project management methodology guidebook

Project Management Methodologies and Frameworks Every Project Manager Should Know

You might find yourself drowning in information, tools, and processes as a project manager. To stay afloat and thrive, you must choose the right project management methodologies and frameworks that suit your team and project needs.

Many different project management methodologies are available and deciding which one is right for you can be challenging. This article provides an overview of the most popular frameworks to get you started.

What is a Project Management Methodology?

A project management methodology is a set of principles, processes, guidelines, and tools that help to plan, manage, and control a project. The methodology helps to ensure that a project is on schedule, within budget, and that the project goals are met.

A project team or an organization uses a management framework to execute a project. The information generated is usually documented and shared with others. Recording the information is essential as it will help others understand the project requirements and responsibilities.

While most project management methodologies take a standardized approach, some are for specific purposes, i.e., manufacturing or software development.

Project Management Framework vs. Methodology

The terms framework and methodology are often used interchangeably in project management. However, there is a slight yet distinguishable difference between the two approaches.

A framework provides more flexibility and freedom. You can adopt new rules and change or remove existing ones as necessary. As such, a framework provides the structure and direction needed for a project without being too rigid or detailed.

On the other hand, a methodology is a set of principles and processes that guides the management of a project. It is a formal approach that is strictly defined and generally adheres to a strict code complete with steps and rules.

Another way to understand the two approaches is that most of the time, methodologies are for implementing ideas and values, while a framework provides a step-by-step guide to attain that idea or manage that project.

Project Life Cycle Processes

A project management framework includes the whole project management life cycle, which will guide you from the beginning to the end. In a project management life cycle , there are five steps:

• Initiation : The beginning stage of the project, where the main focus is to narrow down the required key components to kickstart the project. Teams get together to research, brainstorm and conduct analysis and stakeholder mapping/interviews to gather information.
• Planning : Here, the teams and members working on the project are identified along with activities, milestones, risks, management structure, and success benchmarks.
• Execution : During this stage, the project kickstarts and is implemented.
• Management/Monitoring : At each milestone, the progress will be monitored, documented, and reported. Key progress and outputs will be shared with stakeholders as well.
• Review/Closing : This stage marks the end of the project. Project leaders and team members will review and analyze how the project progressed and setbacks to identify future improvements. Updates or replacements will be scheduled if necessary before wrapping up.

5 Key Project Management Methodologies and Frameworks

1. waterfall framework.

The Waterfall Framework is a linear approach that first gathers stakeholder and customer requirements before creating a sequential project plan to address the identified requirements. Consisting of five main stages, each stage is completed before progressing to the next–similar to a cascading waterfall.

The main stages of the waterfall framework are:

• Requirements : needs and requirements of the business/project are identified, analyzed, and documented.
• Design : possible solutions are explored before a detailed plan is made to achieve the goals.
• Implementation : the project plan and activities are set in motion along with progress measurements.
• Verification/Control : the product is reviewed, and the project plan is compared with the performance to address issues.
• Maintenance/Closure : the end result is shared with clients for feedback and final fixes. Approval is obtained before the project is closed.
• As project and client requirements are identified and agreed in the very first stage, it sets clear client expectations that are easier to plan.
• Extensive documentation ensures that each activity and task is well documented and that no knowledge is lost.
• The project schedule is laid out at the beginning stages. As such, project costs, deadlines, and other resources can be estimated accurately.
• Easier to measure and understand as you progress through each milestone one after the other.

Disadvantages

• Identifying all client/customer requirements at the very beginning is difficult.
• Changes to the product at the end stages are costly and difficult if the customer is unsatisfied.
• Lack of flexibility due to the linear nature of the framework, which provides minimal room for change and adaptation in case of unexpected events.

2. Lean Methodology

Lean methodology originated in the 1950s in Toyota and currently focuses on eliminating waste, maximizing value, and improving efficiencies. Many organizations have opted to adopt the Lean Framework as it can be applied to any business, regardless of size, to achieve objectives in a sustainable manner.

The two main guiding concepts in Lean are respect for people and continuous improvement. Accordingly, necessary training and tools are provided, constant improvement is encouraged, and management takes on a more active role in understanding and meeting the needs of employees to initiate better work performance.

Besides the above two concepts, lean has five core principles that support the methodology:

• Value : customer defines the value of the product offered.
• Value stream : a clear and in-depth understanding of the product’s life cycle from research to development. Each step of the value chain is analyzed to identify waste areas and improvements.
• Flow : every process should be in sync with one another, and the value stream should flow seamlessly.
• Pull : ensures that products are made only when required, leading to shorter delivery cycles and increased flexibility.
• Perfection : always strive for perfection by uncovering quality or waste issues and applying strict measures to address inefficiencies.
• The quality of products is high due to the constant attention to value.
• Reduced costs and increased profits as Lean focuses on providing value and minimizing waste.
• Improved customer relations as the focus is to deliver what the customer requires.
• Regular communications among employees, stakeholders and management pave the way for better decision-making.
• Emphasis on constant improvement leads to continuous learning opportunities.
• Organizations may focus too much on Lean principles that they lose sight of the bigger picture leading to a lack of strategy.
• If there are bottlenecks or resource issues, delivery can be delayed leading to unsatisfied customers.

3. Agile Methodology

Agile is often used in the software industry, though it has spilled into others recently due to its adaptability. It is an iterative approach that promotes collaboration among team members, emphasizing adaptive planning and early delivery of functional products. In an Agile project, development work is carried out in short-term periods called sprints, and the management focuses on continuous improvement throughout the project’s life cycle.

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Popular frameowkrs such as Scrum and Kanban stem from Agile, which acts as an umbrella term that encompasses several different frameworks. To learn more about Scrum and Kanban, check out The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Scrum and How to Better Manage Your Projects with Kanban Boards .

The Agile Manifesto highlights four core principles that are the building blocks of any agile approach. They are:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
• Agile promotes smaller teams, making it easier to keep up the pace and quickly adapt to necessary changes, leading to faster response times and ample flexibility.
• Faster turnaround times due to the ability to quickly detect and provide solutions to issues.
• Low wastage and costs as tasks are always up-to-date with constant feedback and follow-ups, allowing developers to experiment and test ideas.
• Agile is practiced by many and has a considerable following. Therefore, you can always reach out for help and share knowledge with others if you run into trouble.
• Difficult to measure the progress as it is estimated across several cycles, which may take time.
• Documentation is not given prominence, leading to misunderstandings and difficulty for newer members to be up-to-date.
• At times, there is no clear end date; therefore, the overall project may seem to go on forever. This can also lead to scope changes beyond what was initially agreed (scope creep).
• Due to the short cycle times, the design thinking process may be stinted, leading to a lack of cohesion and fragmentation.
• Teams may tend to avoid key features that may take too long to deliver.
• The need for constant communication can take a toll on team members who have to spend extra energy and time.

4. Critical Chain Project Management Framework

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is a project management framework that helps the planning and managing of projects by monitoring the resources required to execute the project tasks. The framework helps project managers to deliver projects in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Buffers are safety margins that ensure all tasks are completed within schedule. CCPM identifies strategic points in the project and inserts buffers to ensure that project milestones are met on time, regardless of constraints or uncertainties. There are several types of buffers used in CCPM.

• Project buffers : this is positioned between the completion date of the project and the last task allowing team members to catch up on any outstanding tasks or delays.
• Feeding buffers : this is positioned between the non-critical chain and the critical chain to prevent delays.
• Resource buffers : resources that are kept aside in case of extra support in terms of resources are required.
• Team members tend to be more efficient and pace themselves rather than working more as the deadline approaches.
• Work is scheduled around resource availability, thereby optimizing resource utilization.
• The insertion of various buffers to address issues on time.
• The minimum time required to finish the project is taken into consideration.
• Major planning packages do not often support the framework.
• If the team does not understand the endpoint, many losses and setbacks could occur.

5. PRINCE2 Framework

PRINCE stands for “Projects In Controlled Environments” and is a process-based framework focused on organization and control. The framework started as PRINCE with a particular focus on the IT industry before expanding into others.

PRINCE2 details what each step of the project should look like, deliverables, roles, and responsibilities, and also structure each stage of the project with no loose ends at the point of completion.

• PRINCE2 is a good beginner framework to start project management as it has a defined process with clear steps.
• Due to the detailed and step-by-step guide provided, PRINCE2 is relatively easy to understand and follow. Furthermore, the ability to divide the project into manageable stages is helpful in managing the project.
• PRINCE2 is flexible in nature and can be easily adapted to suit different projects.
• Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, which improves accountability.
• Lessons learned can be tracked and updated for future reference and improvements.
• PRINCE2 is not ideal for projects in fast-changing environments (i.e., technology-driven) due to the extensive documentation required.
• Requires the buy-in of the senior management for success.
• Requires experience to be managed and delivered successfully.

Key Steps to Follow when Selecting a Methodology or Framework

1. assess the project in terms of size and scope.

Size and scope play a significant role when selecting a suitable project methodology or framework. Some projects may be small, requiring a team of no more than 3-4 people and a short period. In contrast, others would be large, with multiple teams working together for several years.

Larger projects with several cross-functional teams and extended time frames would benefit from adaptive project management frameworks such as agile. In comparison, smaller projects that are less complex would do well with methodologies such as waterfall.

2. Look into the available project management methodologies and frameworks

Once the project scope and size are determined, look into the available methodologies and frameworks. Compare notes, and weigh the pros and cons as to which one would suit your requirements the best while minimizing risks.

3. Obtaining the acceptance and buy-in of your team

Reach out to your team to see their reaction and input. Make sure you listen to their viewpoints and present your side accordingly to obtain their buy-in. Otherwise, conflicts and challenges may hinder the project’s smooth progress.

4. Confirm the selection

Before starting the project, re-confirm the feasibility of your selection by comparing and assessing the success rate of projects delivered using the same framework.

5. Obtain feedback and conduct self-assessments

As the project progresses, ask for feedback from your colleagues regarding the processes followed. Furthermore, make sure to conduct self-assessments to see if the methodology or framework is proceeding according to your expectations and whether it allows you to manage your team successfully.

Tools and Techniques for Project Management Methodologies and Frameworks

There are several tools and techniques relevant to project management methodologies and frameworks. While some specific tools and techniques are similar across multiple frameworks, there are some that may differ. Below are a few commonly used tools and techniques.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Work breakdown structure Software can be used to break down the larger deliverables of your project into manageable smaller tasks. This is a productivity technique that uses a step-by-step approach to project management.

Gantt Chart

Gantt chart maker is ideal for tracking tasks' start and end dates and milestones. It helps teams to plan their work and jobs to meet deadlines and allocate resources accordingly.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. For each project, the SWOT identifies the internal (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external (Opportunities and Threats) drivers affecting your ability to meet the goal. For example, suppose your organization is well known for its expertise in customer service. In that case, improving customer service will be a competitive advantage and a meaningful driver for meeting your goals.

RACI Matrix

RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. RACI matrix template is used to describe the roles and responsibilities of team members in a project.

Stakeholder Map

The stakeholder map is a tool to help you understand who your stakeholders are and their needs. Using this tool, you can map stakeholders according to their importance and potential impact on the project.

Decision Tree

A decision tree is used for effective decision-making and predicting potential outcomes when multiple courses of action exist. It allows the team to explore options and outcomes to understand the risks and rewards associated with each possible course of action. Use decision tree diagram maker to create effective decision trees faster.

Creately for Project Management

Creately has many tools to make your journey effortless and successful regardless of the type of project methodology or framework you decide to follow.

• Powerful documentation capabilities include doc blocks and attachments and image attachments to create reports and presentations.
• Built-in project management tools including Kanban boards, timelines, multi-role workflows, visual prioritization tools to enable any kind of workflow.
• Whiteboard and freehand drawing capabilities to brainstorm and discuss with colleagues and peers.
• Multiple templates and shapes to prepare project plans and schedules, Gantt charts, roadmaps, and other formats necessary for project management documentation and tracking.
• Multiple access and role levels to manage, share, edit and review, along with multiplayer editing capabilities to collaborate in real-time.
• Comment on anything, with context. Full comment threads and discussions for async collaboration.
• Data, note, and task panels to house information, assign roles and responsibilities, feed in information, and track the progress of activities.
• Integration with other platforms with 2-way syncing to manage data efficiently.
• Spotlight and presentation mode to conduct interactive and dynamic presentations right on the canvas.

Start your project management journey with Creately today!

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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The Complete Guide to Project Management

Get more projects across the finish line (with less stress)

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What is project management? Project management is the coordination of your processes, tools, team members, and skills so you can deliver projects that exceed your goals.

You and your team are getting ready to conquer a major project. It’s like a long stack of dominoes — it’s so cool when it works, but a big ol’ disappointment if a single piece is even slightly out of place. 

These types of projects can be both daunting and exciting, and you might be tempted to start as soon as possible. Do you cross your fingers that everything magically falls into place? Rub a lamp and hope a wish-granting genie arrives to lend a helping hand? 

Those would be nice (and let us know if you find a way to make them work!). But, in reality, the secret to success for your big, hairy projects is effective project management.

What is project management, and why is it important?

Project management is the practice of coordinating processes, tools, team members, and skills to deliver projects that meet goals and satisfy requirements.

It empowers your team to complete projects by rallying them around clear objectives, increasing transparency and visibility, streamlining communication, and establishing the project scope. Need more convincing? Consider that  Project overruns are frighteningly common. In the IT industry alone, McKinsey found that on average, large IT projects run 45% over budget and 7% over time. 

Project management methodologies

Have you heard that old adage “more than one way to cook an egg”? There’s no one strategy for completing a kick-ass project. That’s where a project management methodology comes into play. It’s a set of rules, principles, and processes for managing a project.

Methodologies might sound formal, but you have some room to innovate here! It’s important to note that many teams and companies use a combination, rather than relying exclusively on one. Regardless of which approach you choose, it should help promote a strong culture of transparency .

1. Waterfall project management

When you think of traditional, sequential project management, you’re picturing waterfall project management . With this method, you break your project into different phases. When one phase ends, the next one begins — there’s no overlap between them. 

When to use : For long projects that require a single timeline and a sequential order.

Commonly used in : Construction. Building a house or structure requires a successive order. You can’t put on a roof before you’ve poured a foundation, for example. 

2. Agile project management

Agile project management is an iterative approach and is much more flexible than waterfall project management. It's a DevOps best practice that breaks projects into chunks that are tackled in short bursts (called sprints). After each sprint, your team reevaluates the work you’re doing to make any necessary changes and ensure you’re staying on target.

Scrum project management is one of the most popular Agile  methodologies used by project managers. Like Agile, scrum is centered around continuous improvement . You can use a framework like scrum to help you start thinking in a more Agile way and practice building Agile principles into your everyday communication and work.

When to use:  For projects that aren’t yet well-defined and require a lot of adaptability. 

Commonly used in : Software development. This profession pioneered agile, and this approach allows developers to build higher-quality software because they’re able to test and review at regular intervals.

3. Lean project management

If you’ve heard of lean manufacturing, those same principles apply to lean project management . The goal of this methodology is to increase output and value while reducing waste. To use it, you’ll need to map a value stream, which is the sequence of project activities. Then, you take a magnifying glass to that stream to identify and eliminate work that doesn’t add value. This means your project process will be as streamlined, optimized, and efficient as possible.

Kanban is a specific implementation of Lean project management. Project tasks are represented visually on a Kanban board , allowing team members to see the state of every piece of work at any time.

When to use : For projects that need to be delivered quickly. 

Commonly used in : Manufacturing. When you’re producing physical goods, you want as little waste as possible to minimize spend and maximize profit. That’s why this approach is popular in manufacturing, especially in the automotive industry .

The 5 stages of the project management process

Imagine that you’re starting a project from the very beginning. Project management doesn’t come into play only when you actually start checking off tasks — you need to lay the groundwork first.

With that in mind, the Project Management Institute (PMI) established five distinct stages of project management .

Stage #1: Initiating

Think the first step of the project management process is planning? Not quite. Before you can map out a strategy for your project, you need to get stakeholder buy-in. This is where a project charter comes in to outline the business objective of your project for approval. We recommend using a project poster instead, as a more digestible format that’s faster and easier to read. In this stage, you should answer questions like:

• What’s the business case for this project? Our strategic plan template can help!
• Is this project feasible?
• Should we pursue this project?

To put it simply, in this stage you’re trying to decide if this project is even worth tackling before you invest too much elbow grease. 

A great way to help facilitate this discussion is a premortem , a thought exercise in which you imagine what could go wrong and decide how to prevent it.

Stage #2: Planning

If you decide to move forward, you’ll next head into the planning stage. This is where you’ll develop a detailed project plan that your entire team will follow––and thank you for! Planning is essential for avoiding scope creep . Our to-do list template can help! . Questions to answer in this stage include:

• What is the goal of this project?
• What are the key performance indicators (KPIs)?
• What is the scope?
• What is the budget?
• What are the risks?
• What team members are involved?
• What tasks are involved?
• What milestones need to be met? 

This step is to ensure you and your team all have shared expectations before you get started. If you think you’re getting too caught up in the minutiae, you aren’t. And strategic planning frameworks can help!

Stage #3: Executing

Grab your coffee and get your power cable, because it’s go-time. This is where you and your team will roll up your sleeves and start conquering project tasks with your project plan as your guide. In the execution stage , you’ll need to: 

• Allocate necessary resources
• Ensure assignees carry out their tasks
• Host status meetings
• Set up tracking systems

The bulk of the work happens in this stage, and it’s also where you’ll start to see your project really coming together. See? All that planning was worth it.

Stage #4: Monitoring

Just because you have a project plan doesn’t mean things will run smoothly on their own. It’s like setting a budget for yourself — having the budget doesn’t do anything if you don’t keep a close eye on how you’re managing your money. 

That’s why you need to monitor project progress to ensure things stay on track. You should evaluate your project against the KPIs you established in the planning stage.

What should you do if your project feels like it’s strayed from the path or fallen prey to scope creep? Take a moment to reevaluate. You can decide if you need to realign things, or if your original plan needs to shift. That’s the great thing about monitoring — you have regular checkpoints to course correct.

Stage #5: Closing

The closing stage is about wrapping up loose ends. This includes:

• Hosting a postmortem or retrospective to evaluate the project
• Preparing a final project report
• Collecting and storing necessary project documentation somewhere safe. A collaborative documentation space like Confluence is great for this, by the way.

Not only does this give your team the chance to officially wash their hands of the project, but it also makes it easier to refer back to it when necessary.

7 Tips for successful project management

Even if you follow all of the above steps, effective project management isn’t a set-and-forget scenario. There are a few other best practices you’ll want to implement to help your project run as smoothly as possible.

Host a project kickoff meeting

Your project kickoff meeting is when you’ll establish goals, break down your timeline , and generally get everybody on the same page about your project. Our team meeting agenda template can help!

Regardless of how excited your team is to get to work, don’t skip this sitdown. You’ll proactively clear up confusion and rally your team around a shared goal.

Be mindful of task and resource dependencies

Remember when we talked about projects that feel like a string of teetering dominoes? That’s especially true for large, cross-functional projects. Maybe Daisy can’t start creating graphics until Joel has drafted the content (that’s a task dependency). Or maybe Choua can’t use a piece of software while Derek is using the shared license (that’s a resource dependency).

Your project tasks don’t happen in a vacuum, so it’s important that you account for these dependencies using a Gantt chart template . 

When all of your tasks and resources are connected, you need to understand how they fit together, or you run the risk of watching in horror as your whole line of dominoes comes toppling down.

Identify your critical path

Identifying your critical path is a great way to prevent schedule overruns. While it might sound like something out of an action movie, your critical path is just your longest string of dependent project activities. If you hit a snag or delay on that path, you know the whole project is at risk of coming in late. 

Finding your critical path allows you to know where you have some wiggle room in your schedule, and where you need to stick as close to your timeline as possible.

Be realistic with your timeline

It’s common to underestimate the time it takes us to complete tasks, and it can be a real detriment to your project timeline.

Keep yourself in check by referring back to timelines for previous projects. Consult your time-tracking software (if you have it) to see how long typical tasks take, and ask your team to gut check their schedules.

Use project management software

If your team members need to dig through endless email threads or folders to find what they need, your project is bound to drag behind. 

That’s why it’s helpful to use project management software (like Jira ) to store your documentation and organize your project in a knowledge management software (like Confluence ). It increases visibility into all project steps and tasks, centralizes communication, and gives your project team one single source of truth .

Establish clear roles and responsibilities

To get the best output from your team, people need to know exactly why they’re involved. What is their role and what are they expected to contribute? 

Not only does this instill a sense of purpose and accountability in your project team members, but it also prevents them from stepping on each other’s toes and allows you to play to everyone’s strengths. A RACI   framework is a popular way to assign roles and responsibilities . The acronym RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. Confluence slightly tweaks this framework, calling it DACI , with “D” standing for “driver.”

Make it a collaborative process

Managing a project can be stressful, and you don’t have to do it all alone. Your team will have a lot of great insight into your project plan , including if your timeline is realistic or if you’re forgetting about dependencies.  Team brainstorming is a great way to share and hash out ideas. Here are some tips for running an effective brainstorming session .

Even if you’re part of a hybrid or remote team , resist the temptation to plan projects in isolation. Involve your team to hash out a more reasonable plan and boost their sense of ownership over the project. Our brainstorming template can help!

Key members of a project team

Every project must begin by identifying r oles and responsibilities . Knowing your role upfront sets everyone up for success in staying on track to meet project deadlines. Potential project roles include:

• Project manager : Person who oversees the entire project and is responsible for the project’s success.
• Project sponsor : Senior manager who champions the project and works closely with the project manager.
• Team member : People who actively work on the project tasks.
• Supplier : People who provide goods or services for a project.
• Primary stakeholders : People who actually do the work and are actively involved in the project.
• Secondary stakeholders : People who might come to meetings and play a small part but aren’t key decision-makers in the project.
• Interested stakeholders : People who are in the loop on the project but don’t play an active part or have a lot of influence.
• Client : Person who receives the final project, if it’s a client-facing project rather than an internal one. 

What to look for when evaluating project management software

Choosing the right project management software can be tricky. To ensure your team gets the most out of its project management tool, we recommend that you look for a solution that offers the following capabilities:

• Create a shared calendar to track project milestones and deadlines
• Share files and documents for easy access and collaboration
• Create task lists and assign tasks to team members
• Track project progress and generate reports
• Facilitate and streamline communication between team members and stakeholders
• Estimate project duration and budget
• Allow team members to comment on tasks and provide feedback
• Generate automated reminders and notifications
• Set up project templates to streamline project creation
• Manage resources and workloads
• Track issues and risks
• Manage change requests
• Create detailed reports
• Monitor project performance

Why use Confluence for project management

Confluence sets itself apart as a collaborative knowledge hub to supercharge project management with thousands of templates , plays , and integrations for maximum flexibility and scale.

Consolidate tools and centralize work

With Confluence you have knowledge, task, and project management combined with team collaboration. Embed a Trello board for Kanban-style project management, like Sprout Social . Or, integrate Confluence with Jira  for an Agile approach to project management, like Castlight Health . Jira makes it easy to plan, track, and manage your projects, while Confluence boosts transparency and centralizes your project-related conversations and resources. 

Scale with team and company growth

Confluence is designed to enable project management for technical teams and business teams, as well as for small businesses , remote teams , and enterprise-scale companies . Scale with unlimited instances to provide organizational autonomy, segregate data for security reasons, or customize environments. Confluence also has the security, compliance, performance, and reliability needed to support enterprises, including guaranteed SLA uptimes; data residency in US, EU, Australia, or Germany; and certifications with GDPR, SOC2, and more.

Secure and protect work and knowledge

What happens when a teammates leave your company, does their work leave too? Confluence protects project work from being lost, even if teammates leave a company. You can create permissions, set controls, and assign admins roles.

Analyze and optimize performance

You can’t manage what you can’t measure, right? In combination with Jira , you can track progress, monitor activities, and generate reports to help optimize project processes and workflows.

Project management is the engine powering team productivity. But not all project management solutions are created equal. Find out why more than 85,000 companies use Confluence.

Project management templates

Persona template.

The Persona template helps you create detailed profiles of target customers for marketing and product development, complete with persona names, goals, challenges, and information sources.

Customer journey mapping template

Use this template to understand your customer’s experience with your product, including their emotions and pain points.

Disruptive brainstorming template

This Confluence template will help your teeam generate fresh ideas.

DACI template

Use this DACI template to define each person's role in the decision-making process and make the right call sooner.

Project poster template

If project briefs and project charters aren’t your cup of tea, try this template for a project poster instead.

Key benefits of project management

1. improve collaboration.

We know we need to work with others to meet our goals, yet effective collaboration doesn’t come easy for most of us. There are varying communication styles, different approaches to organization, and so many other factors that make collaboration challenging. 

Project management software gives teams greater visibility into what their colleagues are working on, what deadlines are set, how individual tasks fit into the overall project process, and more. All of this contributes to the greatest benefit of project management software: better and easier project collaboration.

2. Centralize communication

Your team is struggling to communicate with disorganized email threads, direct instant message pings, and comments that get lost in the shuffle. 

That’s bad news (and a big time-waster) for your projects. When team members have too many places to check for information, wires are crossed, deadlines are missed, tasks are forgotten, and confusion builds. 

Project management software keeps all of your communication — from timelines and status updates to feedback and questions — in one single place that’s easily accessible to everyone. This breaks down silos so that everybody can not only share knowledge, but effectively manage how and where they share it. 

3. Streamline task management

For your projects to be delivered successfully, team members need to know which tasks they’re responsible for and when they need to have them completed.

Unclear responsibilities and directions from managers are a big piece of that; working within numerous apps and tools only adds to the mayhem. 

If a team member is assigned a task in one tool but they spend more of their time in another platform, they’ll miss that important notification. Managing your projects in one piece of software patches those holes and also breaks your biggest most overwhelming projects into individual steps and action items. 

From there, you can assign those tasks to the correct team members with a deadline so they’re aggregated in one place, and people will get notified of their new to-dos.

4. Create a single source of truth

Your project management software will be your repository of project-related information. Documents, assets, updates, timelines, meeting notes, and everything else should be stored in your software. (Here’s a handy template for meeting notes to keep track!) Doing so ensures it’s accessible, organized, and searchable. Team members can find what they need without wasting a ton of time digging for the truth. 

5. Boost efficiency

Add all of the above benefits together, and you get the best benefit of all: your team can move work forward faster. A lot faster. 

With project management software in place, your team is communicating well. They know what’s expected of them and what they should get started on next. They can easily locate the information they need.

Working together like a well-oiled machine significantly cuts down on lost time. The  Jira project management template helps teams get started faster with tried-and-tested workflows, instead of starting a blank page every time they need to create a new project. 

Now, work no longer drags on and on because your team is equipped with the resources they need to crank out high-quality results at an impressive pace.

6. Track progress

You don’t want to deliver just any project. You want to deliver a project that stays under your budget, honors your timeline, and meets its original goals.

Those important elements are easy to lose track of when you’re up to your eyeballs in project work, and it’s a slippery slope. If you don’t keep a close eye on those limitations and expectations, you’ll struggle with schedule, budget overruns, and wasted effort when team members need to re-do work to get the project back on track.

Project management software organizes your work so it’s simpler to track things like your spend and deadlines. Additionally, you can generate reports to monitor progress as you move forward — rather than realizing too late that you’ve missed the mark.

Why use Jira for project management

Jira  helps teams successfully plan, track, and deliver top-quality products supported by specialized project management apps for Jira .

Centralized reporting

Jira brings all your project data together, allowing you to effortlessly track task completion, identify bottlenecks, and make decisions with confidence.

Real-time updates

Everyone stays in the loop with Jira’s instant updates, ensuring quick reactions and consistent project alignment.

No-code automation

Jira cuts the hassle with simple no-code automation, saving time on repetitive tasks and letting you focus on what matters.

Manage projects with confidence

Steer teams of all sizes toward success and achieve objectives confidently with Jira.

Offering tailored solutions for nonprofits and small businesses

Related resources

• Project Management Resources
• Project Initiation Resources

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Project poster template.

A collaborative one-pager that keeps your project team and stakeholders aligned

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Define, scope, and plan milestones for your next project

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• Project management methodologies: 12 po ...

Project management methodologies: 12 popular frameworks

Project management is an ever-evolving field that requires a number of approaches to be successful. Learning the most popular project management methodologies can help you become an industry expert. 

In order to be the best possible project manager , learn about each of these 12 frameworks to find the one that best fits your team’s needs. 

12 project management frameworks

What it is: The Agile project management methodology is one of the most common project management processes. But the reality is that Agile isn’t technically a methodology. Instead, it’s best defined as a project management principle. 

The basis of an Agile approach is:

Collaborative

Fast and effective

Iterative and data-backed

Values individuals over processes

When it comes to putting the Agile manifesto in place, teams often choose specific methodologies to use alongside Agile. These could include Scrum, Kanban, extreme programming, crystal, or even Scrumban . That's because connecting Agile methodology with a more detailed approach produces a well-rounded project management philosophy and a tangible plan for delivering great work. 

Who should use it: The Agile framework can be used for just about any team. This is because the principle behind it is rather universal. The real trick is deciding which methodology to use with it.

2. Waterfall

What it is: The waterfall model is also a very popular framework. But unlike Agile, waterfall is an actual methodology that is rather straightforward. The waterfall methodology , also known as software development life cycle (SDLC), is a linear process in which work cascades down (similar to a waterfall) and is organized in sequential order. 

To achieve this approach, each work task is connected by a dependency. This means each task must be completed before the next task can be started. Not only does this ensure that work stays on track, but it also fosters clear communication throughout the process. 

While viewed as a traditional approach by some modern organizations, this method is good for creating a predictable and thoroughly planned-out project plan . 

Who should use it: Since the waterfall project management methodology is so detailed, it’s great for working on large projects with multiple different stakeholders. This is because there are clear steps throughout the project and dependencies that help track the work needed to reach goals. 

What it is: The Scrum methodology involves short “sprints” that are used to create a project cycle. These cycles span one to two weeks at a time and are organized with teams of 10 or less. This is different from the waterfall approach where individual tasks are broken down into dependencies.

Scum is unique for a variety of reasons, one being the use of a Scrum master. Or, in other words, a project manager that leads daily Scrum meetings, demos, sprints, and sprint retrospectives after each sprint is completed. These meetings aim to connect project stakeholders and ensure tasks are completed on time. 

While Scrum is technically a project management methodology in its own right, it’s most commonly associated with an Agile framework. This is because they share similar principles, such as collaboration and valuing individuals over processes. 

Who should use it: Teams that use an Agile approach should use, or at least try, the Scrum methodology as well. Since sprints are divided into small teams, this approach can work for both small and large teams. 

What it is: The Kanban methodology represents project backlogs using visual elements, specifically boards. This approach is used by Agile teams to better visualize workflows and project progress while decreasing the likelihood of bottlenecks. It’s also usually in the form of a software tool that allows you to change and drag boards seamlessly within projects, though it’s not a requirement. 

Since this method doesn’t have a defined process like others, many teams use it differently. The main concept to keep in mind is that Kanban aims to focus on the most important project tasks, keeping the overall framework simple.

Who should use it: Kanban boards are great for teams of all sizes and specifically remote-first teams. This is because the visual capabilities of Kanban boards help team members stay on track no matter where they are. 

5. Scrumban

What it is: As you may have guessed, Scrumban is a methodology that draws inspiration from both Scrum and Kanban frameworks. Some think of this as a hybrid approach that incorporates the best of each. 

Scrumban uses a similar sprint cycle as Scrum but allows individual tasks to be pulled into the plan like Kanban. This allows the most important work to be completed and keeps project plans simple. Scrumban also uses Scrum meetings to enhance collaboration and keep goals top of mind. 

Who should use it: If you like the idea of breaking down a project into smaller tasks, but likewise want to keep it visually simple, Scrumban might be for you. It’s the perfect intersection of simplicity and clarity.  

What it is: PRINCE2 , otherwise known as PR ojects IN C ontrolled E nvironments, uses the overarching waterfall methodology to define stages within a project. It was initially created by the UK government for IT projects and still primarily suits large IT initiatives over the traditional product or market-focused projects. 

There are seven main principles of PRINCE2, which include:

Starting a project

Directing a project

Initiating a project

Controlling a project

Managing product delivery

Managing a stage boundary

Closing a project

These seven principles create a thorough project process and make for an effective enterprise project methodology altogether. It aims to define roles and back management. Not only that, but PRINCE2 can be used to streamline a ton of individual project management tasks, like controlling a stage, managing product delivery, and initiating and closing a project. 

Who should use it: Due to the particular nature of the PRINCE2 project management methodology, it’s best suited for large enterprise projects with a number of project stakeholders . Using it for small projects may create a longer and more complicated process than necessary. 

7. Six Sigma

What it is: Unlike the other PM methodologies, Six Sigma is used for quality management and is frequently described as a philosophy rather than a traditional methodology. It is often paired with either a lean methodology or Agile framework, otherwise known as lean Six Sigma and Agile Six Sigma. 

The main purpose of Six Sigma is to continuously improve processes and eliminate defects. This is achieved through continuous improvements by field experts to sustain, define, and control processes. 

To take this method one step further, you can use a Six Sigma DMAIC process, which creates a phased approach. These phases include:

Define: Create a project scope , business case , and initial stand-up meeting.

Measure: Collect data that helps inform improvement needs.

Analyze: Identify the root causes of problems. 

Improve: Solve the root causes found.

Control: Work to sustain the solutions for future projects. 

Who should use it: Six Sigma is best for large organizations, usually those with a few hundred employees or more. This is when the need to eliminate project waste starts to have a larger impact on your organization. 

8. Critical path method (CPM)

What it is: The critical path method works to identify and schedule critical tasks within a project. This includes creating task dependencies, tracking project goals and progress, prioritizing deliverables , and managing due dates—all of which are similar to a work breakdown structure .

The objective of this methodology is to properly manage successful projects at scale so that milestones and deliverables are mapped correctly. 

Who should use it: The critical path method is best for small and mid-size projects and teams. This is because large projects require many deliverables with multiple stakeholders and the CPM isn’t built to manage complex projects. 

9. Critical chain project management (CCPM)

What it is: The critical chain project management framework is closely related to the critical path methodology but is even more detailed, making it one of the most comprehensive options. 

Along with implementing a work breakdown structure like CPM, CCPM includes specific time requirements for each task. This helps take task tracking one step further, making it clear when tasks are going over their allotted time. It also uses resource leveling which aims to resolve large workloads by distributing work across available resources. 

Not only do these help both productivity and efficiency, but they also help connect the work needed to be completed with project goals. Many project management tools even have visual elements to better visualize these goals, creating an organized road map for team members. 

Who should use it: CCPM is a great method for both small and large teams, but it mostly helps solve project efficiency problems . It can also be a great way to report work in progress to leadership. 

What it is: The lean project management methodology aims to cut waste and create a simple framework for project needs. This ultimately means doing more with less in order to maximize efficiency and teamwork. 

While reducing waste originally referred to a physical product (which dates back to the method used by Henry Ford and later by Toyota and Motorola), it now refers to wasteful practices. There are three Ms that represent this:

Muda (wastefulness): Practices that consume resources but don’t add value  

Mura (unevenness): Occurs through overproduction and leaves behind waste 

Muri (overburden): Occurs when there is too much strain on resources  

As a project manager, your job is to prevent the three Ms in order to better execute projects and streamline processes. This is similar to the approach of rational unified process (RUP), which also aims to reduce waste. The difference is that RUP aims to reduce development costs instead of wasteful practices. 

Who should use it: Since lean is all about reducing waste, it’s best suited for teams struggling with efficiency issues. While this will have a greater impact on large organizations, it can be helpful for project teams of all sizes. 

11. Project management institute’s PMBOK® Guide

What it is: While the PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge is associated as a project management methodology, it’s more closely related to a set of best practices that take into account various development processes. 

This framework focuses on implementing the five project management phases , all of which help easily manage a project from start to finish in a structured phase approach. The five phases include:

Project initiation

Project planning

Project executing

Project performance

Project closure

While this is a good foundation to keep in mind, the PMBOK® Guide isn’t necessarily as specific as other approaches. This means you’ll need to decide which tasks to complete in each phase. 

Who should use it: The PMBOK® Guide can be used on its own for small teams on standard projects, though it’s a good idea to pair it with a more detailed methodology (like CPM) for large teams handling complex projects. 

12. Extreme programming (XP)

What it is: As the name suggests, extreme programming is used for fast-paced projects with tight deadlines. The approach works by creating short development cycles with many releases. This makes for quick turnaround times and increased productivity . 

Extreme programming has a few core values, which include simplicity, communication, feedback, respect, and courage. It also includes a specific set of XP rules which includes all phases from planning to testing. 

Who should use it: Extreme programming can be used for individual projects with tight deadlines, most commonly with small to midsize teams. Since XP is a fast-paced method, it should be used lightly in order to prevent burnout . 

Choosing the right project management methodology for your team

There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to project management methodologies. Each one offers unique principles to take a development project from an initial plan to final execution. 

The main aspects to keep in mind are the size of your team and how your team prefers to work. Here are some additional tips to consider:

Your industry : Consider if you’re in an industry that changes frequently. For example, a technology company would be an industry that is ever-evolving. This will affect project consistency and should be paired with either a flexible or stagnant methodology. 

Your project focus : Consider the objectives of your projects . Do you value people over efficiency? This will help pair you with a methodology that matches a similar objective. 

The complexity of projects : Are your projects on the more complex side, or are they usually straightforward? Some methods aren’t as good as others at organizing complex tasks, such a CCPM.

The specialization of roles : Consider how niche the roles within your team are. Can multiple team members alternate the same type of work, or do you need a method that focuses on specialization?

Your organization’s size : The size of your organization and team should be weighed heavily when deciding on a methodology. Methods like Kanban are universal for team size, while options like CPM are better suited for small teams. 

Whether your team members prefer a visual process like Kanban or a more traditional project management approach like the waterfall method, there’s an option for every type of team. To take a project management methodology one step further, consider a work management tool to better track and execute development projects. 

Methods to manage your projects mindfully

With the right project management methodology in place, you’ll be able to take your projects to new levels of efficiency and implement processes that are right for your team, your organization, and yourself.

Related resources

Everything you need to know about requirements management

Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Adaptive Project Management and Reporting

How Asana drives impactful product launches in 3 steps

Waterfall, Agile, Kanban, and Scrum: What’s the difference?

The Ultimate Guide to Project Management Methodologies

Why Your Project Methodology Matters

Your project’s methodology is essentially the backbone of your entire project. It shapes how work is organized, how teams collaborate, and how you measure success. The wrong choice can create confusion, delays, and a drop in team morale. On the other hand, choosing the right methodology helps ensure that everyone is on the same page, deadlines are met, and the project is completed smoothly.

Understanding Different Methodologies

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to project management methodologies. The right choice depends on the nature of your project, your team, and your desired outcomes. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular options:

• Waterfall Methodology

The Waterfall methodology is one of the oldest and most traditional approaches. It follows a linear, step-by-step process, where one phase of the project is completed before the next begins. This structure makes Waterfall highly predictable and easy to manage for projects with clearly defined stages.

• Clear structure and timeline
• Easy to track progress
• Great for projects with fixed requirements
• Inflexible, making it difficult to adapt to changes
• Limited collaboration between teams during phases
• Delays in one phase can stall the entire project
• Agile Methodology

Agile is a flexible and iterative approach, focused on collaboration, customer feedback, and small, rapid releases. Unlike Waterfall, Agile encourages continuous testing and improvement throughout the project, allowing for adaptability and changes even later in development.

• Highly adaptable and responsive to change
• Encourages regular feedback and collaboration
• Great for projects with evolving requirements
• Can lead to scope creep without careful management
• Requires close collaboration, which may not work for all teams
• Harder to predict timelines and outcomes

Scrum is a subset of Agile, often used for complex projects where speed and flexibility are key. Work is divided into “sprints,” which are short, focused bursts typically lasting two to four weeks. After each sprint, teams reassess and adjust as needed before starting the next one.

• Encourages regular feedback and iteration
• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
• Short sprints ensure regular progress
• Requires high team involvement and commitment
• Can be challenging for larger teams or projects
• Requires strict discipline to avoid derailing sprints

Kanban, another Agile framework, focuses on visualizing tasks and limiting work in progress. Teams use a Kanban board to track progress and prioritize tasks. It’s all about maintaining a steady workflow and ensuring that bottlenecks are identified and addressed quickly.

• Clear visualization of tasks and progress
• Helps teams balance workload effectively
• Easy to implement and adopt
• Less structured than other methodologies
• May lack focus without clear deadlines
• Can be challenging to manage with larger teams

Lean project management is all about maximizing value while minimizing waste. It originated in manufacturing but has since been adapted for software development and other industries. Lean prioritizes continuous improvement and focuses on delivering value to the customer.

• Highly efficient, focusing on value over process
• Encourages continuous improvement
• Reduces unnecessary tasks or resources
• Can be difficult to implement without proper training
• Requires a strong culture of continuous improvement
• May overlook longer-term planning in favor of short-term gains

Six Sigma is a data-driven methodology focused on eliminating defects and improving quality. It’s highly structured and often used in industries where precision and quality control are critical, such as manufacturing or healthcare.

• Strong focus on quality and efficiency
• Uses data to drive decision-making
• Excellent for complex, process-driven industries
• Can be overly rigid for creative projects
• Requires specialized training and expertise
• Focus on process improvement may slow down innovation

Choosing the Right Methodology for Your Project

With so many methodologies to choose from, how do you know which one is right for your project? Here are a few factors to consider:

Project Scope and Complexity

For projects with clear, unchanging requirements, Waterfall might be ideal. But if your project is likely to evolve, an Agile or Scrum approach could offer the flexibility you need.

Team Dynamics

Does your team thrive on structure, or are they more comfortable with adaptability? For highly collaborative and cross-functional teams, Agile or Kanban could be a good fit. If your team needs clear, defined roles, Scrum or Waterfall might be better.

Industry Requirements

Some industries require a strong focus on quality and precision, making Six Sigma or Lean more suitable. Meanwhile, if you’re working in software development, Agile methodologies might be better suited to your needs.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the differences between project management methodologies is crucial for selecting the right one for your team. No matter what you choose, remember that it’s important to be flexible and willing to adjust your approach as needed. The best methodology is the one that helps you and your team deliver successful projects, time after time.

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Project Management Methodologies

Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Kanban and more. If you’re wondering which methodology you should choose, then you need to read this guide to project management methodologies.

Table of Contents

What is a project management methodology?

Why are there so many different types of project management methodologies, the project management process: how to choose the right project management methodology, 17 project management methodology examples and frameworks, choosing the right project management methodology.

Once you’ve decided you want to  become a project manager , the next step is to figure out which project management methodologies are right for you and your team.

The landscape of project management methodologies can seem a bit overwhelming.

Whether you have a formal project management certification or you’re learning to become a project manager from experience, there’s an absolute smorgasbord of project methodologies to choose from. And they often come with their own rules, lists, principles, and endless acronyms.

We believe that finding the right project management methodology to manage your work shouldn’t be rocket science. So we’ve compiled this list of different project management methodologies to help you figure out which methods, principles and approaches you can use for each team and project.

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A project management methodology is a set of principles and practices that guide you in organizing your projects to ensure their optimum performance.

Basically, it’s a framework that helps you to manage your project in the best way possible.

Project management is so important  to organizations and teams, but in order for it to be really effective, you need to make sure you’re correctly mapping your project management methodology to your team type, project, organization, and goals.

No two projects are exactly the same (even when you’re using handy features like project templates to replicate your past successes).

And when you factor in the different goals, KPIs and production methods of not only different types of teams but also different types of  industries , it makes sense that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing a project.

What works best for one type of team could be an absolute nightmare for another.

For example, many software developers started to find that traditional project management methods were hindering — rather than helping — their workflows and negatively affecting their performance and results.

As a result, software teams began to develop a new type of project management methodology, which was designed to address their particular concerns.

Before long, other teams and industries started to adapt those new project management methods to fit  their  unique needs and concerns. And on and on, with different project management methodologies being repurposed and adapted for different industries and tweaked to fit specific use cases.

What we’re left with is a ton of different project management methodologies to choose from. So how do you know which project management method (or methods, plural) is right for you and your team?

There are lots of factors that will impact which project management methodology is right for your project, team, and organization. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the key considerations that can help you decide:

Cost and budget: On a scale of $ to $$$, what sort of budget are you working with? Is there room for that to change if necessary, or is it essential that it stays within these predetermined limits?

Team size: How many people are involved? How many stakeholders? Is your team relatively compact and self-organizing, or more sprawling, with a need for more rigorous delegation?

Ability to take risks: Is this a huge project with a big impact that needs to be carefully managed in order to deliver Very Serious Results? Or is it a smaller-scale project with a bit more room to play around?

Flexibility: Is there room for the scope of the project to change during the process? What about the finished product?

Timeline: How much time is allotted to deliver on the brief? Do you need a quick turnaround, or is it more important that you have a beautifully finished result, no matter how long it takes?

Client/stakeholder collaboration: How involved does the client/stakeholder need — or want — to be in the process? How involved do you need — or want — them to be?

Waterfall methodology

Agile methodology

Scrum methodology

Kanban methodology

Scrumban methodology

eXtreme programming (XP) methodology

Adaptive project framework (APF) methodology

Lean methodology

Critical path method

Critical chain project management

New product introduction (NPI)

Package enabled reengineering (PER)

Outcome mapping

PMI’s PMBOK

PRINCE2 methodology

Rapid application development (RAD) methodology

We’ve compiled a list of 17 effective project management methodologies to help you get to grips with the basics. Let’s dive right in.

1. Waterfall methodology

The Waterfall method is a traditional approach to project management. In it, tasks and phases are completed in a linear, sequential manner, and each stage of the project must be completed before the next begins.

The stages of Waterfall project management generally follow this sequence:

Requirements

Construction

Deployment & maintenance

Progress flows in one direction, like a real waterfall.

Also like a real waterfall, though, this can quickly get dangerous. Since everything is mapped out at the beginning, there’s a lot of room for error if expectations don’t match up with reality. And there’s no going back to a previous stage once it’s completed (just imagine trying to swim against a waterfall — not fun).

Try this project management methodology if:

The end goal of your project is clearly defined — and isn’t going to change.

The stakeholders know exactly what they want (and it isn’t going to change).

Your project is consistent and predictable (i.e. isn’t going to change).

You’re working in a regulated industry that needs extensive project tracking or documentation.

You might need to bring new people into the project midway through and get them up to speed quickly.

This project management methodology might not be for you if:

Your project is liable to change.

You don’t have a full picture of all the requirements before you start.

You need to do continuous testing or adapt to feedback during the process.

2. Agile methodology

Agile project leaders help their team balance at the edge of chaos - some structure, but not too much; adequate documentation, but not too much; some up-front architecture work, but not too much. Finding these balance points is the art of agile leadership." ~ Jim Highsmith, author and software engineer

The agile project management methodology came from a growing dissatisfaction with the linear approach of traditional project management methodologies.

Frustrated with the limitations of project management methods that couldn’t adapt with a project as it progressed, the focus began to shift to more iterative models that allowed teams to revise their project as needed during the process instead of having to wait until the end to review and amend.

The concept of agile project management has gone on to spark several specific sub-frameworks and methodologies, such as scrum, kanban, and lean. But what do they all have in common? The key principles of agile project management methodologies are:

It’s collaborative.

It’s quick.

It’s open to data-driven change.

As such, agile project management methodologies usually involve short phases of work with frequent testing, reassessment, and adaptation throughout.

In many agile methods, all of the work to be done is added to a backlog that teams can work through in each phase or cycle, with project managers or product owners prioritizing the backlog so teams know what to focus on first.

You’re not sure at the outset what the solution will look like.

You need to work quickly, and it’s more important that you see speedy progress than perfect results.

Your stakeholders or client needs (or wants) to be involved at every stage.

This project management methodology isn’t for you if:

You need a lot of documentation (for example, if you’ll be bringing new people on-board during the project).

You need a predictable deliverable, and you need to be crystal clear about what that looks like from the outset.

Your project can’t afford to change during its course.

You don’t have self-motivated people.

You have strict deadlines or deliverables that you need to stay on top of.

The Best Agile Project Management Tools To Use In 2023 & Beyond

It does little good to adopt the Agile method while still using a software that bogs down or complicates your projects. The best agile project management software should go hand-in-hand with the Agile method and make these adaptations smooth, fast, and easy.

3. Scrum methodology

Scrum is a form of agile project management. You can think of it more like a framework than as a project management methodology in itself.

With Scrum, work is split into short cycles known as “sprints”, which usually last about 1-2 weeks. Work is taken from the backlog (see: Agile project management, above) for each sprint iteration,

Small teams are led by a Scrum Master (who is not the same as the  project manager ) for the duration of the sprint, after which they review their performance in a “sprint retrospective” and make any necessary changes before starting the next sprint.

You’re striving for continuous improvement.

You don’t have the full commitment from the team needed to make it work.

4. Kanban methodology

"Kanban is not a software development lifecycle methodology or an approach to project management. It requires that some process is already in place so that Kanban can be applied to incrementally change the underlying process." ~ David J. Anderson, Author and pioneer of the Kanban method

Kanban is another method within agile project management.

Originating from the manufacturing industry, the term “kanban” has evolved to denote a framework in which tasks are visually represented as they progress through columns on a  kanban board . Work is pulled from the predefined backlog on a continuous basis as the team has capacity and moved through the columns on the board, with each column representing a stage of the process.

Kanban is great for giving everyone an immediate visual overview of where each piece of work stands at any given time. (You can use kanban boards for everything from your  content marketing process  to  hiring and recruitment .)

It also helps you to see where bottlenecks are at risk of forming — if you notice one of your columns getting clogged, for example, you’ll know that that’s a stage of your process that needs to be examined.

When used as part of an agile project management methodology, it’s also common to implement work in progress (WIP) limits. Work in progress limits restrict the amount of tasks in play at any given time, meaning that you can only have a certain number of tasks in each column (or on the board overall).

This prevents your team from spreading their energy across too many tasks, and instead ensures that they can work more productively by focusing on each task individually.

You’re looking for a visual representation of your project’s progress.

You want at-a-glance status updates.

You want to encourage using WIP limits so your team can stay focused.

You prefer to work on a continuous “pull” basis.

Your process is super complex or has tons of stages.

You want a push system instead of a pull system.

Kanban board view

Use kanban boards in Teamwork.com to map out your workflow, quickly see the status of tasks, and automate your processes.

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5. Scrumban methodology

It’s the answer to the age-old question: what if scrum and kanban had a baby?

Scrumban is a hybrid agile project management methodology that has scrum’s nose and kanban’s eyes.

The main benefit of scrumban as a method is that instead of deciding which task from the backlog to work on in each sprint at the outset (like you would in a “traditional” scrum framework), scrumban allows teams to continuously “pull” from the backlog based on their capacity (like they would in a kanban framework).

And using work in progress limits (from kanban) during your sprint cycle (from scrum), you can keep a continuous flow while still incorporating project planning , reviews and retrospectives as needed.

You’ve ever looked at scrum and kanban and thought “I wish those two crazy kids would get together”.

You’ve ever looked wistfully out the window and thought, “Oh, scrum is scrum, and kanban is kanban, and never the twain shall meet”.

6. eXtreme programming (XP) methodology

The eXtreme Programming (XP) methodology is another form of agile project management that was designed for software developmen t.

It emphasizes teamwork and collaboration across managers, customers, and developers, with teams self-organizing. It has a  defined set of rules  that teams should follow, which are based on its five values: simplicity, communication (face to face is preferred), feedback, respect, and courage.

You want to foster teamwork and collaboration.

You have a small, co-located team.

You’re a rulebreaker.

Your team is spread across different places and time zones.

7. Adaptive project framework (APF) methodology

The adaptive project framework (APF) methodology, also known as adaptive project management (APM), is a type of agile project management methodology that was designed with the inevitability of change in mind.

The adaptive project framework knows that, as John Steinbeck might say, even the best-laid projects of mice and men often go awry. So the fundamental attribute of APF is that teams need to be able to adaptively respond to change.

That means that using adaptive project framework methods, teams must try to anticipate the risks and prepare for the unexpected in their project. They need to understand that key components are constantly in flux, and be able to constantly re-evaluate results and decisions with these moving parts in mind.

This requires lots of communication with all stakeholders and — like other agile project management methodologies — be able to work collaboratively.

You know your ultimate goals (in project management terms, you’ve outlined your Conditions of Satisfaction; or, in Beastie Boys terms, you’re clear about you’re clear about whatcha whatcha whatcha want).

You need predictability.

You don’t have the resources to handle the potential negatives of adaptability (e.g. scope creep, rework, misuse of time).

8. Lean methodology

Lean is another project management methodology that has its origins in manufacturing (and specifically the Toyota Production System). It’s all about applying lean principles to your project management methods to maximize value and minimize waste.

While this originally referred to reducing physical waste in the manufacturing process, it now refers to other wasteful practices in the project management process. These are known as the 3Ms: muda, mura, and muri.

Muda  (wastefulness) consumes resources without adding value for the customer.

Mura  (unevenness) occurs when you have overproduction in one area that throws all of your other areas out of whack, leaving you with too much inventory (wasteful!) or inefficient processes (also wasteful!).

Muri  (overburden) occurs when there is too much strain on resources such as equipment and people, which can often lead to breakdowns — in both machines and humans.

Using the key principles of lean, a project manager can reduce these types of waste to create more efficient workflows.

You’re looking for a set of principles that will help you cut the fat and optimize your flow.

You’re always trying to improve and add value for the customer.

You want to ultimately decrease costs.

You can’t afford to run into supply problems (e.g. you don’t have enough inventory in stock) or lose room for error (e.g. in the case of essential equipment failure).

You don’t have the budget to invest in it (while lean project management aims to reduce costs overall, it can be costly to implement).

You’re a raccoon and you love waste, actually.

9. Critical path method

A project without a critical path is like a ship without a rudder." ~ D. Meyer, Illinois Construction Law

The critical path method (also known as critical path analysis) is a way of identifying and scheduling all of the critical tasks that comprise your project, as well as their dependencies.

That means that you need to:

Identify all of the essential tasks you need to do to achieve your project goal

Estimate how much time each of those tasks will take (bearing in mind that certain tasks will need to be completed before others can be started)

Use all of that information to schedule the “critical path” you’ll need to take in order to get the project done as quickly as possible without missing any crucial steps.

The longest sequence of critical tasks becomes your critical path, and will define the timeframe for your project.

Along the path, you’ll have  milestones  to meet that will signal when one set of tasks (or phase) is over and you can move on to the next one.

There are lots of ways to visualize the critical path, depending on the complexity of your project, from flow graphs to Gantt charts .

Your project is large-scale and complex.

Your project has a lot of dependencies.

You’re looking for a visual way to map out the sequence of tasks.

You need to identify which tasks are the most important so you can better allocate your resources.

You have a strict plan and deadlines, with no room for silly business.

You love algorithms. Love ‘em!

You don’t need something with a lot of complexity.

You’re unsure about deadlines, timings, or durations.

Your project needs wiggle room to change.

10. Critical chain project management

Critical chain project management (or CCPM) takes the critical path method (CPM) one step further.

While the critical path method defines the length of time needed to get each critical activity done from the beginning of the project to the end, it can often be, well, unrealistic when the time comes to actually put it into practice.

Critical chain project management addresses those issues by allowing a bit more time for the human elements of your project — like delays and resourcing issues.

In critical chain project management, you have a few buffers built in that your critical chain can use without derailing everything else, so that your entire project doesn’t have to go off track just because life happens.

You like the sound of the critical path method, but you want something a little more realistic.

You were already overestimating task durations in CPM to allow for a buffer and you want more accurate data on how long the work is actually taking compared to your projections.

You think buffers are just a safety net for people who didn’t plan it right the first time.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

11. New product introduction (NPI)

New product introduction is a great project management methodology for when you want to, well, introduce a new product.

Also known as new product development (NPD), the new product introduction process covers everything you need to define, develop and launch a new (or improved) product.

The project follows a single product through the entire development process. This process involves multiple phases or a stage-gate process, which can vary from organization to organization, but usually include things like:

Defining the product spec and project scope

Evaluating the feasibility

Developing the prototype

Validating the prototype via testing and analysis

Manufacturing the product on a larger scale

Evaluating the product’s success in the market after launch

As the requirements for a successful new product introduction span a number of departments across an organization, from leadership to product managers to marketing and more, it requires a lot of cross-functional collaboration and communication.

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You’re bringing a new or improved product to market.

You’re focusing on a single product.

You want to foster key stakeholder and cross-functional alignment right from the beginning.

You’re not bringing a new or improved product to market.

You’re looking for a more agile approach to product development (as NPI is usually sequential rather than iterative).

12. Package enabled reengineering (PER)

Package enabled reengineering (PER) is a project management methodology that aims to help organizations redesign products or processes with fresh eyes. It focuses on facilitating business transformations quickly and strategically, whether through redesign of processes or realignment of people.

Your organization needs an overhaul.

You need a fresh perspective on your products or processes.

You’re not trying to improve an existing system.

13. Outcome mapping

Outcome mapping is a project progress measurement system that was designed by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). It differs from the other project management methodologies on this list in that it doesn’t focus on measurable deliverables; instead, it focuses on creating lasting behavioural change.

It’s a common project management methodology used in charitable projects in developing countries. As a project management methodology, it’s less about the project itself than the long-term impact of the project and its ability to effect change in the community. As a result, it measures influence rather than other (perhaps more “typical”) measures of project progress.

Outcome mapping consists of a lengthy design phase followed by a record-keeping phase to track the results.

Your project is aimed at changing behaviour rather than producing deliverables.

Your project is related to change and social transformation (e.g. in the fields of international development, charity, communications, research).

Your project is all about finished products rather than behavioural outcomes.

14. Six Sigma

"Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can't measure something, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't control it. If you can't control it, you can't improve it." ~ H. James Harrington, author and management mentor

Six Sigma is a method for improving processes with an emphasis on ensuring consistency in output and impeccable quality. (And if it’s  good enough for Jack Donaghy… )

There are a few different flavors available, such as Lean Six Sigma and Agile Sigma, but ultimately Six Sigma is a business methodology that aims to eliminate defects and reduce variation by using its defined methodologies.

Six Sigma methods can be used to optimize and improve existing processes or create new ones.

To improve business processes, you can use the Six Sigma DMAIC process, which stands for the phases in the project methodology:  D efine,  M easure,  A nalyze,  I mprove,  C ontrol.

To create new processes or products, you can use the Six Sigma DMADV process:  D efine,  M easure,  A nalyze,  D esign,  V erify.

As a set of principles and techniques (sometimes it’s even described as a “philosophy”) rather than a project management methodology in itself, Six Sigma methods can be applied alongside many other project management methodologies, like Lean and Agile.

You’re looking for a set of principles and philosophies you can bring with you to almost every project and organization.

You don’t have a lot of budget to invest in training — it can be expensive to get trained and certified.

You’re looking for a defined process for a particular project rather than a set of guiding rules.

15. PMI’s PMBOK

The Project Management Institute’s Project Management Book of Knowledge (AKA the PMI’s PMBOK) isn’t a project management methodology in and of itself. However, it is a best practices guide — and it forms the basis of the PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, one of the leading project management qualifications.

As such, the PMBOK is an industry-standard set of guiding principles that you can use to ensure that your projects across multiple types of teams and organizations meet the PMI’s high standards and comply with best practices.

You have (or want to get) a PMP.

You want to stay up-to-date with industry standards and best practices.

You live and work in a place where the PMP is the standard project management qualification (such as the US).

You need a solid project management methodology to map your project, rather than general (albeit helpful) project management knowledge.

16. PRINCE2 methodology

PRINCE2 ( PR ojects  IN C ontrolled  E nvironments) is a project management methodology and certification that aims to equip project managers with knowledge of best practices and processes.

Unlike the PMP certification, it doesn’t require a number of prerequisites, making it a good choice for project managers looking to get both a methodological grounding and a qualification.

Also unlike the PMP, PRINCE2 is a methodology in itself. It’s guided by seven principles, which in turn dictate the seven processes a project manager needs to use in each project when using PRINCE2.

You’re looking for a certification to give you an edge.

You live and work in a place where PRINCE2 is the standard project management qualification (such as the UK).

You don’t want to commit to full certification.

The seven-step process doesn’t map to your projects.

You find yourself tailoring (or outright ignoring) the process stages so much that it becomes PINO — “PRINCE in name only”.

17. Rapid application development (RAD) methodology

Rapid application development (RAD) is a type of agile project management methodology that aims to facilitate faster software development .

It uses rapid prototype releases and iterations to gather feedback in a short period of time, and values that user feedback over strict planning and requirements recording.

You want to be able to give customers/clients/stakeholders a working model much sooner (even if it’s not perfect).

You want to create multiple prototypes and work with stakeholders to choose the best one.

Speed is of the essence.

You want to encourage code reuse.

You don’t have an experienced team.

Your clients or stakeholders don’t have the time to commit to such a collaborative process or can’t give feedback within the necessary timeframes.

You have a large team.

You prefer to have a detailed spec that outlines all functional and non-functional requirements.

The right project management methodology can elevate your project and help the project manager to get the best out of each team.

Whether you prefer the agile methods favored in IT project management or the more traditional waterfall project management and critical path methodology used in construction and manufacturing, there’s a project management methodology for every team.

But no matter which methodology you go for, you need a collaborative, flexible, and easy-to-use project management tool to support you every step of the way.

Choosing a team management software that supports multiple methodologies — i.e. that doesn’t lock you into one methodology or way of using it — like Teamwork.com means that every team in your organization has the freedom to work the way that works for them without sacrificing on features or complexity.

No matter how you like to work, Teamwork.com helps your team to replicate their best practices, ensure compliance and consistency, and constantly improve their processes.

What project management methodology allows some of the phases and tasks to overlap?

The project management methodology that allows some of the phases and tasks to overlap is known as "Agile" or "Agile Project Management." Agile is a flexible and iterative approach to project management that tends to be divided into "Sprints", which are time-boxed periods of work. Within each Sprint, cross-functional teams work on various tasks and features, allowing for a degree of overlap between different project phases.

What project management methodology requires the team to complete the previous phase before the next phase starts?

The project management methodology that typically requires the team to complete the previous phase before the next phase starts is the "Waterfall" methodology. Waterfall is a traditional, linear, and sequential approach to project management. In a Waterfall project, each phase must be completed in its entirety before the next phase can begin.

Why do project managers use project management methodologies?

Project managers use project management methodologies to bring structure and organization to their projects, ensuring consistency, risk management, resource allocation, and quality assurance. These methodologies promote effective communication, change management, and scope control, leading to increased efficiency, client and stakeholder satisfaction, and overall project success. They also foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability, allowing project managers to navigate changing requirements and uncertainties effectively.

How many project management methodologies are there?

There are numerous project management methodologies, with dozens of well-known approaches like Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, PRINCE2, Kanban, Lean, and Six Sigma, among others. Custom methodologies are also created by organizations to meet specific needs.

What is the difference between agile and scrum?

Agile is a broader project management philosophy that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer feedback, while Scrum is a specific Agile framework. Scrum introduces roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team), fixed-time sprints, and defined ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standup, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective) to guide project teams. It also includes key artifacts like the Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment.

• Why is project management important?
• What does a project manager do?
• How to become a project manager: the 2024 guide
• Project Management Methodologies: Examples & Overview
• Agile Project Management Methodology Guide
• The key project management skills you need to have
• What is a project stakeholder?
• What is a project charter and why do I need one?
• Project Management Plan: Samples, Examples & Free Template

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The definitive guide to project management methodologies.

• Types of project management methodologies
• How to pick the right methodology

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Originally published July 14, 2019. Updated with current & new info on April 25, 2022.

What are project management methodologies? A project management methodology is essentially a set of guiding principles and processes for managing a project. Your choice of methodology defines how you work and communicate.

So, how do you choose a project management methodology?

What methodology you choose will depend on your team, project type, and project scope . Choosing project management methodologies (PMM) is one of the first decisions you’ll have to make as a project manager.

What methodology you pick will have a profound and ongoing impact on how you and your teamwork. Different project management methodologies have their own pros and cons for different project types. Some are geared for speed, and some for comprehensiveness. 

In this article, we’ll give you a complete overview of different PMMs and how to choose them.

Types of Project Management Methodologies

On paper, PM methodologies are tool agnostic, i.e. you should be able to use any methodology regardless of what PM tool you use.

In reality, most project management tools are specialized to use a handful of methodologies. This will be a factor in what methodology you eventually choose to use.

The question now is: What are the different types of project management methodologies? What are their advantages and disadvantages? What kind of projects are they best suited for?

Below, we’ll take a look at and explore 13 of the most popular project management methodologies.

1. waterfall methodology

What is the waterfall methodology.

The Waterfall methodology is the oldest methodology on this list. It was first outlined by Dr. Winston Royce in 1970 as a response to managing the increasingly complex nature of software development. Since then, it has become widely adopted, most prominently in the software industry.

The Waterfall methodology is sequential. It is also heavily requirements-focused. You need to have a crystal clear idea of what the project demands before proceeding further. There is no scope for a correction once the project is underway.

The Waterfall method is divided into discrete stages. You start by collecting and analyzing requirements, designing the solution (and your approach), implementing the solution, and fixing issues if any.

Each stage in this process is self-contained; you wrap up one stage before moving on to another.

Graphically, you can represent it as follows:

The above is from a software development perspective. Individual stages would be different for creative project management, but the approach remains the same.

Advantages of the Waterfall methodology

As Mike Wang, our Director of Training and Support, mentioned earlier :

“One of the driving factors behind waterfall management is that by investing time in the early stages of a project, managers ensure design needs and other requirements have been met—thus saving the time and effort generally associated with retroactively correcting problems”

Thus, the Waterfall method has several advantages, such as:

Ease of use:

Documentation:, disadvantages of the waterfall methodology, higher risk:, front-heavy:.

The Waterfall methodology is most commonly used in software development. It works best for the following project types:

• Short, simple projects
• Projects with clear and fixed requirements
• Projects with changing resources that depend on in-depth documentation
• For further reading on Waterfall methodology, see this post. 

2. Agile methodology

What is the agile methodology.

Agile , another software development-focused PM methodology, emerged as a response to the failure of the Waterfall method for managing complex projects. Although Agile PM ideas had been in use in the software industry for quite a while, it formally came into being in 2001 when several IT representatives released the " Agile Manifesto "

Graphically, it can be represented as follows:

Advantages of the Agile methodology

Flexibility and freedom:, lower risk:, disadvantages of the agile methodology, no fixed plan:, collaboration-heavy:.

The flexibility of the Agile approach means that you can adapt it to different types of projects.

That said, this methodology works best for:

• When you don't have a fixed end in mind but have a general idea of a product.
• When the project needs to accommodate quick changes.
• If collaboration and communication are your key strengths (and planning isn't)

3. Hybrid methodology

The Hybrid methodology focuses on gathering and analyzing requirements initially - a nod to the Waterfall method. From thereon, it takes the flexibility of the Agile approach with an emphasis on rapid iterations.

By combining attributes of Waterfall and Agile, the Hybrid method (sometimes called "Structured Agile") gives you the best of both worlds.

Advantages of the Hybrid Methodology

Increased flexibility:, more structured:, disadvantages of the hybrid methodology, requires compromise:, the "best of both worlds".

The Hybrid approach is best suited for projects that have middling requirements when compared to Agile and Waterfall, i.e. they require structure as well as flexibility.

Mostly, these would be medium-sized projects with moderately high complexity but fixed budgets. You would likely have an idea of the end product but you are also open to experimentation. You will need close collaboration, especially past the planning stage.

4. lean project management

Lean project management focuses on maximizing efficiency by minimizing waste. It is inspired by the 1980s Lean manufacturing philosophy which holds that waste (the expenditure of resources on anything other than the creation of value for the end customer) should be eliminated.

LPM groups tasks into three types:

Value-Added: Tasks that advance the completion of the project and generate value for the customer (e.g., adding a roof to a hotel).

Enabler: Tasks that the customer isn’t paying for, but which are necessary for the project to be completed (e.g., project planning or quality testing).

Waste: Tasks that are unnecessary and which do not add value by advancing the completion of a deliverable (e.g., a team member attending a meeting at which they are not required).

Applying Lean principles to project management boils down to reducing the time required to complete projects. This is because the longer a project takes, the more money it will cost. Plus, missing the project deadline can cause a loss of benefits and attract financial penalties. 

By eliminating wasteful activities so that more time can be spent on value-added tasks, LPM reduces the amount of time it takes to complete the project. 

Advantages :

• Faster project completion times: Realizing the project earlier means that the customer will receive more value at a lower cost. 
• Boost in quality : Attention is paid to details with the goal of minimizing mistakes and the need to make amendments. Processes become optimized and the quality of the work improves.  
• An improvement culture: Project Managers practicing PLM are always communicating with their team about ways to cut waste and work smarter. Teams feel empowered and open to making and suggesting improvements.

Disadvantages :

• Inventory could be at risk: To decrease carrying costs, lean companies keep stock amounts low, leaving them vulnerable to supply chain issues. 
• Expensive start-up: Updating legacy systems and introducing more efficient equipment, software and processes can be expensive and time-consuming.
• Requires culture change : Teams may be resistant to training and unwilling to adopt lean practices.   

LPM is best for engaging team members and reducing staff turnover as everyone is encouraged to take the initiative and make continuous improvements. Using this method can give an organization a competitive advantage as it drives up quality and profits. 

5. Scrum Project Management

Scrum isn't a fully-featured project management methodology. Rather, it describes an approach to Agile management with a focus on project teams, short "sprints" and daily stand-up meetings.

While it borrows the principles and processes from Agile, Scrum has its own specific methods and tactics for dealing with project management. As Mike put it earlier:

"Agile is the philosophy, and Scrum the methodology. While scrum is agile, agile isn’t scrum." 

The Scrum approach places the project team front and center of the project. Often, there is no project manager. Instead, the team is expected to be self-organizing and self-managing. This makes it ideal for highly focused and skilled teams, but not so much for others.

• Scrum "sprints" : The Scrum approach is heavily focused on 30-day "sprints". This is where the project team breaks down a wishlist of end goals into small chunks, then works on them in 30-day sessions with daily stand-up meetings. This makes it easy to manage large and complex projects.
• Fast-paced: The "sprint" approach with its 30-day limit and daily stand-up meetings promotes rapid iteration and development.
• Team-focused: Since the project team is expected to manage itself, Scrum teams have clear visibility into the project. It also means that project leaders can set their own priorities as per their own knowledge of their capabilities.

Besides these, it has all the benefits of Agile - rapid iteration and regular stakeholder feedback.

Disadvantages

• Scope creep : Since there is no fixed end date, nor a project manager for scheduling and budgeting, Scrum can easily lead to scope creep.
• Higher risk: Since the project team is self-managing, there is a higher risk of failure unless the team is highly disciplined and motivated. If the team doesn't have enough experience, Scrum has a very high chance of failure.
• Lack of flexibility: The project-team focus means that any resource leaving the team in-between will hugely impact the net results. This approach is also not flexible enough for large teams.

The Scrum approach is best for highly experienced, disciplined, and motivated project teams who can set their own priorities and understand project requirements clearly. It has all the flaws of Agile along with all its benefits. It works for large projects but fails if the project team itself is very large.

In short: use Scrum if you're developing complex software and have an experienced team at your disposal.

6. Kanban Project Management

Kanban is a visual agile project management framework developed by Japanese auto giant Toyota in the 1950s. At its core is a physical or digital Kanban (signboard), divided into three columns representing three stages of completion:

•     Work that hasn’t begun (backlog)
•     Work in progress (WIP)
•     Work that has been completed

Project tasks, listed on real or virtual Kanban cards, are added to the board and moved from one column to the next as their status changes. The more urgent a task is, the higher its position will be in the first and second columns.  

• Maintains a smooth flow of production: By limiting the number of tasks in progress at any one time, Kanban protects the project team from becoming overburdened by work. This approach can maximize efficiency and speed up delivery times. 
• Visible and transparent workflow: Kanban shows the status of each task and the overall progress of the project in a way that is immediately intuitive to most people.  
• Not designed for a dynamic environment: Kanban assumes that a project will be executed according to a pre-arranged plan. This makes Kanban unsuitable for creative agencies where changes can be transformative rather than evolutionary. 
• Lack of timeline: In Kanban, no timeframes are associated with each work stage. This makes it difficult to schedule deliveries and estimate things like project costs.

Best for:  

Kanban is best for teams who want to visualize a project from start to finish. This method will help you avoid workflow bottlenecks and prevent too many tasks from being in progress at the same time, which can overwhelm teams and cause morale to plummet.

7. Scrumban Project Management

Despite its name, Scrumban isn’t simply an amalgamation of the Scrum and Kanban project management methods. Though it was created with the intention of helping teams transition from Scrum to a flow method such as Kanban, today Scrumban exists as a standalone agile method based on Lean.

Like Scrum, Scrumban involves planning out chunks of work (sprints). These iterations must be completed within a set timeframe (typically two weeks). 

Deploying the same visual methodology and task-focused work organization as Kanban, tasks are represented as cards that move through different stages across a board. 

Instead of tasks being assigned, team members choose what they want to work on. Scrumban places a hard limit on how many tasks can be in progress simultaneously. 

• Good for large-scale or long-term projects : Scrumban simplifies complex projects by splitting them into smaller, manageable pieces. As an iterative Agile method, it allows small changes to be made over large stretches of time, making it a great framework for long-term projects.
• Prevents overwhelming workload: With Scrumban, the project is broken up into smaller tasks and teams focus only on what they have the capacity to complete. This helps to reduce the risk of scope creep.

Disadvantages:

Lack of management :.

Scrumban has no team hierarchy and no clear group leader. While this gives every person on the team the same opportunity to make decisions, it can cause confusion.

Troublesome tracking:

Best for: 

Scrumban is best for teams who need structure and flexibility. By limiting WIP, it cuts down on multi-tasking, helping teams to maintain productivity. Scrumban projects don’t necessarily need to have a deadline which makes this method a good choice for very long-term projects or projects with an ambiguous goal. 

8. Critical Path Method (CPM)

The above four project management methodologies emerged from software development. While you can certainly use them for non-software projects, there are better alternatives at your disposal.

One of the more popular alternatives is the Critical Path Method (CPM).

In the Critical Path Method, you categorize all activities needed to complete the project within a work breakdown structure . Then you map the projected duration of each activity and the dependencies between them.

This helps you map out activities that can be completed simultaneously, and what activities should be completed before others can start.

Better scheduling:

Prioritization:, scheduling requires experience:, no flexibility:.

The Critical Path Method is best suited for projects with interdependent parts. If you require tasks to be completed simultaneously, or for one task to end before another can begin, you'll want to use this methodology.

CPM finds a lot of application in complex, but repetitive activities such as industrial projects. It is less suited for a dynamic area such as creative project management.

9. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)

Critical Chain PM is one of the newer project management methodologies out there. It was developed as an alternative to the Critical Path method with a focus on resource management.

With CCPM, you work backward from the end goal. You recognize the deliverables, then use past experience to map out the tasks required to complete the project. You also map out the interdependencies between resources and allocate them accordingly to each task.

This graph from TrackerSuite shows the difference between a traditional vs. a CCPM project schedule.

CCPM emphasizes resource utilization and minimizing lost productivity. It is heavily reliant on "monotasking", i.e. focusing on the task at hand and avoiding multitasking.

For resource-strapped project teams, CCPM can be a powerful methodology.

Resource-efficient:

Focused on the end goal:, not appropriate for multi-project environments:, delays common:.

CCPM works best in environments where resources are devoted to a single project. If you have a dedicated team for a project, it works great. If your team is spread across several projects, you'll struggle with resource planning.

The resource-focused approach of CCPM is also ideal for resource-strapped project teams. If you find yourself constantly overworked or missing deadlines, the CCPM methodology might be for you.

10. Integrated Project Management (IPM)

Integrated Project Management (IPM) - sometimes also called "Integrated Project Delivery" - is a common project management methodology in creative industries. This methodology emphasizes the sharing and standardization of processes across the organization. 

The IPM approach came about as a response to the increasingly integrated nature of creative campaigns. You don't just produce a single ad; you integrate the ad with microsites, digital content, etc.  Most creative projects are a piece of a larger campaign. 

An integrated project has the following components:

By integrating processes across the organization, IPM gives project managers better insight into the project and access to the right resources.

This makes IPM particularly appropriate for creative agencies.

Transparency:

Accountability:.

Requires extensive planning: With the IPM approach, you will have to plan extensively upfront and ensure that all processes are well-integrated. This increases your burden significantly and can lead to delays.

Large agencies with diverse teams and processes benefit the most from Integrated Project Management. It works best for complex creative projects where you need resources from multiple teams and departments to interface with each other.

PRiSM (Projects Integration Sustainable Methods) is a project management methodology developed by Green Project Management (GPM) Global.

As hinted by the creator's name, the PRiSM approach focuses on accounting for and minimizing adverse environmental impacts of the project. It is different from traditional methodologies in that it extends beyond the end of the project. Instead, it factors in the entire lifecycle of the project post-delivery to maximize sustainability.

Here's an overview of how activities are organized in PRiSM :

The PRiSM approach is very pertinent for modern projects where environmental costs and sustainability are key success criteria. For large projects where reducing energy consumption, managing waste, and minimizing environmental impact is critical, PRiSM offers a viable project management ideology.

PRiSM is unsuitable for projects where environmental impact is not a concern (such as software or creative projects).

Success with the PRiSM approach also requires every part of the project team - including outside contractors and stakeholders - to be on board with the sustainability principle - a hard ask in most organizations.

PRiSM is mostly suited for large and complex real estate and industrial projects where sustainability is a key concern.

12. PRINCE2

PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments) is the official project management methodology of the UK government (which means that most UK government projects use it). You can even get a PRINCE2 certification to make working as a project manager in the UK easier.

PRINCE2 is based on 7 principles, 7 themes and 7 processes. The 7 PRINCE2 principles, for instance, are:

• Continued business justification
• Learn from experience
• Defined roles and responsibilities
• Manage by stages
• Manage by Exception
• Focus on products
• Tailor to suit the project environment

Wikipedia has a great introductory article on this methodology. I suggest you start there if you're interested in PRINCE2.

Running a PRINCE2 project requires extensive documentation. Additionally, one of the guiding principles of PRINCE2 is to "Learn from experience". This focus on documentation and past experience can help reduce risk.

The disadvantage of PRINCE2's extensive documentation is that changes can be hard to accommodate. If the requirements change, you have to redo the documentation and re-allocate resources, which can hamper the project pace.

This methodology is best suited for large and complex projects with fixed requirements. If you're in the UK, you'll likely want to know the PRINCE2 methodology. It is widely used in the country and is a requirement for government projects.

13. What is Six Sigma Project Management? 

Developed in the 1980s by Motorola, Six Sigma is a data-driven quality-control management method focused on understanding customers’ requirements and eliminating waste and defects (anything that doesn’t meet customers’ expectations).

Statistical analysis is used to identify problems and determine their cause, and processes are improved through decisions based on data.   

This quality management process is monitored by a team with Six Sigma expertise. Inspired by martial arts, Six Sigma uses belts to designate different levels of methodological mastery. 

Within Six Sigma are two five-step methodologies: DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) which focuses on incrementally improving existing processes, and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) which focuses on optimizing new products or processes to Six Sigma standards.

Advantages:

Proactive approach:, informed decision-making:, increased efficiency:, data deluge:, training requirements : companies must find certified six sigma institutes to train all their employees or conduct in-house training without formal certification., no framework:.

While Six Sigma can be a useful tool for small to medium-sized businesses seeking to reduce waste, it brings the greatest benefit to large-scale companies that continuously produce the same products or deliver the same services.

There are several other PMMs besides these, such as Crystal , Feature Driven Development (FDD), Dynamic Systems Development (DSDM), and Rational Unified Process (RUP).

For the most part, however, you’ll choose from one of the methodologies described above.

choosing the Right Methodology

From the above section, it is clear that different PM methodologies are better suited for different projects. You wouldn’t want to use PRiSM for a software project, just as you wouldn’t want to use Agile for big real-estate development.

When you’re picking PM methodologies, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Evaluate the Project

Focus on gathering initial requirements. If the requirements suggest that you need a large and diverse team, pick a methodology that supports flexibility.

Similarly, if you have a clear idea of the end result, pick a more structured methodology such as Waterfall. If the end result is vague (common in the case of in-house projects), pick an iterative methodology like Agile.

Some other things to consider when evaluating the project are:

• Project budget
• Size and complexity
• Stakeholder expectations
• Project type and industry

2. Evaluate Your Team

Your project management methodology is essentially a blueprint for the project. It tells your team what to create and when to create it.

For this to happen, however, your team should be able to read the blueprint itself.

In other words, if your team isn't familiar with the project management methodology of your choice, you will struggle to get results. You will have to devote time to learning the methodology (which some of your team members might be resistant to), leading to delays.

Here are a few things to consider when evaluating your team:

• Team experience
• Self-organization capabilities
• Team preparedness
• Team location (remote, on-site, etc.)

Essentially, pick a methodology that fits your team, instead of forcing your team to fit the methodology.

3. Evaluate Your Organization

How your company is organized, its culture, and its past records will have a big impact on your choice of project management methodology. Some methodologies only work with large organizations with established hierarchies. Others are more suitable for smaller, leaner outfits.

For instance, if your past records show that all your Agile projects have been delayed AND poorly received, it's a good idea to avoid this methodology in the future.

A few things you should consider when evaluating your organization are:

• Past records and experience with different methodologies
• Organization hierarchy
• Level of flexibility
• Organization maturity level
• Organization size
• Available resources, including external resources such as freelancers and contractors.
• Your industry

4. Evaluate Your Stakeholders

When choosing a PM methodology, factor in:

• Stakeholder involvement: Some methodologies demand that stakeholders be regularly involved at every stage of the project. With Agile, for instance, you need stakeholders to be regularly available for feedback. If the stakeholders are busy, pick a methodology that requires lower stakeholder involvement.
• Stakeholder requirements: How do your stakeholders work? What do they require from the project manager? If the stakeholders are known to change project scope frequently, pick a more flexible methodology. Similarly, if the stakeholders require daily updates, pick a methodology that can accommodate this demand.

Given the importance of stakeholders in the project’s success, keeping their requirements in mind will make for happier stakeholders and more successful projects.

5. Evaluate Your Tools

Project management tools are seldom methodology-agnostic. They are usually designed to work well with a specific methodology.

Hence, the software tools you have existing access to and expertise in will impact your choice.

To do this:

• Make a list of all software tools you currently use
• List their limitations and capabilities
• Compare their capabilities against the requirements for a specific PM methodology.

Ideally, the methodology you choose should work with your existing toolset. If you have to buy new tools, you will not only have to spend more but will also lose critical time in retraining your team.

Doing this in-depth evaluation will help you choose a methodology that aligns with your goals, your team’s capabilities, and your stakeholder’s requirements perfectly.

As a project manager, you have several project management methodologies to choose from. Each of these methodologies has its own strengths and weaknesses. Picking the right one will make running your project faster, smoother, and more efficient.

Pick from one of the several methodologies listed above. Then evaluate your project, team, organization, stakeholders, and existing tools to pick a methodology that aligns with your strengths and requirements.

Related Posts

Kanban vs. Scrum vs. Agile: Which Is the Best Methodology for Your Project?

Hybrid Project Management- Agile Waterfall Methodology Combined

The Complete Guide to Lean Project Management Methodology

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Project Management Methodologies and Approaches

As a project manager, it’s important to know your history, and it’s not just for the sake of knowing what happened. It’s good to know how methods were created and decide for yourself how they can be adapted in the work you’re doing today. So, if you’re looking to learn, you’ve come to the right place. This article will explore the many types of project management methodologies, including:

• Traditional approaches

Agile methodologies

Change management methodologies, process-based methodologies, which project management methodology is best for your project.

When it comes to project management methodologies, no method is "better" than another. You need to do what works for your team, your stakeholders, and your project itself. No matter what you do, make sure you outline and discuss your methodology with your team and be sure that everyone understands it and is on board. After all, the key to success is communication and nicely set expectations, not a process map or plan. ‍ While it’s important to have a solid understanding of the many different ways to operate a project, you don’t have to feel as though you’re tethered to just one way of working. In fact, it’s very important to remember that you have to do what works for your team, your clients, and your project itself.

The fact is, a prescribed method may not always work the way you want it to. And you’ve got to have the right mix of people, budget, and deadline to truly make something work well (or as you intended). What it comes down to is that none of these methods are “better” than the others. Do what you can to understand them and adapt them to your situation.

Hey, you might find that parts of Agile work for your team, but not all of them—and that's okay too. Whatever you do, don’t overthink your process. Try something new, adjust when you see the need, and focus on solid communications and delivering quality work.

If you’re having a hard time deciding what steps in a particular project management methodology will work for you, think through these questions and scenarios:

• What is the intended outcome of your project?
• Is it a product you’ll create? An experience? A specific deliverable?
• What are the goals of the project?
• Who needs to be involved in the project based on the answers to questions 1 and 2?
• How do the people you’d like to assign to the project like to work?
• Is anyone certified or really, really hardcore about sticking to a methodology?
• If you’re working with a client, do they subscribe to a methodology?
• Are you aware of how they work, and how will their way of working impact your team?
• Are there any outside factors you need to take into account when planning? (Think about dependencies, project or client values, etc.)
• What is already working for your team? What is working for your clients? Also, what isn’t working?

Easy drag and drop features with templates for faster scheduling. Plan a project in minutes, collaborate easily as a team, and switch to calendar and list views in a single click.

Traditional project management methodologies

Some projects—or even industries—require projects to be run sequentially. So if you’re working in construction or something similar and do a lot of planning to ensure that the completion of a sequence of specific tasks gets you to the delivery of a final, finished product by a certain date and within a budget, you might be interested in mastering the traditional PM methods. Traditional PM methodologies work well for industries that rely on a well-defined process to get work done. These may include construction , manufacturing , print design and production, marketing , editorial content , and IT, just to name a few. ‍ Let’s take a closer look at 2 traditional methodologies you might want to use for your projects.

The Waterfall method

The Waterfall model was invented by Winston W. Royce in 1970. He wrote a scientific article that contained his personal views on software development and showed examples of why this process doesn’t work as well as more iterative approaches. But the Waterfall method does work in some industries. Here’s why.

Waterfall is certainly among the most widely known and practiced PM methodologies. The key ingredient in running a Waterfall project is to complete a task and hand it down for it to be used, or built on, in a following task or phase. This requires a fair amount of planning and requirement-gathering before work begins. Without that initial step, steps can be missed, incomplete, or even out of line. Further, any alteration to project requirements can cause a change in scope.

It’s easy to plan a project this way, but as soon as change occurs, you’ll be faced with scope changes , confusion, and pushed-out deadlines. Waterfall is known for the handoff—allowing resources to work in silos. It works in some places, less in others. It has worked quite well for software development projects , though you’ll find that many teams have moved on to more modern approaches. Since then, it has been adopted by other industries who find that preplanning and requirements help to organize their project needs and finitely plan out steps, tasks, and associated resources to meet timelines and budgets.

Learn more about the Waterfall methodology.

Critical Path Method (CPM)

The Critical Path Method is complex due to the steps and analysis involved, but it is actually quite simple! When done properly, this method can provide great clarity into a project’s tasks and how long a project will take to complete, This project modeling technique was developed in the late 1950s by Morgan R. Walker of DuPont and James E. Kelley, Jr., of Remington Rand, who were working on similar project approaches. It has since been modified and is generally applied to any approach that breaks a project into several work tasks, displays them in a flow chart, and then calculates the project duration based on estimated durations for each task.

In essence, the goal of this method is to map out all of the tasks of a project, define what needs to be completed before each task starts, then estimate the time it will take to complete each task. From there, you calculate the longest path of the planned tasks to the end of the project, and the earliest and latest points each task can start without making the project longer. That’s how you determine what’s critical and what can be delayed (there can be more than one critical task). Essentially, you prioritize tasks to ensure you get the most important work done first.

You’ll find the Critical Path Method used for many types of projects, including construction, software development, research projects, engineering, and even product development. The first time CPM was used for major skyscraper development was in 1966 while constructing the former World Trade Center Twin Towers in NYC. Although the original CPM program and approach is no longer used, the term is generally applied to any approach used to analyze a project network logic diagram.

Agile methodologies are based on the mindset that self-organizing software development teams can deliver value through iteration and collaboration. The Agile Manifesto for Software Development was formally developed in 2001 by 17 practitioners and is based on a core set of values of delivering value and collaborating with customers. The principles are:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

While Agile originated in software development , any industry with some level of uncertainty can use Agile project management . For example, you may also find Agile approaches in product and service companies, digital agencies , marketing teams , distribution, automobile design, and design and engineering. Over time, several Agile approaches have been developed, tested, and revised—just like the methodology itself. Below, you’ll find information about various Agile methodologies to research and try with your team. You might even come up with innovative ways to combine Waterfall with Agile for a hybrid approach , like using a gantt chart to manage your Agile projects .

Learn more about the differences between Waterfall and Agile.

Simply put, Scrum is the simplest—and likely most popular—of the Agile methods that exist today. There’s some confusion over who “invented” Scrum, but we’re excited about the ideas because it allows teams to get work done in iterative sprints without the added complexity that some methodologies introduce.

When practicing Scrum, a team self-organizes around central roles that suit them: Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Engineering/Development Team. The Product Owner sets the vision and priority for the project, and the Scrum Master removes any blockers from the Development Team’s way to get work done quickly.

Scrum calls for “ceremonies” (meetings for the uninitiated) to keep things on track. These include daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives.

There is an art to finding the right pace for a team, but Scrum does a really nice job of defining your pace and expectations at the outset of the project—and at each sprint. You’ll have to work through it to make sure that the roles and ceremonies work for you, but again, you can always adapt if you’re working on creating products and can continue to refine and iterate it until your customers are happy.

See how Agile works using a Scrum framework.

In 1953, Toyota adapted supermarket inventory control process logic to their machine shop as a process and officially used a “signboard” or “billboard,” which is the literal translation of the Japanese word “Kanban.” This visual approach puts time and resources aside and focuses on tasks. In fact, Kanban helps teams make decisions on what to produce, when to produce it, and how much of it to produce. If you’ve used a tool that shows cards move through a progression of states to indicate where it is in process, you’ve used a Kanban board.

Many Agile teams use Kanban boards to remain transparent about where their work stands in process. The visual management of the board allows teams to quickly point out and understand project obstacles, discuss them, and collaborate on ways to get past them. You’ll find a lot of teams working on digital projects using Kanban methods to manage their workflow.

Learn the difference between Kanban and Scrum.

Extreme Programming (XP)

Want to take your method to the next level...or the extreme? Well, check out XP, which was created by software engineer Kent Beck in the 1990s during his work on a payroll project at Chrysler. This Agile methodology is intended to improve quality by responding quickly to change. If you’re working on projects that have shifting requirements and continuous feedback,and know change can happen—and is normal—Extreme Programming might be just for you. XP describes 4 basic activities that are performed within the software development process that allow for change and rapid revision: coding, testing, listening, and designing. Teams organize in shorter sprints and can immediately change the course of their work being done/planned.

Adaptive Project Framework (APF)

This one may resonate for PMs who recognize that you have to adapt your methodology to the project’s goals. With AFP, you document project requirements , functions, sub functions, and features before determining project goals. The team then operates in iterative stages rather than sprints, but stakeholders can change the project scope at the start of each stage. So, truly, you adapt to the project—and its people.

Risks are inherent in all projects. You just know something will come up, and you want to prepare for them. These methodologies are meant for the PM folk who are hyper-focused on what could pull a project off the rails and come up with stable ways to get it back under control—or just roll with it and make sure the project gets done!

Event Chain Methodology (ECM)

If Critical Path wasn’t enough for you, you may want to take a look at ECM. The 6 principles of ECM make up a technique that is focused on identifying risks and their potential effects on a project’s schedule. Think of it this way: The ECM PM is living in doomsday. Everything is a risk, and they know how to handle it. On one hand, it makes the team comfortable. On the other, it can be sort of gloomy to always think about the worst that can happen. After all, your control ends somewhere, right?

Extreme Project Management (XPM)

Not to be confused with Extreme Programming, XPM is all about embracing change and altering project plans, requirements, resources, budgets, and even the final deliverable to meet changing needs. You’ll find that most projects that follow XPM are shorter in nature—this isn’t the type of method to use on a long project that carries the risk of dragging out for months and months. Rather, it is fast-paced and requires short cycles of work and openness to feedback and iteration that can evolve the original intent of the work.

PRiSM (Projects Integrating Sustainable Methods)

This method was developed by GPM Global for managing change focused on sustainability, or using existing organizational resources to reduce negative impact on environmental or social impacts. It follows 6 principles that are derived from the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles. This is serious process work that can make our lives better in major ways, and they’re typically implemented primarily for large-scale real estate development or construction/infrastructure projects that may result in adverse environmental effects.

New ways of working materialize every once in a while and catch some traction. Sometimes these are more likely seen as business processes rather than methods, they certainly have the potential to grow into them. After all, based on history, that is how a lot of the aforementioned methodologies began. So, while not all of these may really be classified as “methodologies,” and they might not apply to you, they are worth mentioning because you might be able to lift an idea from one methodology to apply it to your own work.

Do more with less! This methodology is focused on removing unneeded steps, resources, and budget in order to deliver a product. If you’re in the digital space, you might have seen talk of Lean UX, which is mostly about about applying the Lean methods to user experience work, which has traditionally weighed heavily on project budgets due to an abundance of deliverables (sitemaps, wireframes, flow diagrams, content inventories, taxonomies, and so many more). Lean UX brings ideas and the actual design of the experience to the forefront of the process, with less emphasis on deliverables.

This is a disciplined, data-driven methodology developed by an engineer at Motorola that has been adopted by many large organizations focused on manufacturing. It seeks predictable process results to improve the quality of the final product by following a set of steps and removing the cause for defects. A Six Sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of all opportunities to produce some feature are statistically expected to be free of defects. That’s quality assurance—and profitability!

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments)

This methodology was developed for use by the UK government and has grown widely since, as it’s now being used all over the world. With this methodology, the project is tightly controlled and planned before it begins, with stages clearly structured. This process-based approach leaves very little room for questions, as it is based on 7 principles, 7 roles, and 7 process phases with direction on very specific documentation. The role of the PM is a bit different with PRINCE2, as they are responsible for basic activities like scheduling, while an appointed project board handles activities like resourcing, goal setting, and the team.

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Chapter 3: Project management methodologies

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There are many project management methodologies and frameworks out there, designed to assist with different types of projects. But how do you know which one is best for your efforts? 

In this section, we’ll walk through the most popular PM methodologies, and share advice for how to choose the best method to fit your needs.

Waterfall or traditional project management

Waterfall or traditional project management is based on a defined set of tasks that are completed sequentially to produce a final deliverable. This method of PM is simple and predictable, but not very flexible. 

Waterfall project management is ideal for projects with a single, large deliverable, like a building. While it’s less useful for projects that require a lot of flexibility, are subject to change, or require multiple, dependent tasks to be completed in tandem, like software development. 

The main benefits of Waterfall are tight planning and organization, and a high degree of control over each project task and the greater project schedule. That said, using Waterfall can make it difficult to adapt to unexpected events or changes to project scope, which can result in added time, resources, and cost.

Teams often use a Gantt chart , a visual timeline tool that maps out project tasks in succession, in Waterfall-managed projects. Learn more about Gantt charts in Chapter 9 .

To learn more about the phases and pros and cons of Waterfall, visit our in-depth guide to creating and using a Waterfall chart .

The Agile family

The Agile family is a category of project management methodologies that prioritizes flexibility and continuous improvement over rigid, sequential processes. There are many popular methodologies within Agile, and we’ve dug into each below.

Agile project management

In Agile project management , teams complete smaller, incremental tasks, and then continually review, refine, and iterate based on feedback and demands of the end users.

Agile project management was formalized in 2001 by a group of software developers intent on finding a more collaborative, flexible method to complete projects. The group documented their ideas in the Manifesto for Agile Development , which lays out the following four values:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Agile PM prioritizes a collaborative relationship between the end user and the project team. The customer sets the project objectives, but the deliverables are subject to change as the team incrementally executes each project task. In Agile, each development feature is called a user story , which reflects how the end user will interact with it. 

Agile project management was initially intended for software development, but is now commonly used across a variety of industries and types of projects. Learn more about the Agile process and how to implement it by reading our comprehensive guide to Agile PM . 

Pros and cons of Agile project management

Agile is a good fit for projects that require a high degree of flexibility and are likely to shift as the project progresses. The top benefits of Agile include the following:

• Less upfront planning
• Increased open communication
• Continual feedback
• Flexible objectives 

When used effectively, Agile also often leads to speedier delivery.

However, there are some tradeoffs to this flexible approach: 

• Lack of concrete delivery date, which can lead to scope creep 
• A high degree of dedication and flexibility from the project team

Is Agile right for you?

Remember, Agile isn’t for everyone. The methodology is likely not right for your team if any of the following apply to you:

• Your project is not very urgent.
• Your client’s expectations don’t support Agile (e.g., they want to give final approval at every stage of the project, or incremental delivery isn’t appropriate for the project specs). 
• You or your client’s organization requires detailed documentation at every stage.
• Your current processes are not set up for a more flexible approach.
• Your team or organization doesn’t currently use Agile, and implementing it would be too costly or time consuming.

In the following sections, we’ll go over other methodologies that fall within the Agile family.

Additional Resources

The ultimate agile dictionary, free agile project management templates, best practices for agile project planning.

Scrum , the most popular Agile methodology, involves smaller teams that complete tasks in short, time-bound periods, called sprints , in order to incrementally work through pieces of a larger project or release.

Scrum typically leads to greater responsiveness in customer relationships, lower costs of development, increased job satisfaction, and more immediate returns. Scrum is a fluid practice that takes many moving parts, teams, and goals into consideration as the project progresses. 

Scrum teams also engage in four regular meetings, or ceremonies , which provide structure to each sprint: 

• Sprint planning: At this meeting, the product is presented and everyone on the Scrum team voices any concerns and feedback. The team designates priorities and estimates the timeline.
• Daily stand-up: The Scrum team meets daily during the sprint to debrief with the team, establish a daily plan, and voice any concerns so the team can address them together.
• Sprint review: Held at the end of each sprint, this meeting is a review of the working product and gives stakeholders transparency into what the team accomplished during the sprint.
• Sprint retrospective: The sprint retrospective is a meeting that occurs after each sprint to discuss team performance and establish ways to improve future efforts.

Each Scrum team has designated members who own specific pieces of the process. These roles include the following:

• Product owner: Possesses a thorough understanding of the product’s business value and serves as the middleman who communicates the stakeholder needs to the development team and writes and prioritizes user stories.
• Development team: Performs the technical development of the product and is responsible for the analysis, design, code writing, testing, and technical communication based on the user stories provided by the product owner.
• Scrum Master: Assists in the progress of the Scrum team by working hand-in-hand with the product owner and the development team to streamline work and eliminate distractions. 

As with Agile, Scrum is popular in software development, but it can also be deployed successfully across marketing, design, and other creative projects. Learn more by reading our guide to implementing Scrum with the right tools .

Kanban is an Agile framework that prioritizes continuous improvement , an ongoing effort to improve a product or service incrementally. Kanban teams complete work items based on team capacity and manage resources using a visual kanban board that shows task status.

Kanban originated in Japan in the 1940s. Based on what he had seen in supermarkets, Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno implemented a supply-and-demand method on the factory floor, which greatly improved the company’s inventory management. 

Teams at Toyota created a visual cue (a kanban, which translates to “visual sign” or “card”) to communicate that they were ready to “pull,” or take on, more tasks or materials to complete their work. This approach enabled workers to only take on new tasks when they had capacity for them, which reduced excess work in progress (WIP) . This style of work is now known as the just-in-time (JIT) approach.

How to use a kanban board

The Kanban methodology centers on the kanban board, which is either a physical or digital “board” that includes three columns (or lanes ): to-do, doing, and done. Team members move cards, representing individual tasks, to different columns as a way to track task status. This provides a quick view of how items are progressing and ensures teams have adequate capacity to take on new work.

In recent years, teams have moved to online, digital kanban boards, which helps distributed teams collaborate on projects and gain real-time visibility into the work getting done. You can learn more about setting up a Kanban board with our guide . 

Pros and cons of Kanban

Overall, Kanban is great for teams that have many incoming requests, short work cycles, and flexibility with resources and scheduling. However, Kanban can be difficult for teams that work on many interconnected, dependent tasks, or have tight deadlines to adhere to. 

To learn more about implementing kanban from the ground up, read our complete guide for newbies .

Critical path method

Critical path method (CPM) is a technique for estimating the total duration of a project by identifying the order in which you must complete all project tasks, and then mapping out your sequenced tasks, called dependencies .

CPM follows the basic steps below:

• Identify all project tasks.
• Identify dependencies among tasks.
• Estimate the duration of each task. 
• Add up the durations to calculate the total duration of your project. 
• Update the critical path as the project progresses to compare estimated vs. actual timelines.

CPM helps teams reduce project timelines by identifying and scheduling the most important tasks and then scheduling other tasks to happen in parallel. CPM also helps with project planning, as you can easily reference estimated vs. actual project schedules and more accurately estimate how long each task will take on future projects.

Learn more about the steps and advantages of the method with our beginner’s guide to the CPM .

The change management methodologies

Change management is an umbrella term for techniques that help individuals, teams, and organizations implement new processes or achieve organizational change. In this section, we’ll cover event chain and extreme project management. 

To learn more, visit our essential guide to change management , or find free change management templates .

Event Chain methodology

In event chain methodology , you identify tasks (events) and their relationships (event chains) in order to properly allocate resources and assess and reduce project risk. 

The goal of event chain is to estimate the amount of time and resources you need to complete a project. This method follows some of the same steps as the critical path method — you also break down activities into smaller tasks and outline their dependencies and durations. But, in event chain, you do so to create a realistic timeline and budget, rather than to simply better manage the tasks (and task order).

Event chain can also serve as a modeling technique to create more conservative scheduling estimates, which ultimately improves performance by building in time to address unforeseen risks.

This methodology is often used in change management efforts to eliminate the need to overhaul projects, which can be extremely time consuming and resource-heavy.

Extreme project management

Extreme project management (XP or XPM) is used to manage a massive amount of change in a short period of time. XPM is ideal for fast-paced, complex projects that can handle a trial-and-error approach to successfully pull off the effort.

Think of XPM as the opposite of Waterfall methodology. As opposed to valuing a linear, planned project development process, XPM allows you to change your project plan, budget, and the final deliverable as requirements shift. In XPM, the onus is on the project team to self-correct and shift as necessary. 

Extreme project management works well for projects with a high-degree of uncertainty, but is less useful for projects with a clear-cut timeline, budget, and scope.

The process-based methodologies

Process-based methodologies approach work as a collection of processes, rather than a strict methodology that you apply to a single project. These approaches are sometimes used as part of a larger business process management (BPM) strategy.

Lean is an approach aimed at maximizing value while minimizing waste. When deployed properly, Lean helps to identify and eliminate bottlenecks, delays, and other inefficiencies in order to deliver value faster.

Lean originated in manufacturing in the 1950s, but it has evolved over time and is used today across industries. As laid out in the book Lean Thinking , Lean involves the following five core principles and activities:

• Define value: Identify the value of each product or service in the eyes of the customer. 
• Map the value stream: Map out the process (aka value stream ) and identify areas of waste, in terms of  resources, time, or redundancy.
• Create flow: Create a flow plan that eliminates the waste you identified. 
• Employ a pull system: Progress through the plan only as the customer has new needs. Doing so will prevent you from taking on too much at once, or creating a bottleneck at any stage of the process. 
• Pursue perfection: Using the idea of continuous improvement, aim to eliminate as much waste as possible from your process. 

Visit our comprehensive guide to Lean project management to learn more about different types of Lean methodologies and the best tools for implementing Lean.

Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that aims to improve quality across projects. Six Sigma takes a statistical approach to measuring and eliminating bugs or defects in project deliverables and raising quality standards.

The basic steps in Six Sigma include finding defects, identifying and eliminating their cause(s), and optimizing processes to increase reliability and accuracy going forward. 

Building off the Lean principle of pursuing perfection, Six Sigma aims to eliminate all opportunities for defects by using data-driven improvement cycles to achieve its goal. 

There are two main Six Sigma methodologies:

• DMAIC: This stands for define , measure, analyze, improve, control , and is intended to help you improve existing processes.
• DMADV: This stands for define, measure, analyze, improve, verify, and is best for when creating new processes or products.

There is no single, formal certification body for Six Sigma, but many organizations offer training so teams can learn to implement the practice in their organization. Read our article on Six Sigma belts and certifications to learn more. 

Six Sigma works well for teams who are interested in implementing data-driven ways to reduce defects and optimize business processes, but is less ideal for those looking for a strict set of steps to follow.

Read our in-depth guide to all things Six Sigma to learn more.

Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is a hybrid approach to process improvement that combines the Lean principle of no waste and the Six Sigma principle of no defects to improve quality across processes, projects, and products.

Lean Six Sigma offers the following benefits:

• Increased cost savings due to fewer bugs or defects
• Improved quality
• Time savings due to fewer process issues
• Improved data-driven decision making
• Continuous process improvement throughout the organization

While Lean Six Sigma originated in manufacturing, a variety of industries can deploy it to reap benefits. The most common use cases include healthcare, construction, design, and government.

All About Lean Six Sigma

Free lean six sigma templates, other project management methodologies.

Below, you’ll find details on a few more project management methodologies that are gaining traction in the modern PM world.

PRINCE2 , or Projects in Controlled Environments , is a project management methodology that focuses on defining and delivering work against precise requirements. As opposed to Agile PM, PRINCE2 emphasizes intense planning and documentation of work items.

PRINCE2 is a hybrid methodology initially used for information technology (IT) projects to help reduce cost and time overruns. Now, it’s deployed across many different industries. 

This approach works well for projects with a clearly defined goal. However, if you need more flexibility, or don’t have time to properly plan and document work, Agile methods might be a better option.

PRiSM , or Projects Integrating Sustainable Methods , is a modern project management methodology that values sustainability over all else. The goal of PRiSM projects is to reduce the environmental impact of a project and drive meaningful social impact.

The PRiSM model is based on the following six principles: 

• Commitment and accountability 
• Ethical decision making 
• Integration and transparency 
• Principal and values-based deployments 
• Social and ecological equity 
• Economic prosperity

Implementing PRiSM is a long term mindset shift that puts sustainability and equity at the center of all processes and projects and aims to maximize value for all involved.

Why you should choose a PM methodology for your organization

Choosing an organization-wide project management method ensures teams have a consistent guideline for how to manage each aspect of their projects, like resources, budget, communication, timeline, and more.

Of course, some teams and projects require different levels of planning, flexibility, and documentation. And, it can be overwhelming to choose one “perfect” approach when there are so many options out there.

But, by assessing the types of projects that you typically take on — as well as your existing processes — you can identify the most effective methodology for you.

In some cases, organizations may select multiple project management types to meet the requirements of different projects and teams.

How to choose the best PM methodology for you

To identify the right project management methodology, first consider the details of your project. Then, assess your existing systems and processes. Look at both what you need as well as what you already have in place to select the best method.

Ask yourself the following questions to evaluate your project needs:

Project basics

• What is the project’s focus?
• What industry are you in?
• How complex is the project?
• Is the project scalable?  

Flexibility

• How flexible are your timeline, budget, and deliverables?
• How much planning do you need to do beforehand?
• What is your allotted budget, and how flexible is it?
• What resources do you have, and what additional resources do you need to obtain?
• How flexible is your timeline?
• Are there set start and end dates?
• Does your project have key milestones or a critical path?

Roles and responsibilities

• How many people or teams are working together on this project?
• How specialized is the work?
• What is the level of customer and stakeholder involvement?

After you’ve worked through the project-related questions, follow these steps to identify which methodology aligns best:

• Outline the main variables, like timeline, resources, and budget, that will drive the project.
• Consider how the methodology you choose will impact these variables, such as how a more flexible approach might affect a hard-and-fast deadline.
• Weigh the pros and cons of each methodology against the needs of your project. Think both about which will be the best fit and which will be least disruptive to your current processes.
• Collaborate with other team members to get input.
• Roll out the methodology to the team. This includes educating everyone on the new processes and setting up the necessary tools and documentation systems.
• Apply the methodology to the project and monitor it for success.

Here’s a simplified cheat sheet you can use to identify which methodology will work for your next project:

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Project Management Basics: Definitions, Methods and Tools

Welcome to project management 101. Project management can seem like a daunting discipline, but once you get a grasp of the fundamentals and combine that with some intuition, you’ll be on your way to leading successful projects, no matter your situation.

Maybe you’ve been unexpectedly assigned to lead a project and a big promotion is on the line, or maybe you’re a team member who wants to better understand their role in the project. Regardless, we’re going to give you a brief overview of the major details involved in project management for actionable information.

If you need more help with project management, check out all of our resources and project management tools for reaching your full potential. ProjectManager is powerful project management software that can be used by both experienced and beginner project managers and team members to manage projects. Get started for free today.

The first project management basic is the definition of a project, which allows us to understand what project management is and why it’s so important for any type of organization.

What Is a Project?

A project is a sequence of tasks that lead toward a singular goal. Projects have boundaries, such as the time, people and resources needed to complete the project. These all depend on what results you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them.

Those results are your outcome, which produces deliverables. They’re anything that’s produced or provided because of the project. Deliverables can be both the result of the project itself, but also the results of the process of the project, such as the project plan , reports or other documents. Projects are made up of deadlines. Each task and phase of the project has a due date, which means your project has a schedule.

Budgets are also part of a project. You need money to pay for the resources to meet the demands of the project within the time allotted. Typical resources include the workforce, work supplies and equipment. A project budget outlines these expenditures. Now that we’ve determined what a project is, we can define project management as a discipline.

What Is Project Management?

Project management is a discipline that consists in using project management methodologies, tools and techniques to manage the project life cycle, which is a set of stages that are common to every project. While there are several project management roles within a project team, the project manager is usually in charge of overseeing the process of planning, executing and monitoring projects from start to finish.

Let’s review four foundational project management concepts that shape the project management discipline: the project life cycle, the triple constraint of project management, the project management knowledge areas and some of the different project management methodologies you can use as a project manager.

Project Life Cycle

The project life cycle describes the five phases all projects go through. Here’s a quick overview of each.

• Initiation: Here’s where you set out the project scope , the goals, the organization of the project, its business case, its constraints, who the stakeholders are, what the risks are, the project controls, the reporting framework, etc.

• Planning: This is where you build the roadmap to take you from point A to Point B, which means creating a schedule of the tasks, deadlines and resources needed to complete everything on time.
• Execution:  The project begins and the project plan is put into action.
• Monitoring & Controlling: To ensure the project is proceeding as planned, you need to set up mechanisms for monitoring progress. If the project isn’t proceeding as planned, work to control and resolve issues before they become problems.
• Closing: Projects are temporary endeavors, so they eventually come to an end and need to be formally closed . But it’s not as simple as producing deliverables; there’s paperwork to sign off on, resources to reallocate and other loose ends to tie up.

The Triple Constraint

Regardless of the method you use to manage a project, understanding the triple constraint is key. All projects are carried out with certain constraints. These are cost, time and scope. That is, projects must come in within budget, be delivered on time and meet the agreed-upon scope.

If you think of the triple constraint as a triangle , then if you’re managing the cost, time and scope, the triangle is quality. So, if you’re managing the cost, time and scope of the project, then you’re going to meet the customer’s quality requirements.

But the triple constraint is more than that; it’s like the ballast on a ship and keeps the project balanced no matter how rough the waters get. For example, if you need more money, then you’re going to have to adjust the time or scope of the project. Accordingly, if you’re short on time, then the budget or scope will have to change.

If you keep the triple constraint in mind while managing your project, along with the project phases and management tools, then you have the means to make the necessary adjustments that can keep the project on track. It’s the formula for success.

Project Management Knowledge Areas

Project management knowledge areas can be simply defined as categories that describe the different types of work that are done by project managers and team members to complete projects successfully. Project managers should be very knowledgeable in each of these 10 project management knowledge areas so they can guide teams through the project life cycle and make sure the triple constraint is well balanced.

• Project integration management
• Project scope management
• Project time management
• Project cost management
• Project quality management
• Project human resource management
• Project communications management
• Project risk management
• Project procurement management
• Project stakeholder management

If you’re interested in this topic, you can check out our project management knowledge areas blog for more information on these key principles of project management.

Project Management Methodologies

There are many ways to structure a project’s process, and project managers are experts in one or more of them. The most traditional is called waterfall, which follows a linear approach to managing a project, breaking down the project into a very structured sequence.

A different approach that is gaining popularity is called Agile , which comes from software development. It’s a process that works in small phases or cycles called “sprints,” and lends itself to small teams. Like its name, the process embraces change and is flexible and is continuously changing direction according to client feedback.

Why Is Project Management Important?

Every business, non-profit or any other type of organization needs to execute projects, which makes project management important for any organization.

Effective project management not only means that your team will deliver projects on time and under budget but also brings other organization-wide benefits such as increased productivity, reduced costs, better leadership and motivated employees.

In a nutshell, project management helps organizations become more efficient through planning and monitoring of tasks, goals and team performance.

What Is a Project Manager?

A project manager is the person in charge of the project. That much is clear, but that might be too simple of an explanation. The project manager leads the project through every phase. That means they’re responsible for first selling the project to stakeholders, then planning and defining the scope of the project.

What Does a Project Manager Do?

Project managers figure out all the tasks necessary to achieve the project goals, then they sequence those tasks into a schedule. Those tasks and schedules are then given the resources needed to achieve the project’s objectives. That means assembling a team, getting the tools and supplies they need and securing a site and the necessary resources.

The project manager is also the person who creates the project budget in order to pay for those resources. They’re responsible for managing all the documentation and then archiving those documents at the end of the project. They also manage risk and monitor project progress to make sure people are working unobstructed and within the schedule and budget.

So essentially, anything project related is under the purview of the project manager. They are the leaders of the project and manage the teams that are executing the project plan. However, they’re not the boss. The project manager has sold the idea of the project to a sponsor or stakeholder, and they report to them on the project’s progress.

Therefore, a project manager is a very well-organized person, one who is goal-oriented and passionate about the process. A project manager must work well under pressure, provide leadership and know how to motivate people to do their best. Beyond people skills, communication skills are paramount. And they must know the methods and techniques that help deliver projects successfully.

Project Management Tools

As you may have noticed, projects can be complicated. You plan, schedule and monitor to make sure all elements of the project are running smoothly. The more tools in hand, the more manageable the project and your tasks.  Project management software  can contain all the tools needed to help project managers and team members with every aspect of their projects.

When project management software is cloud-based, data and collaboration can happen in real-time, which provides a more accurate picture of the project and helps in decision-making. Plus, project management software often contains many of the major tools for managing projects, like those discussed below.

Project dashboards gather metrics from all parts of the project. Those numbers are then displayed in easy-to-read charts and graphs, giving a manager or a team member a live look at project progress and data. Dashboards can also assist in reporting. Running a project means reporting to the project’s sponsors on the progress of the project. Graphs and charts can be filtered to deliver just the data you need for targeted reports.

Gantt Charts

Online Gantt charts are great tools for planning because they display your task list graphically over a timeline. Each task has a deadline, which creates a line marking the start and finish of that task. Tasks can then be linked, if dependent.

Ideally, you can share the Gantt with your team and track their progress as they update their statuses. With some Gantt charts, the bar between the start and finish dates will fill in as the team works on their tasks, and if you need to change the schedule, you can simply drag and drop the bar to reflect the new due date.

Task Management Tools

There are task management tools that allow you to create to-do lists for yourself and assign tasks to team members. These tasks can sometimes have notes, files, links and images attached that relate to the task, and team members can dialogue and collaborate at the task level. You can also automate email notifications to know when a task is completed and to remind people of impending deadlines.

Timesheets and Workload Tools

In terms of managing the people working on the project, which can be a project by itself, there are timesheets . These are online documents that make it easy for each employee to track and record their hours worked, and they can be filed to the manager when complete for sign-off.

When it comes to managing the workload, resource allocation tools allow you to see at a glance if you’ve allocated your resources properly across the project so that everyone is working and the workload is balanced. In some cases, you can run reports from your workload management software, too.

Project Management Templates

We offer dozens of free project management templates to help you save time and streamline your projects. Here are some essential project management documents you can download for free.

Project Plan Template

A project plan is a document that explains everything about your project from how it’s scheduled to how it’ll be executed and completed. This free project plan template will help you get started with your projects.

Project Budget Template

Every project needs resources such as people, materials and equipment. These resources cost money, so you’ll need to estimate all your project costs to create a project budget. This free template is ideal for beginner project managers.

Project Timeline Template

It’s important to create a project timeline that maps out how project work will be carried out, including start and end dates for all your tasks. This free project timeline template helps you do so.

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software does the heavy lifting to allow managers to easily plan, schedule and track projects in a much faster and more efficient manner than traditional methods such as drafting project schedules by hand.

Project management software can be defined as a type of software that incorporates the project management tools mentioned above, along with other features such as timesheets, real time team-collaboration or unlimited file storage, so that project managers and teams can keep track of projects in one central platform.

However, not all project management software works in the same way. There are many options on the market and while some are easy to use, they might not provide all the planning, scheduling and tracking tools that you need.

How ProjectManager Helps With Project Management

ProjectManager is online project management software that helps you manage every aspect of your projects. It’s equipped with all the project management tools any project manager would need, regardless of your expertise level. Project management software like ProjectManager is what makes managing a project manageable.

Store Documents

All the paperwork generated during the project initiation phase can be saved to ProjectManager. This way, you can collect everything in one place, making it easy to find what you need. Don’t worry about uploading large files and images, ProjectManager has unlimited file storage.

Plan & Schedule Work

When you plan your project, ProjectManager does the heavy lifting. An online Gantt chart helps you schedule by mapping all your tasks across a project timeline. Now you can link dependencies, set milestones and even start assigning team members.

Monitor Progress

As teams execute their tasks, they can use ProjectManager’s tools to monitor and control their progress. Resource management features make sure that no one team member is carrying the entire load and their workload is balanced. Plus, our real-time dashboard can track progress, cost, health and more.

Of course, there’s more to project management than the information in this project management 101 article. It gets deep, and it’s constantly evolving. However, there’s one constant in the eye of the hurricane that’s managing a project: tools.  ProjectManager is online project management software with real-time dashboards, online Gantt charts and features to manage workload, resources, schedules and every aspect of your project. See how it can help you succeed by taking this free 30-day trial today!

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What is a Spider Chart?

Fahad Usmani, PMP

September 12, 2024

A spider chart (also known as a “spider diagram,” “radar chart,” or “web chart”) is a visual tool used in project management to assess, compare, and monitor multiple variables or key performance indicators (KPIs). It shows data graphically in a circular, web-like structure that can help project managers track performance, identify risks, and compare results.

A spider chart is a sensitive analysis tool that summarizes how different variables influence a particular outcome and lets you identify key sensitive factors. The name “spider chart” comes from its resemblance to a spider web, as the data points are plotted on radial axes and connected by lines, creating a web-like structure.

Spider charts are useful for comparing project components, evaluating team performance, assessing risk, or analyzing progress. They allow project managers to see the bigger picture and spot areas that need improvement.

Spider Chart Structure

A spider chart consists of several radial axes extending from a central point. Each axis represents a variable or project metric : cost, time, scope, quality, risk, or stakeholder satisfaction. The values for each variable are plotted along these axes based on actual performance or other assessment criteria.

Once the data points are plotted, they are connected by lines, forming a polygonal shape that illustrates the relationships and comparisons between the variables.

For example, the axes of a spider chart can be:

• Project scope completion
• Budget adherence
• Timeline or schedule adherence
• Quality of deliverables
• Risk management
• Stakeholder satisfaction

Each factor is plotted on a scale, and the closer the plotted points are to the outer edges of the chart, the better the performance.

How to Create a Spider Chart?

A spider chart can be created using tools like Excel, Google Sheets, or project management software with built-in charting functions.

To create an effective spider chart:

• Identify Key Variables: First, select the KPIs (e.g., cost, time, and risk).
• Set the Scale: Ensure that all variables are measured consistently (e.g., 1-10 or percentage completion).
• Plot Data Points: Plot the points along the axes that correspond to each variable based on the actual data.
• Connect Data Points: Once all points are plotted, connect them to form a spiderweb-like structure, thus giving you a visual snapshot of the project performance.

Spider Chart Applications

• Assessing Performance: Spider charts can help you track the performance of various aspects of a project. Whether assessing the work of different teams or comparing project phases , a spider diagram can provide a visual summary of how well the project components are performing, as compared to expectations.
• Analyzing Risks: Risk management is essential to project management, and spider charts clearly visualize potential risks. By plotting risk factors (e.g., probability, impact, and severity), you can see the project’s risk profile and prioritize areas that need attention.
• Satisfying Stakeholders: Meeting stakeholder expectations is crucial in project management. Spider charts can help visualize feedback from stakeholders by plotting different dimensions (e.g., communication, project deliverables , and responsiveness). This will allow you to identify areas where stakeholder satisfaction may be lacking and make adjustments.
• Comparing Alternatives: Spider charts provide an easy-to-interpret comparison between multiple project paths or team performance. This can be especially helpful when selecting vendors and contractors or determining which project strategies will align better with objectives.
• Monitoring Project Progress: You can use spider charts to monitor progress across project metrics (e.g., time, cost, and scope). A well-designed spider chart can immediately show which aspects of the project are on track and what problems are occurring.
• Balancing Competing Project Constraints: A major challenge in project management is balancing the constraints of time, cost, quality, and scope. Spider charts can help illustrate how changes in one area (e.g., scope) might impact others (e.g., cost or time), thus giving a holistic view of how the project is performing across these critical variables.

Spider Chart Advantages

• Holistic View: Spider charts provide a comprehensive project overview by simultaneously visualizing multiple variables. This makes it easier to see how various project components interact and whether any areas are failing.
• Easy Comparison: Spider charts simplify the comparison of different projects, teams, or phases at a glance. This can be particularly useful when project managers need to evaluate alternatives or make data-driven decisions quickly.
• Focus on Outliers: In project management, outliers can indicate issues that need immediate attention. Spider charts make it easy to spot these outliers by visualizing discrepancies between different variables in one view.
• Visual Simplicity: A spider chart’s visual format allows for the quick interpretation of complex data, thus making it ideal for presentations to stakeholders, who may not want to delve into detailed reports.

Spider Chart Limitations

• Too Many Variables: A spider chart is most effective when used with a moderate number of variables. When too many factors are included, the chart can become cluttered and difficult to interpret, thus defeating the purpose of visual clarity.
• Lack of Precision: Spider charts are useful for getting a general sense of performance, but they may not be ideal for highly detailed analysis. They provide a snapshot but not exact numbers, so additional data may be required for more granular decision-making.
• Subjective Interpretation: Spider charts’ visual nature can sometimes lead to subjective data interpretations, which may require supplemental data or context for clarity.

Spider charts are useful tools for project managers to visually compare different aspects of projects. From tracking progress to identifying risks, analyzing team performance, and balancing competing project constraints, spider charts provide a comprehensive way to understand and manage complex projects.

Further Readings:

• What is Sensitivity Analysis?
• What is a Tornado Diagram?
• What is Scenario Analysis?
• What is Monte Carlo Analysis?
• What is “What-If” Analysis?

References:

• Unleashing the Power of Spider Chart Analysis
• Understanding the Spider Chart
• Spider Chart in Six Sigma

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.

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How to implement rag status in project management.

September 12, 2024

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Your marketing campaign is underway, but things aren’t running smoothly.

Deadlines are approaching fast, tasks are stacking up, and team morale is dipping. Meetings are turning into crisis management sessions, and you’re worried about keeping everyone aligned with your strategic goals.

What started as a straightforward project rapidly became a chaotic mess of missed deadlines and uncoordinated efforts. The fallout? Stressed teams, unhappy clients, and a hit to your reputation. 

The problem is often a lack of visibility into your project’s status . This is where RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status steps in. 🚦

Breaking down project health into red, amber, and green categories provides a straightforward way to identify risks, prioritize actions, and keep everything on track. 

Curious about utilizing RAG status to set your project straight? This guide discusses just that.

What is RAG Status?

How to implement rag status, using clickup for rag status , best practices for incorporating rag status in project reports, advantages of rag status in project management, addressing common pitfalls, from chaos to clarity with clickup.

RAG status is a project management software that tracks and communicates the overall project status. 

The concept is straightforward: each color—red, amber, and green—represents a different level of the project’s health.

• Green signifies everything’s on track
• Amber (or yellow) signals potential but manageable issues
• Red warns of significant problems requiring immediate attention

This is much like traffic lights, where the green light signals you to proceed, the yellow light warns you to slow down, and the red light brings you to a stop until the issue is fixed.

This color-coded system offers a quick, clear way for project managers and stakeholders to effectively track project progress and make informed decisions—especially under tight deadlines.  

For a software development project of a new app, RAG status might look like this:

• Green: Core features are 80% complete, on track, and within budget
• Amber: UI/UX design is behind schedule due to feedback delays; actions are in place to address it
• Red: Critical bug causing performance issues; immediate fix required, impacting release date

RAG status is your go-to tool for clear, actionable insights into your project performance. Here’s how to set it up and keep things moving: 

1. Define each color 

Clearly define what each color represents for your project. This should be based on specific metrics such as timelines, budgets, or performance indicators.

Assign red status when critical problems threaten the project’s success and demand immediate action. This could include:

• Major delays: A milestone or deliverable overdue by over a week, signaling the project is behind schedule and risking future deadlines
• Budget overruns: Exceeding the budget by over 20% indicates financial mismanagement or unforeseen costs that risk the project’s financial stability
• Critical risks: Major technical failures, key personnel leaving, or significant changes in project scope that aren’t adequately addressed

Red status requires urgent action from project leaders to resolve critical issues, reassess the project plan, and implement corrective action. It also highlights the severity of the problems and prioritizes them for swift resolution to prevent further complications.

🟡 Amber (or Yellow)

Amber status flags potential issues that could escalate if not addressed. Examples include:

• Vendor delays: A supplier’s delivery is a few days late, which could affect project timelines if not managed with contingency plans
• Software bugs: Minor bugs found in the software release that need fixing but don’t yet threaten the project’s overall functionality
• Scope changes: Small changes in project scope that could impact timelines or costs if not carefully managed and communicated

Amber projects can be managed without drastic measures. However, they need careful monitoring and strategic handling to prevent them from becoming serious problems.

Mark the project with green status when everything is proceeding according to plan. It usually includes: 

• On-time deliverables: Milestones and deliverables are on track with the project schedule
• Stakeholder satisfaction: Feedback from clients or stakeholders is positive, indicating satisfaction with progress and deliverables 
• Positive trends: Performance indicators, such as sales figures or user engagement metrics, are tracking positively against goals, with no significant deviations 
• Budget adherence: Expenses are within the allocated project budget, with no overspending or unexpected costs

Green status confirms the project is in excellent shape with no immediate issues needing attention.

2. Set thresholds

Next, set limits for red, amber, and green colors to keep everyone aligned and simplify project assessments. 

This approach ensures consistency and objectivity when applying the RAG status. It also eliminates guesswork, allowing project teams to quickly identify and address issues before they escalate . Plus, projects stay on course as everyone knows when and how to act based on the current status.

Here’s how to set clear, measurable RAG thresholds for different aspects of the project lifecycle : 

To set thresholds effectively:

• Adjust thresholds based on the project’s complexity: For high-risk projects, mark tasks red if they’re over 10% behind schedule; for simpler projects, allow up to 20% slippage
• Periodically revisit and adjust thresholds: If a project’s scope expands, revise the thresholds accordingly. For example, if tasks were initially red when two weeks behind, adjust the threshold to 1 week to reflect the increased complexity and urgency

However, manually tracking RAG status via Excel can quickly result in a mess. This is where a dedicated project management tool like ClickUp steps in. It provides tailored views for cross-functional projects and streamlines project management with project progress tracker templates and features, keeping your team synced with real-time insights.

Read More: Project Tracking Essentials: The Road to Effective Management

ClickUp Project Management Software provides comprehensive solutions for straightforward and effective RAG status tracking. It is an all-in-one knowledge and work management platform where you can plan and prioritize tasks with ease. 

With ClickUp’s 15+ custom views , increased visibility across projects, and enhanced collaboration, it is easy to keep teams aligned and tackle potential issues head-on, driving a proactive approach to strategic project management .

ClickUp’s Custom Task Status feature allows you to go beyond the default options like ‘To Do,’ ‘In Progress,’ or ‘Done.’ This flexibility is essential for RAG status tracking, allowing you to label tasks and projects as red (at risk), amber (warning), or green (on track) with precision.

The best part? You can assign these statuses at the task level, project level, or both. This gives the project team members a crystal-clear view of the project’s status. Plus, they can swiftly grasp a task’s priority and urgency through RAG status. 

Create widgets on ClickUp’s Dashboard to monitor RAG status for various projects or tasks. This is perfect for project managers and stakeholders tracking multiple projects simultaneously. 

For example, a pie chart widget can visually display the proportion of tasks in each RAG category. This lets you quickly spot issues and prioritize actions effectively.

In addition, ClickUp lets you import its pre-built templates into your workspace, making it easy to track RAG status right away. 

The ClickUp RAG Reporting Template simplifies real-time reporting on project progress. It lets you quickly organize tasks by risk level, visualize progress with clear color coding, and track performance metrics for informed decisions. 

You can also use custom fields to capture key project details, including: 

• Report Details: Store essential information about the project’s status and progress
• Report File: Attach important documents or files related to the project
• Project Team: Identify and assign the team members involved in the project
• RAG Level: Quickly indicate the project’s status as red, amber, or green
• Category: Categorize tasks or projects to keep everything organized and easy to find

The RAG Reporting Template provides a brief graphic representation of a project’s current status so you can assess what needs more attention or resources and recalibrate your next action steps accordingly.

💡Pro Tip: Share your project’s RAG status report with team members, clients, or executives using ClickUp’s Email Project Management . Set up automated email notifications to alert them about significant changes or milestones, like completed tasks or upcoming deadlines.

The ClickUp Project Status Report Template is another beginner-friendly tool designed to improve communication and accountability among team members, reduce stress, enhance productivity, and minimize project completion time. 

With this template, you can: 

• Organize projects with custom labels and filters
• Report progress with automated charts and live updates
• Display your tasks on a timeline with the Gantt Chart View to spot overlaps, dependencies, and deadlines at a glance
• Track deadlines and milestones with Calendar View to stay on schedule and hit your targets

Read More: Project Management Dashboard Examples & Templates

Making RAG status truly effective goes beyond adding colors—leveraging it strategically to drive clear, actionable insights. 

Here’s how to refine it: 

1. Get everyone on the same page

Make sure every team member understands the meanings of red, amber, and green. 

Integrate RAG status training into onboarding and hold regular workshops to keep everyone aligned, especially new hires. 

You can also create a database or repository for the project manager, team members, and stakeholders. This outlines what each color signifies, how statuses are determined, and what actions are expected. 

This minimizes misinterpretation and ensures that each status accurately reflects the project’s health.

Use ClickUp Docs to create accessible, up-to-date documents that evolve with your project. With features like version control and real-time collaboration, team members stay aligned and informed with the latest project details. You can also manage document permissions for secure access and insert elements like tables, images, and checklists to enhance functionality and clarity.

2. Use visuals and color coding

Incorporate color-coded visuals such as color bars, pie charts, or traffic light icons into your project reports. These let team members grasp the project status instantly—without having to read through detailed text. 

For example, a color bar next to each key metric (budget, timeline, resource allocation) gives a quick overview of the project’s current state. 

Also, keep the color scheme consistent throughout the report or documentation to avoid confusion and make it more intuitive and user-friendly.

3. Align with stakeholder expectations

During RAG status reporting, customize the information to fit each stakeholder’s needs and expectations. Here’s how: 

• Executives: Provide a high-level RAG status report on overall project health, major milestones, and critical issues. Use concise summaries and clear visuals for a quick snapshot
• Project managers: Share a detailed report for each project phase or task, including specific risks and action plans. Incorporate in-depth data, charts, and progress metrics to support detailed project management
• Team members: Offer granular updates for individual tasks, specific challenges, and next steps. Include detailed notes and actionable items to guide their daily work

This approach keeps your reports relevant and effective while providing each group with the information needed for smart decisions and effective management.

4. Provide context and explanations

Whenever you assign a red or amber status, include a brief explanation detailing why you selected it. 

This should highlight the potential impact of each status on overall goals and outline specific risks or issues causing them. Also, specify the actions being taken or planned to address the issues associated with red or amber statuses. 

This helps assure stakeholders of the project’s current status and the proactive steps taken to ensure continuity.

Now, let’s dive into how RAG status makes managing projects more intuitive and effective than ever.

1. Simplifies complex data

RAG status simplifies reporting by consolidating budget, schedule, resources, and other data points into a straightforward color-coded system. It visually highlights key issues and shows stakeholders if a project is on track, facing issues, or in trouble.

2. Enhances decision-making

RAG status immediately signals the need for attention and corrective action when a project is flagged as amber or red. This prompt visual cue facilitates quicker responses and proactive problem-solving.   

Making RAG status effective requires vigilance against challenges that can undermine its reliability and clarity. Here’s what to watch for: 

1. Misinterpretation of status

A project marked as amber might be seen as more critical than it actually is, causing unnecessary panic or overreaction. Or, confusing amber for green may result in ignoring emerging risks that could intensify.

To avoid this: 

✅ Define green, amber, and red statuses clearly so everyone gets it right and each color truly shows the project’s state

✅ Hold workshops, share guidelines, and use real examples to make sure everyone interprets RAG status correctly and consistently

✅ Review and adjust RAG criteria as project conditions change to keep them relevant and accurate

2. Inconsistent criteria application

Team members or departments often use varying standards to determine what qualifies as red, amber, or green.

For example, if one department flags a 5% budget overrun as ‘Red’ and another flags only over 10%, it leads to confusion and miscommunication about the project’s financial status.

To maintain consistency: 

✅ Agree on specific thresholds for each RAG status, like a project delay of more than ten days for ‘Red’

✅ Create detailed guidelines that specify these limits and distribute them to all relevant teams

✅ Conduct training sessions and regular review meetings to ensure all departments apply the same criteria consistently

Read More: 7 Project Management Challenges And How To Solve Them

Project management doesn’t have to be a struggle. With RAG status, you can reduce confusion and bring clarity to your projects. 

It acts like a GPS for your project—red signals roadblocks, amber warns of delays, and green means you’re moving smoothly. 

ClickUp takes this a step further by integrating RAG status into its suite of tools. It offers real-time insights for instant updates, customizable dashboards for tailored views, and easy-to-manage templates for streamlined tracking. 

This means no more sifting through endless spreadsheets or juggling between status updates. ClickUp guarantees your team stays aligned and proactively manages and responds to potential risks. Ready to simplify your project management? Start using ClickUp today .

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September 9, 2024 Posted by Pat Tully

How to Implement a PIM System: The Ultimate Guide

PIM serves as a central repository for all your product content and can assist in improving the quality of your product data, enhancing team communication, increasing sales, improving customer experience, and dramatically increasing return on investment. Now that you know the advantages of product information management, it’s time to learn about effectively implementing PIM system in the following details.

Sr. Content Marketing Manager

Prepare for PIM Implementation

Product information management, or PIM, is becoming more and more popular among sales and marketing companies as a way to enhance the customer experience with products, optimize workflows for product data management, and boost output. PIM design is a strong technology that may improve internal processes as well as increase sales and decrease product returns, but it’s crucial to use it correctly from the beginning.

To fully reap the benefits of PIM, you must prioritize not just selecting the best solution to suit your business goals, but also ensuring that it is implemented well throughout your entire organization and system orientation.

PIM Implementation Plan

There are just a handful of the opportunities made possible by a Product Information Management (PIM) system, of which many firms are already aware. But if the PIM connection is not done right, your product data gathering could stay inconsistent, erroneous, and useless. A well-organized PIM implementation procedure can help with many organizational benefits.

Every successful PIM deployment process includes data modeling, data checks, and KPI establishment. Also, there is the migration of data attributes, integration with other software, and setup. Proper implementation of PIM enables manufacturers, retailers, and brands to fully realize the potential of their product data. A PIM converts fragmented information into ready-to-go, reliable data for cohesive omnichannel experiences.

Entire organizational support and participation are crucial prerequisites for a successful PIM deployment.

The entire organization must support implementing a system intended to centralize product data for use by all. This entails reaching a consensus on the solution with important department heads. In turn, you ensure that executives recognize its benefits. In addition, it helps to create documentation for staff members detailing how it will be used and implemented.

How to Implement PIM

To make sure you know exactly how to implement product information management, include these steps in the PIM integration process:

Configuration

In the configuration process, you and the PIM vendor work together to customize the process and system to meet your unique needs. This entails laying out the data flow, the sources it will come from, and the authorized users who can access and edit it.

This is the time to gather all of the product information that is stored in your business files and systems and move it to your PIM. This includes mapping the data to the appropriate fields in the PIM, transferring the data, conducting a final quality assessment, and conducting a thorough audit of the current data.

Integration

This step synchronizes and prepares the data to be migrated and mapped. Consequently, you allow the PIM software to serve as the single source of truth for all systems. To make sure the PIM system meets the objectives of the business, extensive system testing is conducted at this point.

Measurement

Establishing KPIs to gauge the PIM’s effectiveness is another crucial step in a successful PIM integration. To determine the ongoing value that PIM is providing to your company, you will choose what metrics to compare against your goals and objectives.

Data Modeling

Every manufacturer, retailer, and brand has different requirements for the structure of a PIM data modeling phase. During this stage, PIM implementation is tailored to your unique product data and your plans to expand it as your firm grows.

PIM Implementation Methodology

A great PIM implementation methodology offers a comprehensive solution to companies of all sizes, operating iteratively with the following steps:

Planning : The client’s team and PIM experts work together during the planning stage of PIM deployment. During this phase, PIM experts schedule the tasks, create targets, and set deadlines. At the same time, they identify dependencies, data inaccuracies, and data inconsistencies that could impede the process.

Environment Setup: This process oversees email and inter-server connectivity, source control, code deployment, backups, data taxonomy, and other necessities. The ERP production environment and database code configuration changes may be easily tracked with this setup.

Requirement Gathering: This phase produces important papers like UAT test cases, integration specifications, and data model definitions.

Solution Design: In this phase of the PIM implementation, data mapping, work rules, and other project-specific modifications are included.

Solution Build: At this point, the PIM system is configured and tailored to the requirements of the client. Portable data migration samples are now essential resources for adding digital assets to the PIM system.

QA and End-to-End Testing: Performance, working, and integration testing are all included, and the resolution process is effectively managed with tracking tools in this part.

Data Conversion: Digital assets, reference data, and datasets are prepared and migrated into the PIM system.

Training : To ensure optimal usage of the PIM implementation, PIM experts provide thorough training to all users and project participants.

Hypercare : This ensures a successful PIM installation, with bug repairs, data cleanup processes, and user training.

Here is an example of an implementation process where the example brand is also leveraging Azure. Here, we’ve provided a step-by-step tutorial guide on how brands utilizing Azure can easily implement a PIM solution:

1.     Configuring PIM in Azure AD

To configure successful PIM implementation for the first time, you will require Global Admin privileges in Microsoft Azure. You will need a permit to utilize PIM when you first configure it for data migration. The Azure Portal will verify your tenant’s status when you go to Privileged Identity Management > Consent to PIM. After that, you can click the Consent button to start the procedure.

2.     Protecting Privileged Azure AD Roles

Click the Signup button to register for Azure AD Privileged Identity Management for Azure AD Directory Roles. Once the integration between PIM and Azure AD Directory Roles has been enabled, you can begin setting up the service for the Office 365 Admin Roles.

A different view, Group > Role view, allows all Role Groups to be inspected collectively inside Azure AD Privileged Access Management > Azure AD Roles > Members.

In addition to simply requiring users to activate their access when required, you can apply additional protection such as enforcing  MFA . To configure these settings, navigate to  Azure AD Privileged Access Management > Azure AD Roles > Settings.  From the main window select  Roles  and then the role you are looking to configure settings for, i.e. Exchange Administrator. From here you can select the following:

• Activation duration : Customize the length of time the activation of administrative roles lasts. The default duration is 1 hour but can be increased up to 72 hours.
• Notifications : Enable email notifications to members of the Privileged Role Administrator and Security Administrator groups when a user activates the admin role.
• Incident/Request ticket : Require users to provide a ticket/request number aligned with their requirement for the admin role.
• Multi-Factor Authentication : Require users to provide MFA after activating the role.
• Require Approval : Specifies whether a member of the Privileged Role Administrators or Security Administrators group is required to approve the activation.

Best Practices

These three best practices for successfully implementing PIM might help you decide whether to adopt a new PIM solution or learn how to implement a PIM for the first time.

Assign the PIM Project

To ensure that all of your business requirements are effectively communicated, your organization must create a PIM team. Assigning roles to team members based on project complexity, IT, and master data competency is necessary.

You will be connected as a user with your PIM Implementation Manager. This individual is in charge of the project architect to guarantee a smooth onboarding process and ensure compliance with the data governance policy. Even if a PIM provider can aid in a seamless system rollout, your staff has the most up-to-date knowledge of your business’s procedures.

Define the Project Scope

Making a data model ought to be the first step in the onboarding procedure of implementing product information management. The product data, its characteristics, and the intended catalog structure are all included in and explicitly defined in the data model. You may see a comprehensive picture of all the data that is pertinent to your business with the help of the visual depiction of your product data.

To ensure the PIM provider fulfills your business objectives, all the details of the data model and business structure should be covered in a meeting. As an alternative, you might send in a Request for Proposal with all of the details

Test the PIM Software

When implementing the PIM system and connecting different sales channels, you can use a selection of tools in PIM. These tools analyze and improve your product data synchronization, which will make your team’s work easier. Once completed, the PIM team in your company will have access to the test environment.

Now that the job has been finished, the team may check to ensure the data is organized to support the company’s goals. Your team alone determines when the tests will take place. It’s crucial to remember that the PIM provider will most likely hold initial training sessions for your team so that everyone is fully prepared for the testing environment.

PIM Implementation Guide

You might run into issues with data inconsistencies, onboarding users who are not technical, and managing the several stakeholders engaged in the process when using PIM. You may overcome these obstacles and ensure a successful PIM installation by collaborating closely with PIM system implementation partners.

When you implement product information management plan and select the appropriate PIM implementation solution, you may greatly improve your product data management, increasing sales and improving return on investment. Consider that since every company is different, the PIM implementation procedure will vary according to your particular requirements and objectives. Take this guidance as an introduction and modify it to fit your needs and those of your business.

Bottom line

Product information management implementation is helpful for the expansion of the business in all directions, facilitates flawless process execution, helps business managers overcome conventional obstacles, and permits the successful application of cutting-edge technology and contemporary business practices. PIM Implementation Plan is a component of managing products & business with comfort and excellence. Contact us at Pimberly , to avail the best PIM system in town.

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• Drive sales and deliver best-in-class online experiences.
• Increase revenue by reaching new channels and markets with confidence in your data.
• Give your teams a central hub to manage and update product data.

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