Choosing the right project Management Methodology is a difficult task for an organization. It is developed based on different fields of application such as engineering, information and other modern types. Project management became recognized as a distinct discipline arising from the management discipline with engineering model.
Project management methodologies are a series of processes created to assist the project managers and those who are overseeing the projects. It is designed to the tasks and the activities required in a definite time schedule and to manage unforeseen conflicts.
These project management methodologies guide a manager all throughout the project giving the different steps to follow and the targets to meet form the moment a project starts until its completion.
PRINCE2®, What is it?
PRINCE2® or Projects in Controlled Environments is a process based approach focuses on the entire development of the project from the moment it started until its end and the goals are being attained. PRINCE2® has a specific structure, time frames and thoroughly planned before its implementation. This project management methodology revolves in seven principles which are strictly to be followed otherwise; the entire project is bound to fail.
First, the project must have a clear definition. It should have a clear purpose, realistic goals to meet and detailed cost-assessment plan. It gives direction to the whole project as to where it is going to lead.
Second, the team members are expected to learn in every stage of the process and these lessons are written down for future use. These will become a reminder on how to deal with the unexpected issues just in case it arises again.
Third, the responsibilities are well- distributed and each member is expected to perform the task given to them at their utmost level. They should be dependable enough to do the job even with minimal supervision.
Fourth, the entire process has significant stages to be followed. These stages may or may not have sub-domains.
Fifth, just in case the project manager was not able to handle or things are out of his control anymore, the project board is expected to convene and decide for the whole group.
Sixth, the quality of the product is being checked from time to time. This ensures that the product was well-kept until its delivery.
Lastly, PRINCE2® may be adjusted whenever there is a need. This methodology may be modified based on the size of the project, the available resources, and the number of parties to be involved in the process.
The Pros and Cons of Management Methodology :
One of the advantages of using PRINCE2® in project management is that its extensive documentation of the whole process helps with performance appraisals, corporate planning and risks mitigation. This project management methodology helps to coordinate different related tasks to be managed easily. This helps the entire team to stay on focus while doing the job. The main reason that everything is documented, these can be used to improve, modify or standardized such processes. However, since that this methodology is a process-based, it may not be able enough to be adjusted, especially when used in software industry. More so, if there are changes, the project team may find it difficult to adjust because they are accustomed to one field of work.
Conclusion :
Project management is about identifying the tasks to be given and maximizing the time and resources available for the team to utilize. There are different types of project management approaches to be applied depending on the project scope and requirements. The project manager is advised to have a thorough research on these methodologies before applying it.
PRINCE2 is a registered Trade Mark of AXELOS Limited.
No Comments