Project management methodologies and frameworks provide clear guidance often based on best practices that continue to develop and evolve. These approaches emerge and adapt to better support the current work economy but, are also one of the reasons why organizations can fall behind the curve–it’s easy to get stuck in one way of working by hiding behind a methodology or framework that has become a bit of a monster.
Types of Methodologies
Organizations contact Wellingtone to get help in blending the right approaches for their reality, considering what is already out there, typically:
Waterfall gives us a sequential way of working and is best for situations when we can predict what will be delivered or how we’ll deliver it (business process)
Agile provides an iterative approach focused on the concept of continuous improvement originally designed for digital delivery which can be utilized if the result is not defined or the customer wants to see value quickly (software development)
Hybrid methodologies are becoming more common and are often designed to blend waterfall and agile principles so best used for projects that cross the business and IT barrier
Lean and Six Sigma are focused on obtaining and analyzing data to identify areas for improvement and removing waste and inefficiencies from processes
Critical Path provides a clear view of a more systems thinking approach allowing users to see the bigger picture and is best used when there are lots of interdependencies between change and BaU
There are several reasons why methodologies and frameworks become monsters in our organizations, and you may have experienced some of them yourself.
We support the organizations we work with to improve their capabilities by developing methodologies and frameworks that suit their reality. Below we can see some common sense-checks that take place.
Common Sense-Checks across Project Management Methodologies
| Particular | Predictive | Iterative | Adaptive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Defined upfront at the beginning | Defined for upcoming iteration and a high-level vision for the rest | The scope is set in the form of features |
| Change | At initial phases/stages can be accommodated leading to cost implications later | Accommodated throughout with less cost impact during the planning of the next iteration | Accommodated ad-hoc with rapid changes every 2-4 weeks meaning less cost impact during the planning of the next iteration |
| Risk | Accumulates risk over time, can lead to unsatisfactory outcomes | Iterations and constant watch naturally reduce the risk exposure | Risk is dealt with as it comes up and incorporated into the process |
| Customer Feedback | Customer feedback is received at the end of the project with customer involvement focused on the beginning and end | Customer feedback is received at the end of each iteration | Customer feedback is received at the end of each rapid iteration, so customers are involved/engaged continuously |
| Complexity | Used for projects where the product to be delivered is well understood with little complexity | Used where a change in objectives/ scope need to be managed and complexity reduction is required as the project progresses | Used in a rapidly changing environment, where scope/ requirements are difficult to define in advance |
| Delivery/Value | Delivery happens at the end only once | Delivery happens at the end of each iteration and customer gets value earlier in the project | Delivery happens very rapidly after every 2-4 weeks with Customer receiving ‘value’ frequently |
These examples are not the only checks that need to be made as designing appropriate methodologies and frameworks will always have to consider context such as nature of the business, its project, the culture, the maturity of the PPM environment too. But these are good places to begin exploring.
The PMO Perspective
PMO teams often have their finger on the pulse of what is emerging in the profession, such as PM Bricolage, serious play, and the #noprojects or #noestimates movement. Therefore, any changes made to existing ways of working must be done as a collaboration between the PMO and delivery managers.
Education is also key. Most changes from one type of methodology or framework require a mindset shift from delivery to leadership. Therefore, considering the educational needs of the customers of the methodology is necessary to its success.
In Summary: Project Management Methodologies
No one page holds all the information we need to compare all the ways of working that are out in our organization. To begin looking at this, make sure that as a team there’s an understanding of your current level of maturity. Next, have an open conversation about the changes that will benefit the organization, followed by design and feedback. If the change is big, make sure you create and publish a roadmap. Therefore, don’t underestimate the importance of this step if you want to be successful!
