first phase of project implementation

Attractiveness of projects and ideas on a matrix in FlexiProject PPM tool

A description of a potential project idea often consists of the following elements:

Name of the project
What problem/challenge does the project address
Benefits of the project
Results after project implementation
Proposed project manager
Estimated project duration
Estimated project budget
Potential risks
Main tasks to be carried out in the project

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Phase 2: Planning

The quality of the project plan developed significantly impacts the project’s outcome. The project assumptions described in the idea sheet must be clarified at this stage. The Project Charter is most often used for this purpose. The illustration below shows an example of a Project Charter from the project and portfolio management software FlexiProject.

Illustration showing the Project Charter in the FlexiProject PPM tool, used during the second phase of project implementation

Example of Project Charter in the FlexiProject PPM tool, used during the second phase of project implementation

The key elements that the project team should focus on when developing the Project Charter are:

A detailed description of the problem/challenge to be addressed by the project
A detailed description of the project’s business objective
Requirements of the main project stakeholders
A detailed description of the project deliverables/outputs
A detailed description of the project scope
Indication of the strategic objective to be addressed by the project
What competencies are needed to realize the project
The most crucial project risks
The main project milestones

The Project Charter prepared in this way should be formally accepted.

Once the Project Charter is accepted, the project team can proceed to create further elements of the project plan: stakeholder analysis, description of partial and final project deliverables, project schedule, project budget, project risk register, or resource plan. There are different approaches to the creation of the elements mentioned above in the project plan, but among the most effective are the following:

developing a Project Charter
detailed definition of project deliverables
development of key schedule tasks and their link to project deliverables
refining the schedule – defining tasks, milestones, responsibilities
development of project budget
development of the risk register
development of a resource plan

The following illustration shows an example of a project schedule plan.

Example of a project schedule plan in the FlexiProject tool showing key tasks, deadlines, risks, and deliverables

Example of a project schedule plan in FlexiProject

When analyzing the above example of a project schedule, it is worth noting the three columns on the right, which show risks, budget, and deliverables. If a risk is associated with a particular scheduled task, a triangle icon with an exclamation mark is shown in the task line in the “risks” column. The same applies by analogy to cost items or project outputs. The developed project plan should be formally accepted.

What is a Gantt Chart, and how to create one? [EXAMPLE]

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Phase 3: Project Implementation

The project implementation phase is when the team works to achieve the project goals and deliver the intended results. What you should pay particular attention to during the project delivery phase is:

Ensuring adequate communication within the project team
Delivering the main tasks and milestones of the project and assessing the level of progress of the tasks
Regular analysis of variances from the project plan regarding both the project schedule and budget
Updating the project plan as additional information becomes available
Changing the project plan using a Change Request document – the figure below shows an example of a Change Request document

Example of a Change Request document

Regular project meetings to discuss project progress and emerging issues on an ongoing basis
Regular analysis of project risks and active management of project risks
Regular meetings and reporting on project status to the steering committee or company management
Analysis of the workload of project resources and rapid response in cases where the workload of selected resources is excessive
Delivery of required project deliverables

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Phase 4: Project Closure

Despite being a very important project phase, it is often overlooked. The Project team should develop a formal project closure document called the project closure sheet. An example of a Project Closure Sheet is shown in the figure below.

Customized project Closure Sheet in the FlexiProject tool, helpful in the final phase of project implementation for summarizing results, documenting lessons learned, and formally closing the project.

Customized project Closure Sheet in FlexiProject

When completing the Project Closure Sheet, the project team should detail the post-project conclusions and analyze what went wrong. Such lessons learned are particularly useful in launching and implementing subsequent projects to make them more effective. Such post-project lessons or Lessons Learned allow an organization to build a knowledge base and achieve higher project culture levels. Elements of the Project Closure Charter worth noting are:

Detailed description of lessons learned
Description of key risks and problems that occurred in the project
Description of post-project conclusions

How to create a project schedule? Learn with a practical example!

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Project implementation stages as the key to effective goal achievement

The likelihood of projects achieving success significantly increases as they are implemented using the four main phases of project execution. The range of activities carried out in each phase depends on the organization’s project maturity and the type of projects undertaken. It is worth noting that each project delivery phase ends with formal project approval.

FlexiProject – support at every stage of your project

From collecting project ideas, through building a solid project plan, monitoring execution, to drawing conclusions at closure – FlexiProject provides comprehensive tools to guide your team through each phase with clarity and control.

👉 Ready to streamline your project delivery? Try FlexiPoject now and see how it supports your process from start to finish.

Włodzimierz Makowski

CEO FlexiProject

Włodzimierz is a board member at FlexiProject and an expert in project management. Over the past 20 years, he has gained extensive experience working with international companies on the delivery of dozens of large-scale projects - today, he passionately applies this expertise in developing the FlexiProject system. He leads the team responsible for its development, implementation, and promotion, helping modern businesses achieve their goals.