I believe the planning phase is the most crucial to the success of the project. If a plan is well thought out then the actions, executions, and other phases after the planning phase will go to plan. That however, depends on the team and their willing to complete their tasks along with other factors. Planning a project is key because that determines what actions will be taken, when the actions need to be completed, who will be in charge of completing such tasks, etc. Without the plan, the project has no one where to begin. Nothing can be completed or executed correctly without a plan. With that being said, the least important phase of the project life cycle does not exist. I believe that every phase has their own importance but each phase ranges in terms of which one is more crucial than the other. Every phase plays a key role in the life cycle process and should be considered important.