PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
A project is in the planning phase and the team is determining the sequence of activities. Which project life cycle phase follows planning?
⚠ Common exam trap
PK0-005 often tests the confusion between process groups and phases, and whether candidates incorrectly place Monitoring and Controlling as the sequential next step after Planning rather than recognizing it as a concurrent, overlapping process.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Executing
In the standard project life cycle (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing), the phase that follows planning is executing, where the project work is performed to produce deliverables. Monitoring and controlling runs concurrently but is not the sequential next phase after planning.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Closing
Why it's wrong here
Closing is the final phase, occurring after execution and monitoring, not immediately after planning. It is tempting because closing is a real life-cycle phase and the endpoint of the sequence, but the stem asks for the phase directly following planning, which is execution.
- ✓
Executing
Why this is correct
Executing follows planning because the project management life cycle sequences phases as initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, then closing. Once baselines for scope, schedule and cost are approved, work begins and deliverables are produced, satisfying the stem's requirement to identify the phase immediately after planning.
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Initiating
Why it's wrong here
Initiating precedes planning, so it cannot follow it; the stem asks which phase comes after planning. It is tempting because initiating is a genuine life-cycle phase and the first one, but its position is before planning, not after.
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Monitoring and controlling
Why it's wrong here
Monitoring and controlling runs alongside execution rather than following planning as the next sequential phase. It is tempting because it is a recognised process group, but it is a concurrent activity, not the phase that succeeds planning in the life cycle.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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