Understanding and Overcoming Limits of Project Methods

Introduction

A project management method is a set of principles, tools and techniques that are used to plan, execute, and manage projects. Project management methods help PMs lead team members and manage teamwork while facilitating team collaboration. While project methods (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, and Six Sigma) offer numerous advantages, they also have potential shortcomings. It’s important to understand at an extremely elevated level the limits of methods so you don’t fall into “analysis paralysis” at some point within a project.

Common Pitfalls in Utilizing Project Methods

• Working at too abstract and elevated of a level to be translated into workable processes.
• Ignoring current industry standards and best practices.
• Using nonstandard project conventions and terminology.
• Not having appropriate performance metrics.
• Not meeting crucial areas such as quality, risk, and communications.
• Facing business constraints such as commitments to partners, customers, or regulators.
• Managing infrastructure constraints such as capacity limitations, speed, or functionality.
• Relying too heavily on technology which may require training to use it properly.
• Leading teams in hybrid work environments which often includes different time zones.
• Overextending reliance on functional managers and their resources.
• Dealing with the consequences of external vendors not delivering on time.
• Taking too long to execute because of bureaucracy and administration.
• Overlapping authority and responsibility between top management and project management, which adds a layer of complexity.
• Working with an inadequate project scope that does not call out items excluded from coverage.
• Facing challenges of your project being of low priority to the client.

Keep in mind while working on a project there can be changes in organizational priorities and ongoing advances in technology (e.g., impact of AI) while methods are changing for developing new products. This may contribute to the volatility of the project’s goals and operating constraints. Everything can be made obsolete in an instant and it’s hard to pivot late in the process. When executing a project, one should learn how to manage uncertainty gracefully and benefit from it.

In recent years, most organizations have moved away from a single standard method to multiple methods like Waterfall and Agile. This has happened because the nature and variety of projects have dictated different approaches within the same overall agenda. Every year, we are expected to become more efficient and more effective, and that requires a highly flexible approach within an evolving agenda. Added inflexibility will be just as certain to fail as the absence of any constant approach.

Summary

An effective project development method is not just about focusing on life cycles, but about shortening a company’s strategic goal delivery life cycles. No matter how efficient a company is, it needs to adapt constantly to maintain a successful market share. In today’s format, we see the current project strategies as representing a project management compromise in trading off risk for time. With any project, there are limitations and risks that need to be addressed. Proper planning supports successful delivery, but it is also necessary to move forward. Knowing how and when to do this is an art form for project managers.

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