Project Management — 1.3 How to adopt your Project Development Life cycle?

Project Development Life cycles

In the last article, we have seen a brief overview of OPA, OPM, PMO and Types of PMO in Project Management. It was requisite before moving on the discussion of different Project Development Life cycles. Below, there are different Models that are adopted & executed according to the Client’s understanding about his exact requirements. Applying a right Model is significantly adhered to a successful Project Completion. So, below-mentioned are different Project Development Models that are adopted as per the client’s needs, requirements, and plans. So, let’s move down to inspect those models in details.

1) Predictive Development Life Cycle:

When client is fully cleared about the requirements, and you have also significant experience dealing with that kind of Projects. Moreover, duration of the project is small. In that case, you would use the Predictive Development Life Cycle (Predictive PDLC). If the client is not confirmed about the requirements, you also not have considerable experience in managing those kinds of Projects, you would not use the Predictive PDLC.

Phases of Predictive PDLC:

Predictive PDLC has 5 phases.

1) Initiating: In initiating phase, our initial negotiations and table talks with the client regarding the project is included.

2) Planning: In planning phase, we chalk out its plan from beginning to end. For instance, if the project duration is 1 year, we would draw its plan from the first day till the last day of 1 years. In other words, we would write down the complete plan of 1 year. Once we have written its complete 1-year plan, we would move to the next executing phase.

3) Executing: In Executing phase, we execute our plan. During execution phase, if we come up with new requirements, we would not go back to the planning phase to add those requirements in that and to process again. Yes, we can go back from executing to planning just to add minor changes in the plan, else it is utterly against the essence and rule of Predictive PDLC. For instance, in plan you had mentioned that you would install 10 watts energy savers to a particular room of the building. Now, you have decided to install 12 watts in that room. So, you went back to the plan for that minor change, and eventually came back to the executing stage.

4) Monitoring & Controlling:

We will keep on managing an accountability check over our Product Oriented Staff(workers) either they are aligned to the schedule and working according to the requirements.

5)Closing: In the closing phase, we would write “Lesson Learned Document”. This document would contain all the problems we faced in project completion, and solutions that how we resolved those problems. This document will give an insight into other Project Managers if they face such problems, they have that document to resolve their problems.

Suitability of Predictive PDLC:

1) It is suitable for “1” year project if you experienced in carrying out those kinds of projects and your client is 100% sure about the requirements.

2) Always choose cautiously this PDLC while doing IT Projects. It is because, these projects are so dynamic even sometimes client is not even sure what he wants.

2) Iterative Development Life Cycle:

You use this model when the client is fully confirmed about the requirements. Moreover, he has full control over the budget.Furthermore, you have solid experience of handling those kinds of projects. In Addition, the duration of project is large, such as, between (4–5) years. In that situation, you would use the Iterative Development Model.

As we can see in the above picture, we have received a 5-year project and divided it into chunks of 1 year. First, we will make an “Abstract plan” of 5-years. In that plan we will mention about the cost and material which will be consumed in those 5-years. Second, will plan make plan of each 1-year. Now, we will apply the Predictive PDLC on each “1-year chunk”. So, by Predictive PDLC, we will apply the 5-phases (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, Closing) on each “1-year chunk”. If 1st chunk is completed before time, we can parallelly start the planning of 2nd Chunk. In this way, we will yearly plan & execute and will keep continuing in the same way.

3) Incremental PDLC:

You use Iterative Project Development Cycle model when

1) Client does “not aware” of his requirements.

2) You are not experienced in handling that kind of projects.

3) Duration of the project is “Unknown”.

When you face that kind of specifications, you would say that you are going to develop a “Product” when the client does not know what he wants, duration is unknown, and you are going to gain a different experience. So, you would collect the requirements on which he some clarity and set the end-date and start planning that Project. You can use any model (Predictive PDLC or Iterative PDLC) according to the “end-date” which you have set already.

After completing that project, it is launched and observed the public opinion. For instance, it earns people commendation, you start working on its next version. You again start drawing planning based on some cleared requirements, and according set the end-date and complete this project on that ending-date. Again, you launch it, and received public applaud. So, in this way, product versioning is keep on updating and with the passage of time eventually it stars moving towards its downfall due to strict market competition.

4) Adaptive PDLC:

You use Adaptive Project Development Cycle model when

1) Client “Absolutely NOT” aware of his exact requirements.

2) You are not experienced in handling that kind of projects.

3) Duration of the project is “Unknown”.

When your client is not absolutely aware what he wants to get developed, you would plan this work in small iterations. We would plan those iteration not yearly basis, as we did in Predictive PDLC and Iterative PDLC. Now we will apply “Predictive PDLC” on each one-week iteration. Thereupon, we will get the client checked that either that what he required. If he says “No”, we will again add/subtract, plan, execute and get him checked in next iteration. So, in those conditions, when he is totally unaware what he wants, we will keep him moving along us in Iterations. We will plan for weekly basis execute it and get him checked. In this way, the client will also be satisfied, and we will be able to keep save plenty of our time.

5) Hybrid PDLC :

When we use two or more than two PDLCs on a single project, it is called Hybrid PDLC.