How To Be An Effective Project Manager In 15 Steps
If you are new to Project Management, the number of different methodologies (and acronyms) can be mind boggling, here are 15 common project management methodologies broken down into bite-sized pieces to help you choose the best approach for your next project.
Adaptive Project Framework (APF)
This improves the project at every stage by learning from previous stage’s results.
By defining the projects goals and regular reviewing project’s scope, managers can deliver the highest possible business value for the customer.
Agile
Adapt to change, capitalise on trends and create a dynamic team through collaboration and flexibility.
Shareholders review the project at each stage so teams can make the right adjustments, creating high-quality products that meet the customers need.
Benefits Realisation
Define success by achieving your desired benefit.
For example: If a client want to increase the sales by 15% and hire you to develop new CRM software, the project isn’t complete until the sales are up by 15% - even if you deliver the desired CRM on time and within budget.
Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
Avoids project delays by identifying a ‘critical chain’ of tasks, reserving resources for those tasks.
Since schedules are built around resource available the project timeline may be longer, but there’s less chance of missing important deadlines.
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Determines your project’s shortest timeline so you can adjust to any changes in the deadlines.
By identifying the project’s most essential tasks, you can estimate completion dates, dependencies, milestones and deliverables. Compare what should be happening with what is actually happening every day.
Event Chain Methodology (ECM)
Helps recognise and plan for potential risks.
Monte Carlo analysis (a technique used to understand the impact of risk and uncertainty in financial, project management, cost, and other forecasting models) and event chain diagrams help determine the probability of certain risk and their potential impact.
Visualising the relationship between external events and project tasks helps create realistic plans.
Extreme Programming (EP)
Features short development cycles, frequent releases and open communications with the shareholders.
Teams focus on collaboration and efficiency by writing the simplest possible code to produce the desired feature avoiding burnout and low-quality deliverables.
Kanban
Produce a slow and steady stream of deliverables through continuous workflow.
Managers often use a whiteboard or sticky notes to represent progress and undercover process problems. By understanding where time is wasted teams can improve productivity.
Lean
Delivers high value, high quality work with less manpower, money and time.
Lean cuts waste by eliminating bottlenecks, focusing on customer value and continually improving the process. Use lean to cut budgets, meet quick deadlines and get big results with a small team.
Lean six sigma
Combines leans efficiency with six sigma’s statistic based process improvements.
By defining how work gets done, the team eliminates the waste and freeing up time to focus on delivering the highest possible value to the clients.
PRiSM (Project Integrating sustainable methods)
Blends project planning with environmental sustainability measures.
If you want to go green then PRiSM is the way for you. Reduce energy, waste management and distribution costs whilst reducing your environmental footprint.
Process-based Project Management
Guarantees every project furthers the companies mission.
Before the project kicks off analise the pan to see if it will live up to your mission statement. If it doesn’t then adjust your strategy and goals. Every action should add value to an organisation’s strategic vision.
SCRUM
Emphasise productivity, focus and collaboration so your team can build high quality and quick deliveries that adapadt to change easily.
Teams should work in short sprints for maximum efficiency therefore being able to test new iterations quickly and fix mistakes right away.
Six Sigma
Improves process and product quality by reducing defects or bugs.
A rating of “six sigma” means that 99.99966% of what is produced is defect free. By examining the entire production process you can find possible improvements even before the defect appears.
Waterfalls
Breaks projects down into a series of sequential tasks.
With clearly defined goals and a set timeline teams can work through the tasks in order. This way they complete each task before moving on to the next in line. Extensive planning means accurate timelines and budgets.
I hope you enjoyed this article thanks for reading
Adaptive Project Framework (APF)
This improves the project at every stage by learning from previous stage’s results.
By defining the projects goals and regular reviewing project’s scope, managers can deliver the highest possible business value for the customer.
Agile
Adapt to change, capitalise on trends and create a dynamic team through collaboration and flexibility.
Shareholders review the project at each stage so teams can make the right adjustments, creating high-quality products that meet the customers need.
Benefits Realisation
Define success by achieving your desired benefit.
For example: If a client want to increase the sales by 15% and hire you to develop new CRM software, the project isn’t complete until the sales are up by 15% - even if you deliver the desired CRM on time and within budget.
Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
Avoids project delays by identifying a ‘critical chain’ of tasks, reserving resources for those tasks.
Since schedules are built around resource available the project timeline may be longer, but there’s less chance of missing important deadlines.
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Determines your project’s shortest timeline so you can adjust to any changes in the deadlines.
By identifying the project’s most essential tasks, you can estimate completion dates, dependencies, milestones and deliverables. Compare what should be happening with what is actually happening every day.
Event Chain Methodology (ECM)
Helps recognise and plan for potential risks.
Monte Carlo analysis (a technique used to understand the impact of risk and uncertainty in financial, project management, cost, and other forecasting models) and event chain diagrams help determine the probability of certain risk and their potential impact.
Visualising the relationship between external events and project tasks helps create realistic plans.
Extreme Programming (EP)
Features short development cycles, frequent releases and open communications with the shareholders.
Teams focus on collaboration and efficiency by writing the simplest possible code to produce the desired feature avoiding burnout and low-quality deliverables.
Kanban
Produce a slow and steady stream of deliverables through continuous workflow.
Managers often use a whiteboard or sticky notes to represent progress and undercover process problems. By understanding where time is wasted teams can improve productivity.
Lean
Delivers high value, high quality work with less manpower, money and time.
Lean cuts waste by eliminating bottlenecks, focusing on customer value and continually improving the process. Use lean to cut budgets, meet quick deadlines and get big results with a small team.
Lean six sigma
Combines leans efficiency with six sigma’s statistic based process improvements.
By defining how work gets done, the team eliminates the waste and freeing up time to focus on delivering the highest possible value to the clients.
PRiSM (Project Integrating sustainable methods)
Blends project planning with environmental sustainability measures.
If you want to go green then PRiSM is the way for you. Reduce energy, waste management and distribution costs whilst reducing your environmental footprint.
Process-based Project Management
Guarantees every project furthers the companies mission.
Before the project kicks off analise the pan to see if it will live up to your mission statement. If it doesn’t then adjust your strategy and goals. Every action should add value to an organisation’s strategic vision.
SCRUM
Emphasise productivity, focus and collaboration so your team can build high quality and quick deliveries that adapadt to change easily.
Teams should work in short sprints for maximum efficiency therefore being able to test new iterations quickly and fix mistakes right away.
Six Sigma
Improves process and product quality by reducing defects or bugs.
A rating of “six sigma” means that 99.99966% of what is produced is defect free. By examining the entire production process you can find possible improvements even before the defect appears.
Waterfalls
Breaks projects down into a series of sequential tasks.
With clearly defined goals and a set timeline teams can work through the tasks in order. This way they complete each task before moving on to the next in line. Extensive planning means accurate timelines and budgets.
I hope you enjoyed this article thanks for reading
