- Welcome to Mind Tools' Video Learning Series. No matter what your role, chances are you'll have to manage a project at some point during your career. It takes skill to do this well but there are many approaches and tools that you can use. You can improve your chances of delivering your project successfully by breaking it down into seven key phases. In the first phase, define your end goal and propose the strategy you want to use to achieve it. The aim here is to win approval for your project from stakeholders and decision makers, and to show that you can deliver on time and on budget. The second phase is preparation. This is where you put in the groundwork with key stakeholders and team members. This involves planning how it will run, identifying the people you'll need, including any external partners, and securing resources. Next, start designing the project's main deliverables. At this stage, it pays to spend time thinking through potential problems or issues. Problems are usually easier and cheaper to fix at the design phase than they are after any detailed work has started. With the planning and design complete, you can begin step four. Developing and building the components of your project. Whether it's a piece of software, a bridge, or a business process. Make sure that you test each component thoroughly to check that it works as it should. Step five is all about preparing for the project to go live. Train the people who will use the end product and put in place whatever support mechanisms they'll need. This is also the time to carry out final checks so that you can be confident the project will be effective from the launch date. Phase six is dedicated to providing any support that the business may need after your project is launched. Consider what will be required before anyone or your team gets assigned elsewhere. You'll also need to start monitoring the benefits that the project delivers and carry on doing so after it closes. This will not only help you to promote the project, but also identify other actions needed to ensure that it's successful. Finally, bring the project to a close. When you do this, be sure to complete and store all your documentation, then carry out a post-implementation review so that you can capture your experiences and use them in your future projects. If you want to learn more about the seven key phases of project management, see the article that accompanies this video. © 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Limited.