Project Phases, Life Cycles, and Incorporating User-Centered Design Principles

Projects are typically broken down into phases.  Each phase outlines the work that needs to be done and who is involved.  Generally, in order for a phase to be considered complete, specific deliverables need to have been completed and handed off.  Some project teams, however, do choose to implement fast tracking, which is when phases are overlapped. 

A lifecycle defines the beginning and end of the project; it represents all of the phases together.  When defining the project’s life cycle, the first phase is noted as Step 0.  It usually captures the visioning and conceptualizing of the project.  According to the Project Management Institute, most life cycles have four or five phases but some may have more. 

The most common lifecycle approaches are Waterfall and Agile., Regardless of the approach you choose, you will need to incorporate user-centered design (UCD) best practices and methods.  At a high-level, the UCD process includes the following steps: planning, collecting and analyzing data, writing content, designing and developing prototypes of the system, and testing.

Project Plan and Charter Agreement

When defining your project, it is important to come up with a project plan that the team agrees to upfront so that it can serve as a reference point throughout the project. Make sure when outlining your plan, that throughout it you note how you plan to include user-centered design best practices and methodologies. Most project plans outline:

• Objectives
• Scope, which correlates to the requirements
• Resources, including technology, budget, and team roles and responsibilities
• Schedule
• Assumptions
• Dependencies
• Risk assessment and management plan
• Change control plan