What are project phases?

Just like how you might break up a big job like cleaning your room into smaller tasks, project managers break up big projects into smaller parts called "phases". Each phase has specific tasks that need to be done. Here are the typical phases of a project:

• Initiation: This is the start of the project. People decide what the project will be and why it's important. It's like deciding to build a treehouse and figuring out why you want one.
• Planning: This is when you plan how to do the project. You decide what tasks need to be done when they should be done, and who will do them. If we think about the treehouse, this would be when you draw a picture of what it will look like and make a list of what you need to build it.
• Execution: This is when you do the tasks in your plan. You're building the treehouse now!
• Monitoring and Controlling: While working on the project, you need to check how things are going. Are you building the treehouse the way you planned? Do you need to make changes? This phase happens at the same time as the execution phase.
• Closure: This is the last phase when the project is finished. You check to ensure everything is done and the treehouse is built. Then, you can celebrate because you have completed the project!

By breaking a project into phases, project managers can ensure they don't miss important tasks and that the project is on track to succeed.