1.3 Project Methodology

Level 6
Certificate
in
Project Management
Ing. Norman Zammit
1
LO1.3 Certificate in Project Management
Project Methodology
Section 1.3 of Unit
 Your Learning Outcome:
Be able to analyse business objectives to identify

potential projects, their feasibility and methodology
which may be used.
2
Agenda for the Section 1.3 of Unit
 The range of project management methodologies

 Traditional vs. modern approaches
 The use, advantages and advantages of each model
3
Project Failure
PROJECTS FAIL ALL THE TIME!!!
According to a recent Standish Group
report only 36% of the projects succeed in
meeting the requirements.
There are a number of reasons why

projects fail.
In project management, without adequate

requirements and objectives, projects are
subjected to,
•Scope creep
•Budget overruns
•Delays
A simple way to avoid this, is through the

use of project management frameworks
and methodologies.
4
Project Methodology Definition
 Project methodology is essentially a set of guiding principles

and processes for managing a project and guide the team
through the development and execution of the phases,
processes and tasks throughout the project management
cycles
 The methodology you choose will depend on your team,

project type and project scope.
5
Why Project Methodology is Important?

(1)
Project management methodology is:
 a must-have component in the project management
framework to avoid failure of project and reduce risks
 crucial to getting the project successfully finalized
 the core competency of the management team
6
Why Project Methodology is Important?

(2)
Project Management Methodology helps to:
 define the needs of stakeholders
 establish a common ‘language’ which is understood by the
team
 provide with complete, accurate and credible cost estimates
 applying a common methodological approach in achieving
every tasks
 spot and resolve conflicts in early stage
 produce and hand over expected deliverables
 implement quickly the solutions and lesson learned
7
Selecting the Methodology for your

Project
 1. Evaluate the project
 2. Evaluate your team
 3. Evaluate your organization
 4. Evaluate your stakeholders
 5. Evaluate your tools
Choosing the right methodology is important because it defines how we work. It

provides the structures that can guide us toward project success or failure. Thus
knowing our project, our team, the organisation preferences, the stakeholder
requirements and tools available is fundamental to chose the right methodology to
adopt
8
Project Evaluation
 Project budget
 Timeline
 Size and complexity
 Stakeholder expectations
 Project type and industry
9
Team Evaluation
 Team experience
 Training
 Self-organization
 Team preparedness
 Team location (remote, on-site, etc.)
10
Organization Evaluation
 Past records and experience with different methodologies

 Culture
 Organization hierarchy
 Level of flexibility
 Organization maturity level
 Organization size
 Available resources, including internal and external resources
 Your industry
11
Stakeholder Evaluation
 Stakeholder involvement – feedback on regular basis from the

stakeholders
 Stakeholder requirements – what do they require from the

project
12
Tools Evaluation
 List of all software tools currently in use or accessible

 List their limitations and capabilities
 Compare their capabilities against the requirements for a
specific PM methodology
13
Traditional vs. Modern Approaches
14
Types of Methodologies
 Traditional Approach - Waterfall
 AGILE
 Hybrid
 Scrum
 Critical Path Method (CPM)
 Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
 Integrated Project Management (IPM)
 PRISM
 PRINCE
15
Types of Project Management Methodologies
A schema showing the types of project management methodologies—some are based

on themes, some on principles, processes, standards, or a combination.
16
Frameworks
 A thinking tool providing past experience &

knowledge – good practice guides
 A comprehensive method / way of working,

adaptable to various types of projects. – NOT
FOLLOWED TILL THE DOT.
 Provide quality assurance over the process (QA

checklists) – NOT PROCEDURES 17
Frameworks
 Assist in project planning & process control
but do not substitute management
experience.
 Still require management to adapt the
framework to own needs;
 Used to implement common standards,
assisting communication catalysing teamwork
& delegation.
18
Framework Structures
 Modular
 phases
 Actions
 May feature quality assurance processes and
requirements
 Typically wide, calling for customisation for a project or
internal standards
 Feature core techniques, albeit flexible
 Alive & periodically reviewed as learning grows
 May feature specialist / industry extensions for specific
situations
(construction, government projects, IT) 19
Key Frameworks
Framework Aspects
PMI – BOK  Project Management Institute – Body of Knowledge (2004)
 Very comprehensive, somewhat inflexible.
 US standard.
APM - BOK  Association of Project Management Body of Knowledge.
 UK counterpart to PMI.
GDPM  PricewaterhouseCoopers.
 Practical, simple and flexible.
PRINCE2  UK Government (1996) but privatised
 becoming the UK (BSI) standard & commercialised
Critical Chain  Based on Theory of Constraints
 Eliyahu Goldratt
20
What Framework then?

 Simplest
 Right Checklists and Quality Assurance
 Flexible – especially for small projects
 Low cost
 Regular updates
 Sound principles as a basis
 Field practice basis – best fit
21
Techniques & Tools

Do not rush to use tools upon conceptualising a plan!
Quality Quality Assurance

Quality Control Organisation
Purpose Attitude breakdown structure
(beneficial (OBS)
change/revenue) Responsibility charts
Scope Organisation
Time
Network, PERT
Work Breakdown Structure Bar Chart, GANTT
Responsibility Chart
Cost Breakdown Structure

Cost Cost Control Cube 22
Choosing the Right Tools

 A matter of BALANCE:
 Price vs. Sophistication
 Project complexity vs. software
 Cost of training, learning curve with cost of licences
 Computer systems are an option not a
necessity
 Sometimes the best tools are personal
productivity tools and pre-defined forms and
templates.
23
When to use Methodologies and

Frameworks
Use Frameworks when:
 Working in a small organization and managing small scaled
projects or working in creative industry, it’s better to adopt a
framework which provides room for creativity.
Use Methodologies when:

 Working in large organizations and managing large scaled projects
 Because if large organization has a framework only to guide its

employees, the employees will inevitably make different choices
although they are using the same framework and there will be
definitely a lack of consistency and poor monitoring procedures.
24
Waterfall Features
Traditional project management is a methodology where
projects are run on:
 a sequential cycle/fixed sequence:
 initiation
 planning and design
 execution
 monitoring, controlling and evaluation
 Closure and post-evaluation
25
Waterfall Features
Waterfall methodology is:
 a linear processes – that stresses the importance of
documentation, upfront planning and prioritization
 with fixed requirements
 progress flows downwards in one direction
 where you are not able to move onto the next phase of
development once the current phase has been completed
 Deliverable of one phase is the input to the nexr
26
Advantages of Waterfall
 Ease to understand and use - more straightforward
 Division between stages helps organize and divide work
 Ease to manage due to the rigidity of the model – each phase
has specific deliverables and a review process
 Project requirements defined from start with specific
deliverables for each phase.
 Phases do not overlap – they are processed and completed on
at a time
 Progress is measured more easily
 Easy for new resources to move in and work the project when
needed
27
Disadvantages of Waterfall
 Requirements set at the beginning are frozen.

 The lack of flexibility – makes it a poor choice for long and
complex projects – should you have failed to understand and
analyse requirements correctly, the project final outcome is
at risk
 High risk – the rigidity of this methodology increases the risk
of project failure since it cannot adapt to change
 High costs – if any failure occurs once the product is
developed, then the cost of fixing such issues are very high
 Not much of a feedback loop
28
Waterfall Works Best For...

 Short and simple projects
 Projects with clear and fixed requirements
 Product definition is stable
 Technology is understood
 Projects with changing resources that depend on in-depth
documentation
 Less customer interaction is involved in the development of
the product – which only can be demonstrated to the end
users once it is ready
29
Benefits of Traditional Methodology
 Clearly defined objectives

 Controllable processes
 Clear documentation
 More accountability
30
AGILE
The AGILE methodology has the following features:
 More focus on individuals and interactions than processes
and tools
 Relies heavily on teamwork and collaboration
 Working software is more important than comprehensive
documentation
 Flexibility to respond to change as quickly as possible
 The process should respond to change rather than blindly
following a plan
 Customer collaboration is more vital than negotiation
31
Advantages of AGILE Methodology
 Flexibility and freedom – having no fixed stages or focus on requirements,

it gives resources much more freedom to experiment and make
incremental changes
 Lower risk – the risk of project failure is lower since the stakeholders are
involved at every step of the project and thus team management is
provided with regular feedback from stakeholders
 Improves quality of product with continuous involvement of customers

and transparency.
 Increased project control
32
Disadvantages of AGILE Methodology
 There is no clear end of project (no definite scope)

 Products lack overall design
 Needs experienced people
33
Waterfall vs. AGILE

 Sequential/linear vs.
Iterative
 Fixed vs. non-fixed time &
budget
34
Hybrid Methodology
 Hybrid Project Management combines methods and

tools from traditional project management with
Agile processes, creating a method which is both
detailed and fast
35
Hybrid Management
36
Hybrid Management
An example
Specific requirements:
- The project required meeting some defined cost and schedule milestones
- However, the customer wanted to take an Agile approach to defining the requirements.
Response:
Managed Agile Development a framework that would satisfy two seemingly inconsistent goals.
The framework consisted of two levels:
Layer Description
The “Macro” level was the outer envelope of the project. It

Macro Level was focused primarily on managing overall contractual
requirements
Within that “macro level” envelope, we were still able to

Micro Level implement a fairly flexible Agile development approach at
the “micro-level”
37
Hybrid Management
An example
•The macro-level framework is a plan-driven
approach. It is designed to provide a
sufficient level of control and predictability
for the overall project. It defines the outer
envelope (scope and high-level
requirements) that the project operates
within.
•Within that outer envelope, the micro-level

framework utilizes a more flexible and
iterative approach based on an Agile/Scrum
approach. It is designed to be adaptive to
user needs
38
Advantages of Hybrid Methodology

Naturally, there are trade offs between:
•The level of agility and flexibility to adapt to change at the “micro-level” and
•The level of predictability and control at the “macro-level”.
Increasing Predictability and Control

•Beefing up the macro-level,
•Providing more detailed requirements at that level, and
•Implementing at least a limited amount of change control
Increasing Agility
•You can simply eliminate the macro-level altogether or limit it to only very high-
level requirements
•Other elements of the framework can be easily customized or eliminated
depending on the scope and complexity of the project and other factors
39
Disadvantages of Hybrid Methodology
 Requires compromise – as both opposite methods need to

reconcile on requirements and flexibility
 Neither full flexibility nor fixed procedures – a risk to be taken

in consideration
40
Hybrid Management Works Best For…
 Multi-project environments whereas an overview of status,

necessary decisions and delivery dates is continuously
required
 Best-suited for projects that have middling requirements
when compared to Agile and Waterfall – which require
structure as well as flexibility
 Medium-sized projects with moderately high complexity but
fixed budgets
41
Critical Path Method (CPM)
 This method allows categorizing all activities needed to

complete the project within a work breakdown structure. This
also allows you to map the projected duration of each activity
and the dependencies between them, and map out activities
that can be completed simultaneously, what activities should
be completed before others can start.
42
Critical Path Method (CPM)

How does it work:
 Specify each activity

 Sequence the activities (noting their dependencies)
 Draw the network diagram (graphical representation of the activities with a box
for each activity and arrows to link between)
 Estimate each activity duration
 Identify the critical path (the longest route through the network and delays in
any activity will lengthen the project)
 Update it to show progress (planning tool)
43
Advantages of CPM
 Better scheduling – the emphasis on mapping the duration of

activities and their interdependencies help you schedule tasks
better
 Prioritization – the success of CPM methodology depends on
identifying and mapping out critical activities and non-critical
activities. This helps to prioritize resources better.
 Helps understand the logic of your project and the duration.
 Plan track and display the progress of your project.
44
Disadvantages of CPM
 Scheduling requires experience – the lack of real-world

experience with scheduling will affect the miscalculation time
for each activity
 Lack of flexibility – like the Waterfall method, CPM is front-
heavy – since the management team needs to plan everything
out at the very start, this method is unsuitable for projects
with changing requirements
45
CPM Works Best For…
 This methods is best suited for projects with interdependent

parts. If your project requires tasks to be completed
simultaneously, or for one task to end before another can
begin, the use of this method is helpful
 It finds a lot of application in complex, but repetitive activities

such as industrial projects
 It is not suitable for a dynamic area such as creative project

management
46
Critical Chain Project Management

(CCPM)
 This method focuses on resource management
 It is developed as an alternative to the Critical Path Method
 With CCPM the management team works backward from the
end goal, recognizing first the deliverables, then use past
experience to map out the tasks required to complete the
project. Mapping out the interdependencies between
resources and allocate them accordingly to each task
47
Critical Chain Project Management

How does it work?
 Works using the Theory of constraint – Eliyahu Goldratt
 Give buffers to protect the project – project buffer (work
stream buffers for critical path), feeder buffer for non critical
paths, resources buffer (capacity, capability or availability).
48
Advantages of CCPM
 Resource-efficient – the entire focus is on proper resource

management
 Focused on end goal – prioritize good enough solutions over

optimum solutions to a problem, yielding better results fro
complex projects
49
Disadvantages of CCPM
 Not suitable for multi-project environments – since this

method is resource-focused, it can only work in single-project
environments. Thus this method is not suitable for projects
that share resources
 Delays are common – padding between tasks to derive a task

time length
50
CCPM Work Best For…
 Single-environment projects where resources are devoted to

a single project
 Ideal for resource-strapped project teams
51
Integrated Project Management - IPM
 Most common in creative projects/industries

 Emphasizes sharing and standardization of processes across
the organization
 By integrating processes across the organization gives project
managers better insight into the project and access to the
right resources
52
Advantages of IPM
 Transparency – integrating processes across the organization

improves transparency within the organization. IPM focuses
on team members documenting and meeting regularly, which
helps keep everyone in the loop
 Accountability – the entire team is responsible for the project

– no team member can operate in silo
53
Disadvantages of IPM
 Requires extensive upfront planning and ensure all processes

are well-integrated
 This increases the odds that can lead to delays
54
IMP Works Best For…
 Large agencies with diverse teams and processes

 Complex creative projects where you need resources from
multiple teams and departments
55

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Level 6

Ing. Norman Zammit

 Your Learning Outcome:

Be able to analyse business objectives to identify

Agenda for the Section 1.3 of Unit

 The range of project management methodologies

There are a number of reasons why

In project management, without adequate

A simple way to avoid this, is through the

Project Methodology Definition

 Project methodology is essentially a set of guiding principles

 The methodology you choose will depend on your team,

Why Project Methodology is Important?

 crucial to getting the project successfully finalized

 the core competency of the management team

Why Project Methodology is Important?

Selecting the Methodology for your

Choosing the right methodology is important because it defines how we work. It

 Past records and experience with different methodologies

 Stakeholder involvement – feedback on regular basis from the

 Stakeholder requirements – what do they require from the

 List of all software tools currently in use or accessible

Traditional vs. Modern Approaches

Types of Project Management Methodologies

A schema showing the types of project management methodologies—some are based

 A thinking tool providing past experience &

 A comprehensive method / way of working,

 Provide quality assurance over the process (QA

What Framework then?

Techniques & Tools

Quality Quality Assurance

Cost Breakdown Structure

Choosing the Right Tools

When to use Methodologies and

Use Methodologies when:

 Because if large organization has a framework only to guide its

 Requirements set at the beginning are frozen.

Waterfall Works Best For...

Benefits of Traditional Methodology

 Clearly defined objectives

Advantages of AGILE Methodology

 Flexibility and freedom – having no fixed stages or focus on requirements,

 Improves quality of product with continuous involvement of customers

 Increased project control

Disadvantages of AGILE Methodology

 There is no clear end of project (no definite scope)

Waterfall vs. AGILE

 Hybrid Project Management combines methods and

The framework consisted of two levels:

The “Macro” level was the outer envelope of the project. It

Within that “macro level” envelope, we were still able to

•Within that outer envelope, the micro-level

Advantages of Hybrid Methodology

Increasing Predictability and Control

Disadvantages of Hybrid Methodology

 Requires compromise – as both opposite methods need to

 Neither full flexibility nor fixed procedures – a risk to be taken

Hybrid Management Works Best For…

 Multi-project environments whereas an overview of status,

Critical Path Method (CPM)

 This method allows categorizing all activities needed to

Critical Path Method (CPM)

 Specify each activity