ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the characterizations of Project Life Cycle and Product Life Cycle, and examines the boundaries between them. The traditional project structure, according to the PMBOK Guide, is generically composed of the following phases: starting the project, organizing and preparing, carrying out the work and closing the project. It is therefore required that each phase be managed through the application of convenient Project Management methodologies. From a conceptual point of view, it can be recognized that the boundary between the Project Life Cycle and the Product Life Cycle is determined by the distinction between the two terms project and product. Russell D. Archibald and Shane C. Archibald have recently published a book illustrating a Six-Phase Comprehensive Project Life Cycle Model, which includes a Project Incubation/Feasibility Phase preceding the Initiation Phase of traditional standard models and a Post-Project Evaluation Phase after the standard Project Closure Phase.
