Introduction to project management methodologies

Project management methodology
A set of guiding principles and processes for owning a project through its life cycle

Project management methodologies help guide project managers throughout a project with steps to take, tasks to complete, and principles for managing the project overall.

Linear and iterative are a couple of examples of approaches to project management.

Linear: The previous phase or task has to be completed before the next can start

Linear is great for building houses, construction with constraints that have a set of plans and need to have tasks completed before the next task starts.

Iterative: Some of the phases and tasks will overlap or happen at the same time that other tasks are being worked on.

With iterative approach, plans remain flexible and you’re able to make adjustments as you go along.

Linear projects don’t require many changes during development and have a clear sequential process. Iterative projects allow for more flexibility and anticipate changes. You’re able to test out parts of the project to make sure they work before the final result is delivered, and you can deliver parts of the project as they are completed, rather than waiting for the entire project to be done.

Overview of Waterfall and Agile

Two of the most popular project management methodologies are Waterfall and Agile.

Waterfall as a methodology was created in the 70s, and refers to the sequential ordering of phases. Each phase is completed one at a time down the line like a waterfall starting at the top of a mountain and traveling to the bottom. Waterfall has a linear approach. There a many styles of Waterfall, each style has its own specific set of steps. They all commonly follow an ordered set of steps that are directly linked to clearly defined expectations, resources, and goals that are not likely to change.

Waterfall project life cycle follow the same standard project life cycle flow:

• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
  • managing and completing tasks
• Closing

You would want to use a Waterfall approach to project management when the phases of the project are clearly defined or when there are tasks to complete before another can begin, or when changes to the project are very expensive to implement once it’s started.

The Waterfall method has some risk management practices to help avoid and deal with project changes.

Agile is another popular project management approach, which means being able to move quickly and easily. Project that use an Agile approach often have many tasks being worked on at the same time, or in various stages of completion which makes it an iterative approach.

Agile project phases overlap and tasks are completed in iterations, which in Scrum are called Sprints.

Sprints are short chunks of time usually one to four weeks where a team works together to focus on completing specific task.

Comparing Waterfall and Agile approaches

	Waterfall	Agile
Project Manager’s role	Project manager serves as an active leader by prioritizing and assigning tasks to team members	Agile project manager (or Scrum Master) acts primarily as a facilitator, removing any barriers the team faces. Team Shares more responsibility in managing their own work.
Scope	Project deliverables and plans are well established and documented in the early stages of initiating and planning. Changes go through a formal change request process	Planning happens in shorter iterations and focuses on delivering value quickly. Subsequent iterations are adjusted in response to feedback or unforeseen issues.
Schedule	Follows a mostly linear path through the initiating, planning, executing, and closing phases of the project.	Time is organized into phases called Sprints. Each Sprint has a defined duration, with a set list of deliverables planned at the start of the Sprint.
Cost	Costs are kept under control by careful estimation up front and close monitoring throughout the life cycle of the project	Costs and schedule could change with each iteration.
Quality	Project manager makes plans and clearly defines criteria to measure quality at the beginning of the project.	Team solicits ongoing stakeholder input and user feedback by testing products in the field and regularly implementing improvements.
Communication	Project manager continually communicates progress toward milestones and other key indicators to stakeholders, ensuring that the project is on track to meet the customer’s expectations.	Team is customer-focused, with consistent communication between users and project team.
Stakeholders	Project manager continually manges and monitors stakeholder engagement to ensure the project is on track.	Team frequently provides deliverables to stakeholders throughout the project. Progress toward milestones is dependent upon stakeholder feedback.

Introduction to Lean and Six Sigma

Lean and Six Sigma, are a combination of two parent methodologies. The uses for Lean Six Sigma are common in projects that have goals to save money, improve quality, and move through processes quickly. It also focuses on team collaboration which promotes a positive work environment.

5 Phases in the Lean Six Sigma approach(DMAIC)

• Define
  • Tells you what to measure
  • Define project goal and talk to stakeholders about expectations for the project
• Measure
  • Tells you what to analyze
  • Map out current process and locate exactly where the problems are and what kind of effect the problems have on the process
• Analyze
  • Tells you what to improve
  • Identify gaps and Issues
• Improve
  • Tells you what to control
• Control
  • Put new processes and documentation in place and continue to monitor so the company doesn’t revert back to the old

DMAIC is a strategy for process improvement, meaning you’re trying to figure out where the problems are in the current process and fix them so that everything runs more smoothly.

Lean and Six Sigma methodologies

Lean

Lean methodology is often referred to as Lean Manufacturing because it originated in the manufacturing world. The main principle in Lean methodology is the removal of waste within operation. By optimizing process steps and eliminating waste, only value is added at each phase of production.

Lean Manufacturing methodology recognizes eight types of waste within an operationL defects, excess processing, overproduction, waiting, inventory, transportation, motion, and non-utilized talent. In the manufacturing industry, these types of waste are often attributed to issues such as:

• Lack of proper documentation
• Lack of process standards
• Not understanding the customers’ needs
• Lack of effective communication
• Lack of process control
• Inefficient process design
• Failures of management

These same issues create waste in project management.

When implementing Lean project management, you will use limted resources, reduce waste, and streamline processes to gain maximum benefits. This can be achieved by using the pillars of the Lean 5S quality tool.

The 5s refers to the five pillars that are required for good housekeeping:

1. Sort: Remove all items not needed for current production operations and leave only the bare essentials.
2. Set in order: Arrange needed items so that they are easy to use. Label items so that anyone can find them or put them away.
3. Shine: Keep everything in the correct place. Clean your workspace every day.
4. Standardize: Perform the process in the same way every time.
5. Sustain: Make a habit of maintaining correct procedures and instill this discipline in your team.

Kanban is the final concept of Lean, which is a scheduling system, or Kanban board, a visualization tool that enables you to optimize the flow of your team’s work.

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a methodology used to reduce variations by ensuring that quality processes are followed every time.

The seven key principles of Six Sigma are:

1. Always focus on the customer.
2. Identify and understand how the work gets done. Understand how work really happens.
3. Make your processes flow smoothly.
4. Reduce waste and concentrate on value.
5. Stop defects by removing variation.
6. INvolve and collaborate with your team.
7. Approach improvement activity in a systematic way.

Use this to find aspects of the product or process that are measurable like time, cost, or quantity. Then inspect the measurable item and reject any products that do not meet the Six Sigma standard.

Lean Six Sigma

After both Lean and Six Sigma were put into practice, it was discovered that the two methodologies could be combined to increase benefits. The tools used in Lean, such as Kanban boards and 5S, build quality in processes from the beginning. Products developed using Lean methods are then inspected or tested using Six Sigma standards. The products that do no meet these standards are rejected.

The largest difference between these methodologies is that Lena streamlines processes while Six Sigma reduces variation in products by building in quality from the beginning and inspecting products to ensure quality standards are met. you may find that one of these two methods-or using them both together-can improve the efficiency of your projects.

Common project management approaches and how to select one

Brief recap of each:

Waterfall is a traditional methodology in which tasks and phases are completed in a linear, sequential manner, and each stage of the project must be completed before the next begins. The project manager is responsible for prioritizing and assigning tasks to team members. In Waterfall, the criteria used to measure quality is clearly defined at the beginning of the project.

Agile involves short phases of collaborative, iterative work with frequent testing and regularly-implemented improvements. Some phases and tasks happen at the same time as others. In Agile projects, teams share responsibility for managing their own work. Scrum and Kanban are examples of Agile frameworks, which are specific development approaches based on the Agile philosophy.

Scrum is an Agile framework that focuses on developing, delivering, and sustaining complex projects and products through collaboration, accountability, and an iterative process. Work is completed by small, cross-functional teams lead by a Scrum Master and is divided into short Sprints with a set list of deliverables.

Kanban is a tool used in both Agile and Lean approaches that provides visual feedback about the status of the work in progress through the use of Kanban boards or charts. With Kanban, project managers use sticky notes or note cards on a physical or digital Kanban board to represent the team’s tasks with categories like “To do”, “In progress”, and “Done”.

Lean uses the 5S quality tool to eliminate eight areas of waste, save money, improve quality, and streamline processes. Lean’s principles state that you can do more with less by addressing dysfunctions that create waste. Lean implements a Kanban scheduling system to manage production.

Six Sigma involves reducing variations by ensuring that quality processes are followed every time. The Six Sigma method follows a process-improvement approach called DMAIC, which stand for define, measure, analyze, improve, control.

Lean Six Sigma is a combination of Lean and Sig Sigma approaches. It is often used in projects that aim to save money, improve quality, and move through processes quickly. Lean Six Sigma is also ideal for solving complex or high-risk problems. The 5s organization framework, the DMAIC process, and the use of Kanban boards are all components of this approach.

Selecting a project management approach

This will vary and differ depending on the project goal and how to effectively and efficiently meet them. This will take time and practice.

Resource

• Which project management methodologies should you use?

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