ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the origin of the mining sector, the stages in the life of a mine and the role of projects, and programme management in mining. It explains the strategic importance of the life-of-mine plan (LOMP) and the derivation of enabling projects. Modern mining comprises five main stages. They are: prospecting; exploration; development; exploitation; and reclamation. Once the economic viability of an ore body is confirmed and capital approved, development of the mine can begin. The sequencing of reserve mining to ensure a targeted production capacity in the most economical way is planned and confirmed in the LOMP. By 2010 most large mining companies had developed their own internal methodologies. Even though each company followed its own approach, an informal mining project vocabulary evolved around the definition of a mining project lifecycle (PLC), phase deliverables and decision criteria. The PLC consists of two main phases, namely the development phase and implementation phase.
