A project is a temporary endeavor, so it has a beginning and also an end.  A project life cycle is the aggregation of multiple phases from the start (Initiation) to the completion (Closure). A common project life cycle consists of a start, then planning, next is ‘doing the work’ and finally closing the project. The O2I project life cycle has five major phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitor & control, and closure—these make up the path that takes the  O2I project(s) from the beginning to the end.