The Project Management Mystique Unveiled 121 All projects have a life cycle of needs and requirements. Organi- zational needs first emerge from a change that generates these needs. 6 This change leads to recognition of stakeholders' needs. This recognition requires a conscious effort to ensure that the project team, customers, and any vendors share a thorough understanding of the organization's needs. Finally, the needs are articulated in an in-depth manner that pro- vides the basis for requirements and project scope. To make matters more challenging, customers typically have a sense of their needs, but may not completely understand them or their implications, as these needs are often dynamic and evolutionary. Therefore, the pro- vider/customer partnership must be responsible for pinpointing the real need and proactively managing stakeholders' expectations. Project Life Cycle No industry definition exists of a standard project life cycle; cycles