Whether you’re setting up a product, service, or a pork cutlet with white wine sauce, preparation can be the difference between success and failure.  With the recent recession and layoffs all round, you don’t want any failing projects on your plate.  In an era of online collaboration, time invested in selecting the proper project management tools and methodology can save enormous (and unaffordable) expenses down the line.  Time invested in choosing the right tools and methodology is therefore double-important, or important squared.  Here we take a look at three popular project management methodologies followed by links to several others that should be of interest.

1. GTD

“Getting Things Done” sounds like a shouted command, not an entire management/life philosophy, but David Allen defined the GTD strategy back in 2002 and it’s been going strong ever since.  The most important aspect of GTD based project management is realizing that while a partially-converted monkey brain is great at making decisions (especially if they involve bananas), it isn’t that good at remembering things.  This system stresses the proper use of task management tools to track all ongoing action items, freeing up the workers and management to actually get things done.

While GTD can be controlled entirely by pen and paper, web-based project management tools enable online managers to administer virtual/online projects with ease.  Armed with the right the project manager then makes decisions based on “six levels of focus.”  Which might sound like something you learn in a mountain temple before doing battle with an evil warlord, but is actually a way to gain perspective on timescales ranging from “right now” to “after the next Olympics.”

A key element contributing to the successful use of GTD is weekly reviews on each of these timescales.  With online workers scattered all over the globe, communications solutions like Skype can significantly ease these meetings.  The fact that you can record calls with Skype is enormously useful, enabling the manager to review any conclusions reached, acting on the GTD core principle of “Get it out of your head and onto something permanent.”

Gain some additional depth on the subject by visiting previous blog posts we wrote, one discussing how to use GTD within teams and the other discussing how to implement GTD within Qtask.

2.  Rational Unified Process (RUP)

The RUP (sounds like a body building supplement) was originally created by Rational Software as a software process PC desktop product. Later IBM bought the technology. The process itself was born out of collaborations between Ivar Jacobson, Grady Booch and James Rumbaugh in the mid 90s. Their idea was to study project failures and come up with a system of software best practices as a result of their research.

At the heart of the RUP are Roles, Work Products and Tasks. The Roles represent people by their attributes; such as skills, competences and responsibilities. Work Products are the results of an executed task, including all deliverables. Tasks are action items that are assigned to a Role (person) that provides a deliverable (Work Product).

RUP projects are executed within a lifecycle of four phases which are performed in iterations. The iterative phases are the Inception Phase, Elaboration Phase, Construction Phase and Transition Phase. In the Inception Phase the project is properly scoped (feature creep anyone?) and it is generally agreed upon to be the most important of the phases, as it determines whether or not the project will even move forward. The Elaboration Phase has the primary function of mitigating risk, while also creating a baseline framework for the entire project. During the Construction Phase the execution takes place. In a software project, for example, this means the code is developed. Finally, in the Transition phase, the deliverable is made available to the end user.

There are two parts of the RUP that specifically concern the project manager: Plans and Artifacts. There is the Phase and Iteration Plan and the Work Product (Artifact). In the Phase Plan the following plans are created: Measurement Plan, Risk Management Plan, Risk list, Problem Resolution Plan and Product Acceptance Plan. Whew…. that is a lot of planning! But, you know what they say: fail to plan, plan to fail. You won’t have that problem with RUP. For the Iteration Plan, you will get down to the details such as specific time frames, resources needed and tasks with assigned Roles. The Work Products (Artifacts) are the data collected from the execution of the plans. These reports are very important for accountability, communication and progress.

Find out more about the RUP here at its IBM home.

3.  SCRUM

SCRUM – a system first developed in order to create software.  SCRUM comes from the world of agile software development, meaning that its management practices are all about deliverables and adaptation to changing circumstances.

SCRUM first hit the public eye in 1995, and is so non-standard that it isn’t even an acronym – SCRUM is just capitalized because people think it looks more impressive that way.  The team management strategy of SCRUM is highly integrated, all those involved at all levels working together to deliver new generations of the product.  The idea is that a subset of the required features are chosen at “Sprint Meeting” and then set in stone.  The team works on those features and those features only, for a “Sprint Cycle” of up to a month, meeting every day to deliver updates and discuss problems.  Everybody acts together to move forward a little every day, passing items back and forth as they do – like a scrum in Rugby.

This means that the online project manager, or “ScrumMaster” (which sounds like something which requires a level 4 sword and three bags of dice to defeat), has to be on the case at all times.  Proper task management tools, especially for online collaborations, are crucial to keep the focus on the Sprint Tasks and track daily progress.  Communications options are critical, as the daily meeting aspect of SCRUM is integral to the success or failure of the project. Keep an eye out for a future blog post where we explain how to implement SCRUM with Qtask.

If you would like to delve deeper into SCRUM, we suggest that you check out the ScrumAlliance.

ROUNDUP

Following are some other Project Management Methodologies that we think are worthwhile to investigate:

• Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) – a compendium of generally accepted project management information and practices.
• Six Sigma – A business management strategy that focuses on the removal of the causes of defects and errors.
• Waterfall Model – A sequential process that traverses like a waterfall down seven phases.
• Spiral Model – A combination of top-down and bottom-up concepts.
• Rapid Application Development (RAD) – An iterative and incremental approach designed for fast and high quality deliverables. Check out Agile Software Development for similar methodologies.

CONCLUSION

So which team management strategy is the best?  If there were an answer to that, we wouldn’t have talked about these three and gave you the homework of reviewing our Roundup List.  The proper project management methodology is unique for each project; making the correct choice a minor art in itself. Picking the wrong one can lead to massive aggravation and wasted energy – because not only are you trying to force a square peg into a round hole, but as Project Manager you’ll be e-mailed (or poked with a sharp stick) every single time anyone has a problem with one of the pointy edges.

What project management methodologies have you found success with? Which were nightmares? Please share your stories in the comments.