Reference

Project Phases

Reference for all seven project phases — what happens at each one, which entities are created, and who is most active.

Every project in GreenVee moves through a defined set of phases. The phase controls which actions are available, what the project looks like on dashboards, and what reporting is expected. Understanding phases helps you know what to do next and why certain fields or buttons may be inactive.

There are seven possible phases. Six are sequential; one (Cancelled) is an off-ramp available at any point.

Phase 1 — Initial

Newly created. Scope is being defined.


What’s happening	The project exists but is not yet formally scoped. A project manager has been assigned and is gathering early information — the rough idea, initial stakeholders, and whether this project should proceed at all.
Common entities created	Project record, Project Type, initial Project Members (project manager), early Attachments or Documents.
Common entities updated	Project name, description, estimated dates.
Most active	Project Manager, Portfolio Manager.

Phase 2 — Definition

Scope confirmed, customer identified, type set, targets assessed.


What’s happening	The project is being formally defined. The customer or internal sponsor is identified. The project type is confirmed. Portfolio Targets are assessed for the first time. Early risk and opportunity scanning may begin.
Common entities created	Target Scores (Portfolio Target assessments), initial Project Risks and Project Opportunities, Company links (customer), Project Type confirmed.
Common entities updated	Project description, customer, dates, budget envelope.
Most active	Project Manager, Sponsor/Customer, Portfolio Manager.

Phase 3 — Planning

Segments, tasks, members, budget, and technical structure are populated.


What’s happening	The full plan is built out. This is the most data-intensive phase — the entire WBS is created, the team is assembled, budgets are itemised, and the Technical Structure is defined if the project involves physical outputs. Risk and opportunity registers are reviewed and expanded.
Common entities created	Segments, Task Packages, Tasks, Subtasks, Project Members (full team), Employee Bookings, Equipment Bookings, Budget and Cost Items, Technical Structure and Nodes, Required Goods, Required Specs, Milestones, Gates, Portfolio Risk Factor Scores.
Common entities updated	Project Risks and Opportunities (refined), Budget (detailed), Project Member allocations.
Most active	Project Manager, Team Leads, Resource Managers, Finance.

Phase 4 — Execution

Work happens. Time is logged, costs are recorded, issues are tracked.


What’s happening	The team is doing the work. Tasks move through their states. Time is recorded daily or weekly. Costs are booked as they occur. Issues, decisions, and state reports are generated regularly. Material procurement may be active.
Common entities created	Time Entries, Time Logs, Cost Occurrences, Earning Occurrences, Stock Movements, Procurement Requests, Purchases, Issues, Issue Comments, Decisions, State Reports, State Assessments, Risk Actions (in response to new risks), Calendar Events.
Common entities updated	Tasks (state, progress, completion), Project Risks and Opportunities (revised), Budget (actuals vs plan), Employee and Equipment Bookings (adjustments).
Most active	All team members, Project Manager, Finance, Procurement.

Phase 5 — Closing

Wrap-up. Benefits recorded, key takeaways captured.


What’s happening	Work is complete. The team is wrapping up — verifying deliverables, recording final costs, capturing lessons learned, and formally closing out procurement and bookings. Benefits realised are documented.
Common entities created	Benefit Occurrences (final recording), Key Takeaways, final State Report.
Common entities updated	Orders (closed), Budget (final actuals), Time Entries (any outstanding), Risk and Opportunity records (closed).
Most active	Project Manager, Finance, Sponsor/Customer.

Phase 6 — Successfully Closed

Archived. Service handover may continue.


What’s happening	The project is officially complete. All records are locked for editing in most contexts. The project remains visible for reference and reporting. In some cases, a service handover period continues — a team may still log time or handle support queries, but no new planning is done.
Common entities created	Minimal — handover Time Entries if applicable.
Common entities updated	None under normal circumstances.
Most active	Portfolio Manager (for review), Finance (final reconciliation).

Phase 7 — Cancelled

Off-ramp available at any phase.


What’s happening	The project has been stopped before successful completion. Cancellation can happen at any phase — from Initial through to Closing. A reason is typically recorded. Existing records (time entries, costs, risks) are preserved for audit purposes.
Common entities created	Final State Report (recommended), Key Takeaways (if useful).
Common entities updated	Project record (status set to Cancelled).
Most active	Project Manager, Portfolio Manager, Sponsor.

Phase Summary Table

#	Phase	Brief description	Off-ramp?
1	Initial	Created, scope being defined	→ Cancelled
2	Definition	Scope, customer, type, targets	→ Cancelled
3	Planning	WBS, team, budget, structure	→ Cancelled
4	Execution	Work, time, costs, issues	→ Cancelled
5	Closing	Wrap-up, benefits, takeaways	→ Cancelled
6	Successfully Closed	Archived, handover complete	—
7	Cancelled	Stopped; data preserved	—