Project execution is the third step in the holistic project management system. This is where the project is broken down into smaller, more manageable milestones, tasks, and activities that are then assigned to team members, who will accomplish such jobs and work together to reach the project’s end goals.

Project execution means that you’re rolling up your sleeves and taking action on everything you outlined in your project plan (you can use our project plan template). Put simply, you’re executing those strategies (how’s that for being literal?) to get the project across the finish line.

You might also hear project execution referred to as project implementation. That’s another fancy name that means the same thing.

Execution is the third step of the typical project lifecycle, which has four total stages: initiation, planning, execution, and closure.

You might think that the execution stage would be the easy gimme of the whole bunch, especially if you’ve already done the hard stuff and established the groundwork for a successful project. But, it’s actually in the execution stage where a lot of teams struggle.