A defined period within a project lifecycle that focuses on a specific set of deliverables or tasks. Breaking complex work into these sequential steps helps managers track progress, allocate funding, and schedule resources. Moving from one to the next usually requires formal approval or a milestone review.
Heard on the job
We can't start ordering the structural steel until we officially close out the design phase.
Insider tip
In corporate jargon, this is often turned into a verb, as in phasing in a new policy or phasing out obsolete hardware.
Also heard as
- stage
- step