Project lifecycle
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the purpose and stages of the project lifecycle.
Key learning points
- Initiation is about understanding the problem or brief, including audience research and defining success.
- Planning involves mapping out how you will solve the problem and create your product or solution.
- Execution is the creating stage where plans are turned into reality.
- The testing and evaluation stage involves critically assessing the end product to identify areas for improvement.
- Closure or presentation is about bringing the project to a formal close and sharing the final work.
Keywords
Initiation - the start of the project, where you understand the problem or client brief
Execution - following the planning to create the solution or product
Success criteria - specific, measurable and realistic benchmarks used to determine if a project, task or outcome has been accomplished successfully
Common misconception
The lifecycle is a plan you follow from start to finish in sequence.
Once you get to the testing and evaluation stage, you may move back to the execution stage until you are happy with the product.
Teacher tip
Asking students to look at a current project and create a SMART target can help them understand how to structure it.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the term for information that is created and stored on a computer?
Q2.What is the term for an object you can touch and use in the real world?
Q3.What happens when you print a digital document?
Q4.Which of these is not a digital artefact?
Q5.Arrange these steps for turning a digital artefact into a physical one that you can hold.
Q6.Why might someone create a digital artefact before making a physical one?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put these stages of the project lifecycle into the correct order.
Q2.What is the main purpose of the initiation stage in a project lifecycle?
Q3.What is the acronym commonly used for setting effective goals in project planning?
Q4.What is the main goal of testing and evaluation?
Q5.Match each stage of the project lifecycle to its description.
understanding the problem or client brief
mapping out how to solve the problem
creating the solution or product
critically assessing the end product for improvements
bringing the project to a formal close and sharing the work
Q6.Why might you revisit the execution stage after testing?
To help you plan your 11 computing lesson on: Project lifecycle, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 computing lesson on: Project lifecycle, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 computing lessons from the Digital media unit, dive into the full secondary computing curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.