A project is defined as a sequence of tasks that must be completed to attain a certain outcome. Project management involves planning, directing, and controlling resources like people, equipment, and materials to meet the technical, cost, and time constraints of a project. There are typically five phases to a project life cycle: initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closure. Project managers are responsible for effectively managing work, human resources, communication, quality, time, and costs to lead a project team to completion. Common project management techniques include critical path method (CPM) and Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) which model activities and dependencies in a network to help schedule and plan a project.