Roadways in India:

Road network in India is one of the largest networks in the world. The

country’s road network consists of Expressways, National Highways, State

Highways, Major District Roads, Other District Roads and Village Roads.

Roads are the dominant mode of transportation in India.

They are an indispensable means of communication and has come a long

way. It is today regarded as one of the most ideal and cost effective

modes of transportation in India. The Indian Roadways play a crucial role

in connecting the different parts of India.

Over the years after independence there has been an extensive

development of the network; of roads. Major cities of the States and

capital of the state are connected by state highways.

While District roads are connected with village roads. Village roads

provide linkage to other roads in order to meet their daily needs and

access to nearby markets. Roads are easily accessible to each individual.

Roads facilitate movement of both men and materials anywhere within a

country. It helps in socio-economic development as well as brings national

integration. It provides linkages to other modes of transportation like

railways, airways, and shipping, etc.

The Indian Roadways play a crucial role in connecting the different parts

of India. Over the years after independence there has been an extensive

development of the network of roads across the length and breadth of

India.

Road network of India is the largest road network in the world. India has

an extensive network of major and minor roads as well as a good number

of well-maintained networks of national highways, connecting all major

cities and tourist destinations.

The road transport industry in India has emerged as the dominant part of

the transport system. The road transport mode in India has come to

occupy a pivotal position in the overall transport system in India. This

mode is estimated to have a share of about 80% in passenger transport

and 60% in freight transport.

A. the National Highways Development Project is a project to, upgrade,

rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The

central government is responsible for development and maintenance of

the National Highway System.

The project was implemented in 1998. “National Highways” account for

only about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the

total traffic across the length and breadth of the country.

This project is managed by the National Highways authority of India.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is authorised (mandate) to

implement National Highways Development Project (NHDP), which is

i. India’s Largest ever highways project

ii. World class roads with uninterrupted traffic flow

The National Highways have a total length of 70,548 km to serve as the

arterial network of the country. The development of National Highways is

the responsibility of the Government of India.

The National Highways Development Project (NHDP) is the largest

highway project ever undertaken by the country, is being implemented by

the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). NHDP Phase I & II envisage

4/6 lining of about 14,279 km of National Highways.

These two phases of NHDP comprise of Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), North-

South and East-West Corridors, Port Connectivity and other projects. The

Golden Quadrilateral connects the four major cities of Delhi, Mumbai,

Chennai and Kolkata. (NS-EW) The North-south & East-West corridor

comprising 4 laning of 7,300 km of National Highway connecting North-

south corridor from Srinagar to Kanyakumari with East-West corridor from

Silchar to Probandar.

India is the second largest in the world. Indian roads carry about 61% of

the freight and 85% of the passenger traffic. All the highways and

expressways together constitute about 66,000 kilometers. National

Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the apex Government body for

implementing the NHDP.

B. Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARD):

This programme was introduced to improve the road connectivity with

state capital, district headquarters and remote places in the North-eastern

region. This programme facilitated in connecting 85 district headquarters

in the North-eastern states to national highways and state roads.

The Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North East

(SARDP-NE) envisages widening of 3,251 km of National Highways,

improvement including widening of 1,257 km of State roads and two-

laning of 1,888 km of general staff roads in the region.

Railways in India:

Railways are today the predominant form of-transportation in India. The

Indian Railways is among one of largest railway systems in the world.

India’s railroad system is the government’s largest public enterprise. The

Indian Railways is state-owned and operated by the Ministry of Railways.

Today, it has completed its glorious 150 years of services for the nation.

Indian Railways is one of the largest railways under single management. It

is one of the world’s largest employers. Indian railways, the largest rail

network in Asia and the world’s second largest under one management.

The railways play a leading role in carrying passengers and cargo across

India’s vast territory. The Indian Railways have played an integrating role

in the social and economic development of the country.

Recent development in rail transport:

1. There has been a tremendous development in its financial status,

safety, security, projects, technology and moreover its quality service to

the people. Initiatives like online ticket booking, computer-based

reservation system, IVRS Interactive voice response system, and

introduction of smart cards have improved the Indian railways

considerably.

2. The Indian Railways, today, provide the principal mode of

transportation for freight and passengers in India. It is one of the largest

networks in the world with a total of 63,221 km and providing

employment to 1.54 million people. Journey by train has become one of

the cheapest and convenient ways of transportation for people of all

sections of the society.

3. Indian Railways has seen major technological developments in recent

years. These include

a. Electrification of more tracks,

b. Development of more efficient locomotives, and

c. Advancement in terms of passenger amenities including better

catering, toilet provisions and security features.

d. Facilities like Internet access and satellite phone are in the pipeline.

4. Advanced safety features have been incorporated to minimize

accidents, while modern coaches have been imported for certain trains.

Fast trains like the Shatabdi Express and the Rajdhani Express have made

long distance train journey a relatively fast and comfortable.

5. Railways have also been modernized in terms of technology, ticketing,

computerization and overall management.

Aviation Sector:

Air transport is the most modern and the quickest mode of transport.

Because of its speed travel by air is becoming popular. It not only saves

time but, also reduces the tiredness involve in covering long distance. It is

not a feasible means of transportation for all because of the inflated fares.

However, it is considered to be the fastest and easiest means of

transportation. It operates to 57 domestic stations and 17 international

stations. Some of the leading domestic private airlines are Air Sahara, Jet

Airways and Air Deccan etc.

Development in the air transport:

Indian aviation industry has shown a tremendous growth in the post-

liberalised era. The following are the development in the aviation industry

1. The development of airports is no longer solely under the public sector;

instead private participation is allowed and encouraged. New International

airports are to be set up in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Goa with the help

of the private sector.

2. The Indian aviation industry is one of the fastest-growing aviation

industries in the world. The Government has adopted a liberal civil

aviation policy with a view to improve domestic services.

3. Along with travel agent, Internet is now evolving as an important

medium for ticket booking.

Shipping transport:

Shipping transport is the process of moving people, goods, etc. by barge,

boat, ship or sailboat over a sea, ocean, lake, canal, river, etc. Shipping

plays an important role in the transport sector of India’s economy.

Indian maritime sector facilitates not only transportation of national and

international cargo but also provides a variety of other services such as

cargo handling services, shipbuilding and ship repairing, freight

forwarding, lighthouse facilities and training of marine personnel, etc.

In recent times, developments and advancements in sea transportation

had great impacts on international trade. Shipping is a global industry and

is closely tied to the level of economic activity in the world.

The demands for shipping activities are rapidly growing. The shipping

corporation of India is the biggest Indian shipping company owned by the

Government of India.

Development in the shipping transport:

1. There are 12 major ports and more than 139 minor and intermediate

ports in India.

2. The training of personnel acquired a new dimension with the setting up

of a Maritime training institute at powai, Mumbai. This institute has

modern training facilities so as to ensure that the skill and expertise of

shipping personnel in an international level.

3. To improve the efficiency and competitiveness in import services port

sector has been open to private sector also.

Telecom Industry in India

RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE :

Rural Infrastructure in India: Scope and Importance

Infrastructure is the backbone of any country. It plays a very important

role in supporting nation’s economic growth and the same is the case with
India. If we talk about rural infrastructure in the country, then it is crucial
for agriculture, agro-industries and poverty alleviation in the rural areas.

Typically, rural infrastructure in the country encompasses rural roads,

major dams and canal works for irrigation and drainage, rural housing,
rural water supply, rural electrification and rural telecommunication
connectivity.
Importance of rural infrastructure in India

Basically, rural infrastructure has the potential to provide basic amenities

to people that can improve their quality of life. To give an example,
development of rural infrastructure can lead to improved access to market
centres for the rural producers, better availability of inputs and raw
materials at reduced prices and improved mobility.

Here is a look at how different sections of rural infrastructure play their

role in improving the rural economy as well as life of the people...

1. Rural road infrastructure: It provides mobility and connectivity to

people living in rural areas. It also provides the much needed boost to
agricultural activities by making available water, seeds and other raw
materials to the farmers. By improving connectivity, rural roads also
enhance employment opportunities for the rural people in non-agriculture
sector, thereby, increasing livelihood opportunities. Rural roads also
ensure that the rural areas are served with better public services and all
the benefits offered by the state reach the far-flung areas easily. They can
even provide access to education and health services.

2. Rural electrification infrastructure: It basically caters well to the

requirements of agriculture and other activities including irrigation
pumpsets, small and medium industries, khadi and village industries, cold
storage chains, healthcare and education

3. Rural water supply system: It can lead to sustainability of systems and

sources and tackle the problem of water quality, thereby, increasing good
health of people.

4. Rural housing infrastructure: It has the potential to improve living

standard of the people.

Overall and as per various studies, development of rural power, irrigation,

water, sanitation and road infrastructure can increase productivity,
savings, income and tourism and result in better jobs and health of rural
people.

Scope for development of rural infrastructure in India

1. As per the road statistics published by central government for the year
2012-13, rural roads span 60.39 km of every 100 km. The sad part is that
most of these rural roads in the country are in bad shape i.e., they are of
poor quality, potholed and unable to withstand the loads of heavy farm
equipment, thereby, affecting the rural population’s quality of life and
ability of the farmers to transport their produce to the market. Further,
the rural surfaced road is just 33 per cent of the total rural road network in
India and remaining are kutcha roads which are highly vulnerable and
inaccessible particularly during the rainy season. Thus, there is increasing
need for surfaced rural roads in the country.

2. Living conditions of people in rural areas has still not improved much
and there are majority who live in kutcha houses which are highly
vulnerable to rainfall, wind blow, fire and other environmental hazards.
Hence, good rural housing infrastructure is needed in the country.

3. As per the Census 2011, still 45 per cent of the rural households are not
connected with electricity and depend on kerosene and other means for
lighting. Hence, rural electrification infrastructure is needed to make the
lives of rural people better.

4. Although there are schools in the rural areas but they lack in terms of
the number of classrooms, availability of safe drinking water facilities,
toilet facilities etc. Hence, the education infrastructure in rural India also
needs a lot more improvement.

5. It goes without saying that the health infrastructure is poorly developed

in rural India. Even if it is there, there are no good doctors because the
rural areas have very low connectivity and doctors or skilled health
workers are unable to access these areas. This poses a great threat to the
lives of rural population in the country.

6. As per the reports from Census 2011, merely 30 per cent of rural areas
are covered with tap water supply. In addition, the sanitation facilities in
the rural areas are also not adequate. Thus, there is huge scope for
developing drinking water infrastructure and sanitation facilities in the
rural areas.

With these points, it is clear that there is huge scope for development of
all kinds of infrastructure in rural areas. In fact, the gaps in the rural
infrastructure need to be addressed properly and as fast as possible so as
to achieve redistributive growth and alleviate poverty in the country.

Keeping these things in mind, government has taken various proactive

steps to boost rural infrastructure. In the Union Budget 2017-2018, an
allocation of Rs 19,000 crore has been made towards the Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to connect far-flung habitats. The rural
housing scheme has received more than Rs 9,000 crore and the allocation
for rural electrification scheme has been increased by Rs 4,814 crore in
the Union Budget 2017-2018. Under the Swachh Bharat Program, the
government has taken up the task of construction of individual, cluster
and community toilets. All these initiatives are good but still there is huge
scope further in rural infrastructure development.

Impact of rural infrastructure growth on construction equipment

With the focus shifting on developing rural infrastructure including roads,

houses, electrification projects, irrigation facilities and other infrastructure
development, the need for construction equipment is also increasing to
develop such infrastructure. This has led to growth of many indigenous
construction equipment manufacturers in the country.
 which are the most affordable and incomparable indigenous equipment in
the country at the present that meet all the rural infrastructure
development needs.

In a nutshell

The scope for rural infrastructure development is huge in the country and
this is expected to give a boost to the construction equipment industry in
India.

Infrastructure plays a crucial role for not just the country's economic
growth but also its progress in human development. Rural areas account
for a larger part of the geographical area in India. Census 2011 reports
that there are 6.4 lakh villages in India, which shelter more than two-third
of the country's population. Provisioning of basic infrastructure facilities
for this large section of the population spread across 3.28 million square
kilometer of the country's geographical area has been a major challenge.
The present status of rural infrastructure in the country under various
categories is discussed in the following.
Road
India has developed a reasonably wide road network in the last few
decades. World Road Statistics 2009 says that India's road density is 1.25
km/sqkm (2008), which is higher than that of China's 0.36 km/sqkm
(2007) and Brazil's 0.20 km/sqkm (2004), and that it can be compared to
France and UK's road density of 1.72 km/sqkm (2007). As far as rural India
is concerned, the road network has been increased from 3,54,530 km in
1971 to 24,50,559 km in 2008 ( including 10,61,809 lakh km roads
constructed under Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana) registering an annual compound growth rate of 5.4 percent
over this period. However, the rural surfaced road coverage is just 33
percent of the total rural road network in India.The kutcha roads cover a
large portion in total rural road network, which are highly vulnerable and
inaccessible particularly during the rainy season. Given the wide diversity
in physical structure of the country, the need for greater surfaced road
connectivity is particularly important in the hilly terrains and low lying
areas.
Power
Electricity has become a necessity for every household. The governments
at the Centre and States have been trying to push various reforms in
power sector in order to provide Electricity to people at affordable prices.
However, the aim to provide Power to all by 2012 has not been fulfilled.
According to the Central Electricity Authority, Government of India, a total
of 5,56,633 villages have been electrified, which stands at 87 percent of
total villages in the country at present. However, even within the
electrified villages, many households are not connected with electricity.
The Census 2011 indicates that 45 percent of the rural households are not
connected with electricity and depend on kerosene and other means for
lighting. In terms of the per capita power consumption level, India
continues to be among the low performing countries in the world. India's
annual per capita electricity consumption stands at 670 kwh compared to
China's 3310 kwh and USA's 13,230 kwh in 2011. The Central Government
has launched a few policies like provisioning of 1 kwh of free power per
day to the BPL families. The hybrid electricity provisioning through off-grid
connectivity and power supply from cogeneration, solar and micro-hydro
projects have been some of the programmes implemented by the Central
Government to bring the remote villages under the coverage of power
supply.
Housing
The housing conditions in rural India have not improved much. According
to Census 2011, as much as 20.7 percent of the total 206 million (or 20.6
crore) occupied rural houses are with thatched roofs. These houses are
not safe for living, highly vulnerable to rainfall, wind blow, fire and many
other accidents. Some of the government interventions, such as, Indira
Awas Yojana (IAY), operation of corpus funds like Rural Infrastructure
Development Fund (RIDF) by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) and Rural Housing Fund by the National Housing
Bank, aim at promoting rural housing in the country. However, a lot more
needs to be done to provide better housing facilities to the rural
population.
Education
The 8th All India School Education Survey (AISE) report shows that there
are 6.75 lakh primary schools functioning in rural areas in the country. It
presents a picture that on an average every village in India has a primary
school. The survey reports that there are 3.04 lakh upper primary, 82.8
thousand secondary and 36.9 thousand higher secondary schools along
with 1.18 thousands degree colleges in the rural belt of India. However,
average teacher availability in the schools is quite low. For example, in
the primary schools this is just 2.2 teachers per school. Even in terms of
the number of classrooms, availability of safe drinking water facilities,
toilet facilities etc. the school infrastructure in rural India needs a lot more
improvement. Therefore, governments at various levels need to be pro-
active to develop and maintain the infrastructure for education in rural
areas.
Health
Health infrastructure in rural India is still quite inadequate. As on March
2011, the total of 6.4 lakh villages in the country were covered with only
23,887 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 1,48,124 Sub-Centres. This
shows that, on an average, 4.3 villages have one sub-centre and only one
PHC exists for as many as 27 villages. Added to this, many health centres
are also run without doctors (or absentee doctors) and in some cases
treatment is done by unskilled healthcare workers. Absence of
connectivity to the villages and inadequate number of health centres and
skilled health workers still endangers the life of rural population in the
country.
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Provisioning of safe drinking water to every household should be one of
the basic policy priorities. However, the Census 2011 reports a mere 30
percent of rural area being covered with tapped water supply. Households
in the remaining rural areas in the country depend on other means like
hand pumps, bore well and fetching water from nearby rivers and canals
etc. The poor sanitation facilities in the rural belt have been an equally
challenging issue for the government. The Census 2011 report reveals
that 69.3 percent of rural households in the country still resort to open
defecation. The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation also
reports that many Primary Schools and Anganwadi Centres in the rural
areas do not yet have toilets. Hence, provisioning of safe drinking water
and sanitation facilities in rural areas need to be a top priority for the
government now.
We need to remember that rural economy still plays a significant role in
India's overall economy. The rural sector has a very high potential in
terms labour and natural resources, which are the basic inputs in
production process. However, among other factors, lack of adequate
infrastructure has been driving the rural labour into poverty and
deprivation. Provisioning of basic infrastructure facilities would help in
tapping the vast resources in the rural areas in India. Therefore, the gaps
in rural infrastructure need to be addressed properly so as to achieve
redistributive growth and alleviate poverty in the country.
Infrastructure plays a crucial role for not just the country's economic
growth but also its progress in human development. Rural areas account
for a larger part of the geographical area in India. Census 2011 reports
that there are 6.4 lakh villages in India, which shelter more than two-third
of the country's population. Provisioning of basic infrastructure facilities
for this large section of the population spread across 3.28 million square
kilometer of the country's geographical area has been a major challenge.
The present status of rural infrastructure in the country under various
categories is discussed in the following.
Road
India has developed a reasonably wide road network in the last few
decades. World Road Statistics 2009 says that India's road density is 1.25
km/sqkm (2008), which is higher than that of China's 0.36 km/sqkm
(2007) and Brazil's 0.20 km/sqkm (2004), and that it can be compared to
France and UK's road density of 1.72 km/sqkm (2007). As far as rural India
is concerned, the road network has been increased from 3,54,530 km in
1971 to 24,50,559 km in 2008 ( including 10,61,809 lakh km roads
constructed under Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana) registering an annual compound growth rate of 5.4 percent
over this period. However, the rural surfaced road coverage is just 33
percent of the total rural road network in India.The kutcha roads cover a
large portion in total rural road network, which are highly vulnerable and
inaccessible particularly during the rainy season. Given the wide diversity
in physical structure of the country, the need for greater surfaced road
connectivity is particularly important in the hilly terrains and low lying
areas.
Power
Electricity has become a necessity for every household. The governments
at the Centre and States have been trying to push various reforms in
power sector in order to provide Electricity to people at affordable prices.
However, the aim to provide Power to all by 2012 has not been fulfilled.
According to the Central Electricity Authority, Government of India, a total
of 5,56,633 villages have been electrified, which stands at 87 percent of
total villages in the country at present. However, even within the
electrified villages, many households are not connected with electricity.
The Census 2011 indicates that 45 percent of the rural households are not
connected with electricity and depend on kerosene and other means for
lighting. In terms of the per capita power consumption level, India
continues to be among the low performing countries in the world. India's
annual per capita electricity consumption stands at 670 kwh compared to
China's 3310 kwh and USA's 13,230 kwh in 2011. The Central Government
has launched a few policies like provisioning of 1 kwh of free power per
day to the BPL families. The hybrid electricity provisioning through off-grid
connectivity and power supply from cogeneration, solar and micro-hydro
projects have been some of the programmes implemented by the Central
Government to bring the remote villages under the coverage of power
supply.
Housing
The housing conditions in rural India have not improved much. According
to Census 2011, as much as 20.7 percent of the total 206 million (or 20.6
crore) occupied rural houses are with thatched roofs. These houses are
not safe for living, highly vulnerable to rainfall, wind blow, fire and many
other accidents. Some of the government interventions, such as, Indira
Awas Yojana (IAY), operation of corpus funds like Rural Infrastructure
Development Fund (RIDF) by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) and Rural Housing Fund by the National Housing
Bank, aim at promoting rural housing in the country. However, a lot more
needs to be done to provide better housing facilities to the rural
population.
Education
The 8th All India School Education Survey (AISE) report shows that there
are 6.75 lakh primary schools functioning in rural areas in the country. It
presents a picture that on an average every village in India has a primary
school. The survey reports that there are 3.04 lakh upper primary, 82.8
thousand secondary and 36.9 thousand higher secondary schools along
with 1.18 thousands degree colleges in the rural belt of India. However,
average teacher availability in the schools is quite low. For example, in
the primary schools this is just 2.2 teachers per school. Even in terms of
the number of classrooms, availability of safe drinking water facilities,
toilet facilities etc. the school infrastructure in rural India needs a lot more
improvement. Therefore, governments at various levels need to be pro-
active to develop and maintain the infrastructure for education in rural
areas.
Health
Health infrastructure in rural India is still quite inadequate. As on March
2011, the total of 6.4 lakh villages in the country were covered with only
23,887 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 1,48,124 Sub-Centres. This
shows that, on an average, 4.3 villages have one sub-centre and only one
PHC exists for as many as 27 villages. Added to this, many health centres
are also run without doctors (or absentee doctors) and in some cases
treatment is done by unskilled healthcare workers. Absence of
connectivity to the villages and inadequate number of health centres and
skilled health workers still endangers the life of rural population in the
country.
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Provisioning of safe drinking water to every household should be one of
the basic policy priorities. However, the Census 2011 reports a mere 30
percent of rural area being covered with tapped water supply. Households
in the remaining rural areas in the country depend on other means like
hand pumps, bore well and fetching water from nearby rivers and canals
etc. The poor sanitation facilities in the rural belt have been an equally
challenging issue for the government. The Census 2011 report reveals
that 69.3 percent of rural households in the country still resort to open
defecation. The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation also
reports that many Primary Schools and Anganwadi Centres in the rural
areas do not yet have toilets. Hence, provisioning of safe drinking water
and sanitation facilities in rural areas need to be a top priority for the
government now.
We need to remember that rural economy still plays a significant role in
India's overall economy. The rural sector has a very high potential in
terms labour and natural resources, which are the basic inputs in
production process. However, among other factors, lack of adequate
infrastructure has been driving the rural labour into poverty and
deprivation. Provisioning of basic infrastructure facilities would help in
tapping the vast resources in the rural areas in India. Therefore, the gaps
in rural infrastructure need to be addressed properly so as to achieve
redistributive growth and alleviate poverty in the country.

STAGES OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT LIFECYLCE:

Initiation
A solid initiation will set a project up for success and lay the foundation for all
the other stages in its life cycle. During this phase, PMs first measure the
feasibility and value of a project in order to determine whether or not it is
worth pursuing.
Once a project is given the green light, team members will be briefed on the
project’s objective and assigned goals during the Initiation Phase. PMs should
be working closely with their clients and execs to properly prepare for the
upcoming planning process. It is also during this phase that PMs should be
rallying the team together and building support for the project. One way to do
this is to pull the team tighter and to present the project significance and
value to them. It will be important to have everyone on board.
Warning: A common problem that can seriously affect subsequent project
stages is the insufficient alignment of interests between all parties involved.
The failure to properly identify competing interests and concerns during the
initiation phase or the failure to be transparent can doom the project right
from the start. Experienced PMs handle this early by creating a set of ground
rules regarding transparency in communication.

Planning
The planning stage focuses on building a blueprint for achieving the project’s
goals, on time and on budget. This roadmap will be used to guide the team
through the execution of the project. It is in this phase that the scope is
defined and a solid project management plan will be developed. The plan
involves identifying costs, available resources, potential financing options, and
risks, as well as setting a realistic timeframe. Moreover, it should also include
performance measures or baselines to measure progress and determine if the
project is on track.
During the planning stage, project managers clearly define roles,
responsibilities and tasks, so that all team members are aware of what they’re
accountable for. Here are a few of the essential documents PMs typically
create to ensure that everyone knows what needs to be done and that the
project progresses properly:

 Scope statement – a document that clearly describes the project’s benefits,

objectives, key milestones and deliverables.

 Work breakdown structure – a diagram that breaks down the project’s scope into
manageable sections

 Gantt chart – a project management visual used to illustrate the project timeline and
to plan out the tasks identified in the work breakdown diagram.
 Risk management plan – a document that identifies all foreseeable risks and possible
strategies to mitigate them.
 Communication plan – an essential plan if the project involves outside stakeholders. It
should include communication objectives, frequency and methods, as well key
content to share with the parties involved in the project. When planning project
communications, the best PMs ensure their message will get across by adapting their
approach to fit each particular audience. For instance, using simple, familiar
PowerPoint visuals when reporting to stakeholders who may not understand PM
jargon can be an effective way to share key data.

Execution
Execution is the stage that is most commonly associated with actual project
management. PMs should expect intensive activity during this time, from
allocating resources and building deliverables, to creating development
updates, status reviews and performance reports. Project Managers should
arrange a kick-off meeting to officially mark the onset of the execution phase,
get the team started on the right track, and ensure everything is properly
prepared for team members to begin executing their assignments.
The execution phase is active and PMs will be required to leverage their
management skills and their soft skills to keep the project team motivated,
performing and on track. PMs may need to:

 eliminate all unnecessary distractions or activities

 get underperformers back on track
  manage morale to prevent burnout
 find needed resources to overcome stalls
 solve conflicts that may occur

Monitoring and Control

Although it is sequenced as the 4th stage in the project management life
cycle, the monitoring phase is actually most often implemented during the
execution stage, not afterwards. While the team executes the project plan,
PMs begin monitoring and controlling it to ensure progression is on track with
the schedule. To achieve this, PMs will be:

 monitoring the tasks that are on the critical path

 verifying and controlling scope creep and taking measures to counter it
 updating stakeholder with status reviews according to the pre-established
communication plan
 comparing planned costs versus actual costs
 seeking ways to optimize performance

Closure
The final stage of the project management life cycle is the closure phase,
which requires a series of essential tasks and activities, such as delivering the
finished project to the client, communicating its completion to stakeholders,
releasing resources, and terminating contractors hired specifically for the
project. During the closure stage, PMs also hold a post-mortem meeting to
evaluate what went wrong, highlight successes, and learn what improvements
can be made for future projects. Using this meeting to recognize and
appreciate valuable team members is a best practice that can help build a
PM’s credibility and brand.
Managing a project, regardless of its magnitude or complexity, can become
overwhelming at times. Breaking it down into these 5 phases and mastering
each stage can help PMs and their teams handle even the most complex
projects successfully.