What term best describes life cycle management?

Life cycle management refers to the ongoing process of overseeing various stages of a product's or service's life—from initial planning and development, through deployment and operational use, to eventual retirement and disposal. The term that best describes this ongoing and repetitive process is "continuum," as it emphasizes that life cycle management is not just a single linear path, but rather an ongoing cycle that can involve feedback loops and iterative improvements.

In a continuum approach, each stage of the life cycle feeds into the next, and the lessons learned during the transition phases can inform future cycles. This perspective allows organizations to assess, review, and enhance their processes continuously, ensuring that they adapt to changes in technology, user needs, or market conditions.

Other terms like baseline, finite, and linear do not accurately capture the nature of life cycle management. A baseline typically refers to a specific reference point for measuring performance or progress, finite indicates something with a definite end, and linear suggests a straight pathway without cycles or feedback. Therefore, the concept of a continuum is most aligned with the ongoing nature of life cycle management in cloud services and technology.