PMO 101: Tips for Choosing the Best Project Management Methodology

tips to choose best project management methodology

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PMO 101: Tips for choosing the best Project Management Methodology

Project management methodology is the set of guidelines, principles, and processes for meeting or exceeding a project’s requirements.

Any project management methodology may help you complete a project. Nevertheless, it not guaranteed to say any methodology will help you successfully complete a project within budget and on schedule, says Rory Hart, author of Management Library.

Factors to consider when choosing a Project Management Methodology

Following on the blogpost summarizing the Top 7 Project Management Methodologies, here are some tips for choosing the best methodology for your project and/or organization.

Many factors need to be considered when choosing the best project management methodology for your project and/or company.

Tips to choose the best project management methodology

Image borrowed from https://managementhelp.org/project-management-methodologies

Importantly, some basic factors you’ll need to address include:

  1. Assessment of the project.
  2. Deciding what will bring the most value.
  3. Evaluation of your organization.
  4. Assessment of your team.
  5. Assessment of resources.

In the business world, a project is considered successful when it satisfies three criteria:

  • Time: Meet required deadlines.
  • Cost: Stay within an allocated budget.
  • Scope: Meet requirements.

Usually, in project management, these three factors are considered vital to managing successful projects. While they might not be the constant guides they might once have been considered, they are still important to a successful project.

A project management methodology organized along traditional lines seeks to define each of those factors before the project starts. However, newer methods, particularly Agile project management methodologies, may try to redefine them during the course of the project. In addition, the project scope may change several times.

Project management methodologies may include defining those goals, or they may be predefined. Either way, understanding the following basic factors can make the project management process go much more smoothly.

Tip 1: Assess the Project

The one thing that has the biggest impact on the project methodology you choose is the nature of the project itself. Consider how the project is going to be planned. For example, construction requires very specific project management phases due to legal and financial constraints.

In addition, project managers may also wish to consider a hybrid methodology, which combines the strengths of both traditional and newer approaches.

Tip 2: Decide What Will Bring the Most Value

In any project, it’s important to ask if each task actually creates a benefit, to the project or otherwise.

Deciding which value to emphasize is wrapped up in the project’s scope and goals, defining exactly what you’re trying to accomplish. It can also impact how you accomplish those goals. For example, Agile project management methodologies may have the same set of critical tasks but require Agile methods.

Tip 3: Evaluation of Your Organization

Importantly, factors like skillsets and organizational goals must be considered. You may wish to focus on projects integrating sustainable methods, for example, if your organization prioritizes the environment.

However, if your organization doesn’t have the proper skillsets or resources, more time may be spent obtaining those than actually working toward the project’s goal. Likewise, prior experience with a specific methodology may make it more attractive.

Tip 4: Assess Your Team

Just as the nature of your organization can define which methodology is going to be most successful, so can the nature of your team.

You may wish to divide a larger group into several project teams so that multiple goals can be pursued at once. That has consequences when it comes to resource and time management that some methodologies are better suited to handling. In addition, the role of project managers can vary depending on the project management methodology.

Tip 5: Assess Resources

Access to resources is important, as are other aspects of supplying what your project needs. There are some management methodologies, like PMBOK, that focus more on resource management than others.

Often, a project management tool can be a good way of tracking resources. The best project management tools offer some flexibility to meet many needs.

In Summary

In summary, any project management methodology may help you complete a project. However, it not guaranteed to say any methodology will help you successfully complete a project within budget and on schedule. Use these tips to assess the project and organization to determine which project management methodology will be best suited for the environment.

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Alternatively, send an email to ingrid at trustcolab dot com.

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