Any project manager in any business will tell you that strong project management is key to a project’s success, and it is also necessary that you choose a style of project management- and more importantly the right type, so here is a breakdown of three main methodologies in a nutshell to help you choose.
Traditional
A phased approach is the biggest feature of Traditional Project Management, and in this methodology certain steps are carried out in sequence, with there usually being five steps. These steps are initiation, design, manufacture, monitoring and closing, but this is not a fixed pattern. In some projects not all the phases are required, whilst in others more need to be added or the order in which they happen needs to be rearranged slightly. This style is often referred to as the waterfall mode, especially when applied to software projects.
Critical Chain Project Management
Critical Chain Project Management has more emphasis on the required resources to complete a project and the tasks that make up this project, and looks at project management with reference to the Theory of Constraints. The Critical Chain methodology is different from the traditional methodology in the way project uncertainty is managed. When using the Traditional Project Management style uncertainty is managed by starting tasks as soon as possible, multi tasking and other time saving strategies, whereas in the Critical Chain model we manage uncertainty by estimating based on averages, using buffers and scheduling backwards from the required completion date rather than forwards from the start date.
Extreme project management
Extreme project management is often viewed as the most maverick style, and is usually applied to particularly complex or uncertain projects. Extreme PM is much more elastic in it’s approach and is concerned with the human elements of a project, such as project stakeholders, rather than formality and precise planning. Strong people management skills are a must for a project manager adopting this methodology as a large portion is related to managing human interactions and communication.
Whichever style of project management you decide to use project management software, can help your project run more smoothly. By adopting software with anissue tracker you can react to issues more efficiently.