"Having a system for managing projects without a methodology is like attaching a speedometer to a box of oranges, which measures nothing."
– Bryce's Law

The project management principles have been with us for long. There have been a number of bundled software project management introduced over the years, from mainframe-based commercial packages introduced back in the 1970s. Some who have been good, others are based on charlatanism. Some people naively buy such packages in the hope that it will be a panacea to cure all the ills of projects, that projects begin to arrive on time and on budget, simply because a certain tool was purchased. Inevitably, they are puzzled when projects still go wrong, even with the latest software. I think there are three reasons for this:

1. Companies are blinded by technology and fail to recognize the human dynamics involved with Project Management. Instead of working with people to successfully achieve their project tasks, are based entirely on numbers.

2. Businesses do not have into account all of the processes involved in Project Management and tend to attack in little by little. For example, there are interdependencies between the planning, estimation, planning, reporting and control. Attack only one of these problems that will inevitably have an adverse effect on others. In other words, firms do not reach to understand the comprehensive nature of project management and tend to attack the problem at hand, such as estimating and scheduling.

3. Companies believe Project Management is an end in itself, that by mastering the mechanics of project management, development projects will come on time and within budget. They are easily caught when they do not.

I refer to this last point, as the "tail wagging the dog" phenomenon. True, the project management mechanisms are important, but too often people forget that represents nothing more than the mark and meters for our business. To illustrate, a company using an assembly line process can effectively produce without the help of Project Management. The assembly line simply indicates the sequence agencies and work effort to produce a product. Project management can be applied to control the activity and identify slowdowns and work stoppages or acceleration of production, all of which may require corrective action by management. However, trying to implement project management without the line assembly is a futile exercise (which measures anything). In other words, the assembly line represents the roadmap which will begin and end our development efforts. Without the road map, Project Management is useless.

Ultimately, the assembly line represents the methodology for a project that defines who What task is performed, when, where, why and how (which we refer to as the 5W + H). Without a defined methodology, you simply can not do Project Management. Without the road map, you can not plan without a plan, we can not estimate or schedule without a budget or schedule, you can not determine if you are ahead or behind. Bottom-line: It starts with the road map.

Although occasionally companies may have a project using a single methodology that will run no more than once, most companies have standard and reusable methodologies used for different parts of the business. For example, a engineering methodology for a product such as cars essentially the same for all these projects. The same is true for the design and construction of a building, conducting customer service, finance management, laying out marketing campaigns, or the engineering company, systems and software. Unbeknownst to most, companies have a portfolio of reusable methodologies are often used in the projects.

Methodologies consist of a structure division of labor, which expresses the dependencies between steps in the project. Each methodology is commonly defined using different levels of abstraction that breaks the project in smaller, more manageable pieces, such as phases, activities and tasks. Thus, the methodology defines the 5-W + H. Other features include points review (for stop / go / review of decisions) and reference points used to justify the integrity of a step in the methodology. These objectives are take the form of "benefits" to quantify the integrity before proceeding to the next step in the project. Finally, a method includes an initial phase planning stages of vehicle for its implementation, and the final stage of review or audit. As an aside, Industrial Engineers have been developing methodologies for many years (long before the advent of computers).

The current fascination with the Project Management is healthy and should not be discouraged, but people should remember that it is only possible with an effective methodology is the Achilles heel of the project management. Without it, will inevitably lead in circles. All This may sound obvious, but as I discovered in this field, the obvious is not always obvious.

If you would like to discuss this with me in more depth, please please send me an e-mail.

About the Author:

Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor, Florida.
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

He can be contacted at: timb001@phmainstreet.com

Copyright © 2008 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Project Management Requires a Road Map

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