PM Styles In A Nutshell
Most people are aware that project management has become necessary in order to run a project smoothly, but it is also important to choose the right style of project management for your business and for your specific project. Here is a breakdown of the main types of project management:
Traditional
Traditional project management takes a phased approach, with a particular sequence of steps being carried out which lead to the completed project. There are usually five components to a project when this methodology is adopted and they are initiation, design, creation, monitoring and closing, although not every project will go through every stage and many projects will require additional stages, such as pre planning or concept designs. When related to software development traditional project management is often referred to the waterfall mode.
Critical Chain Project Management
The critical chain methodology puts more emphasis on the resources needed to complete a project as a whole and the tasks that make up the project, and applies the Theory of Constraints to project management. Critical chain project management varies from traditional in the way any uncertainty is managed. In traditional PM uncertainty is managed by over-estimating the time something takes, starting tasks as soon as possible and multi tasking, whereas in the critical chain model managing uncertainty is achieved by using averages to estimate durations, scheduling backwards from the required completion date and using buffers to allow room for movement and control the project plan.
Extreme Project Management
Extreme project management is a style often employed in cases of very complex or uncertain projects. It differs widely from traditional project management in that it has a much more elastic approach and is more concerned with the human elements of the project. This humanistic approach puts more emphasis on managing the interactions between the humans involved rather than on precise scheduling and formal timescales.
Whichever style of project management you decide to use project management software, can help your project run more smoothly. By adopting software with anissue tracker you can react to issues more efficiently.