What is the project cycle?
The project cycle is a way to describe the life of a project from the first idea to the last report. It helps teams see which records and decisions belong where. Different organizations and donors use their own names and number of steps. This article uses a common seven-step version. Compare it with your own guidance.
The cycle also exists at a larger level. In a coordinated response, clusters or sectors plan together across many organizations, and individual projects fit inside that plan. Your project cycle is therefore tied to a wider cycle of needs analysis, planning and review. Check with the coordination groups active in your area to see which dates and formats apply to you.
What are the steps?
| Step | Main question | Typical output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Assessment | What are the needs, and who is affected? | Needs assessment report |
| 2. Strategy and planning | What will we do about it? | Project design, logframe, budget |
| 3. Resource mobilization | Who will fund it? | Proposal, signed agreement |
| 4. Implementation | How do we deliver? | Work plan, activities, purchases |
| 5. Monitoring | Are we on track? | Indicator data, reports |
| 6. Review and evaluation | Did it work? | Review or evaluation report |
| 7. Closure and learning | What did we learn, and what is left to do? | Closure records, lessons |
What happens at assessment?
Assessment collects information on needs, risks and who is best placed to respond. It uses existing data, talks with affected people and local partners, and looks at the gaps. A good assessment states its sources and limits. Our article on stakeholder mapping for humanitarian projects helps you decide whom to ask.
Keep an eye on whom the assessment leaves out. People with disabilities, older people, women, children and minority groups may be missed unless you plan to reach them. Our article on disaggregating data by sex, age and disability shows how to plan for this from the start.
Record the date of the assessment. Needs change fast in a crisis, and a design based on data that is six months old may no longer fit.
What happens at planning and funding?
Planning turns need into a design: objectives, activities, indicators, a budget and a risk list. Our article on logframe or theory of change helps you choose a format. Funding follows: proposals, negotiation and a signed agreement. Do not start spending before the agreement says you may. After signing, hand the plan to the delivery team in a structured way.
What happens at implementation and monitoring?
Implementation is where the plan meets the field: recruiting, buying, training, distributing. Monitoring runs alongside it, not after.
- Collect data against indicators on a set schedule.
- Check and approve the data before it is reported.
- Review progress and money each month.
- Handle changes through a clear process, with donor approval where needed.
- Report to donors and to affected people on agreed dates.
- Listen to complaints and feedback and act on them.
Keep affected people in the loop during delivery. Tell communities what the project will do, how to reach staff, and how to complain. Ask for their views on quality and timing, and show what changed as a result. This is part of accountability, and it often finds problems that indicator data does not. Our article on accountability to affected populations gives daily practice.
What happens at review, evaluation and closure?
Reviews check progress during the project; an evaluation judges results against criteria such as relevance and effectiveness. Closure ties off loose ends: final report, final accounts, handover of assets, archiving of records, and staff exit. Close with a review of what you learned, and put the lessons where the next team can find them.
Check each donor’s rules on closure and record keeping; they differ, and many require records to be kept for years.
Close also means saying goodbye well. Tell communities and partners what is ending, what remains and where to take complaints after the project. Hand over assets and records according to the agreement. Archive project files in an agreed place, with a list of what was kept and for how long, so that an auditor or a new team can find them later.
Where EMPOBase fits
In EMPOBase, Programs holds the planning records, including the Project Charter, RACI, Closure Checklist and After Action Review, and MEAL holds indicators, reporting and learning. Field reporting captures SitReps and incident reports during delivery. These tools hold your records and do not replace judgement at each step. See the field-to-results workflow for how data moves from the field to results.