The behavior of software development projects is a characteristic phenomenon that is difficult to study and analyze. The behavior of a software project is a true indicator of its progress and condition. Unfortunately, very less attention has been given to this important aspect of the software projects and rarely any research study has been presented in this regard. The present study addresses this limitation of existing research work and analyzes the behavior of software development projects based on the project states. Project states and their sub-states for the first time in the present study have been derived from the project lifecycle phases. The behavior of the project states have been analyzed based on the risks faced by the projects and project client factors. A case study of real projects has been conducted to validate the project states and their behavior. The project states reflect the true behavior of the software development projects and determine the status and progress of the project. Initial findings of the study have been presented in this paper which will be followed by publishing more detailed findings on the project states in upcoming paper. © 2013 IEEE.