Life Cycle Model

The Project Life Cycle Model is designed to support people who are planning and managing international projects with participants from different cultures. The Model stands at the core of the Global People resources in providing guidance on the whole life cycle of an intercultural project from the planning stage through to completion and dissemination activities. The design draws on existing models of the project life cycle, on the recorded and researched experience of the eChina-UK Programme and on an extensive review of the literature in intercultural communication and related fields.

The model consists of four main elements:

i. A five-stage schema of an intercultural collaboration from ‘Preparation’ to ‘Transfer’

ii. Core activities that might be undertaken at each stage of the project to enhance intercultural effectiveness.

iii. A set of intercultural competencies that will underpin successful achievement of these activities

iv. A learning process model that acknowledges the importance of building active learning into the collaborative experience

A more detailed, practitioner-oriented version of the Model, including case studies, tools and tips, is available in the Toolbook, which can be downloaded from the Resource Bank. To hear Nigel talk about some of these tips, watch the video clip below: