7 Popular Project Management Methodologies - Zenkit
7 Popular Project Management Methodologies - Zenkit
Dinnie Muslihat
Sydneysider in Southern Germany
March 9, 2018 · 11 min read
Every project manager knows that selecting the right methodology is crucial to getting the
job right. While there are project management methodologies a-plenty, we’ve narrowed it
down to seven popular ones and what they’re best suited for.
Let’s kick things off with a project management methodology definition, so that we’re all on
the same page:
They are essentially processes that aim to assist project managers with guidance throughout
the project, and the steps to take to completing the tasks. Different methodologies have
different strategies that aid in managing issues should they arise during the project’s
delivery.
One thing to keep in mind is that while there are a number of methodologies to choose
from, there is no such thing as the ‘right’ methodology. Meaning, there won’t be the one
methodology that is perfect to use for every single project. Projects vary in scope and
requirements, which means the right methodology to implement will also vary.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the more popular methodologies, and do our own project
management methodologies comparison.
1. Agile
One of the more recognizable project management methodologies, Agile is best suited for
projects that are iterative and incremental. It’s a type of process where demands and
solutions evolve through the collaborative effort of self-organizing and cross-functional
teams and their customers. Originally created for software development, it was established as
a response to the inadequacies of the Waterfall method (info on it later below), the processes
of which did not meet the demands of the highly competitive and constant movement of the
software industry.
Agile project management stems from the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto. A
declaration cemented in 2001 by 13 industry leaders, its purpose is to uncover better ways of
developing software by providing a clear and measurable structure that fosters iterative
development, team collaboration, and change recognition.
Made up of four fundamental values and 12 key principles, here’s what they are:
Values
1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Principles
1. Customer satisfaction through early and continuous software delivery
4. Collaboration between the business stakeholders and developers throughout the project
10. Simplicity
Because of its adaptiveness, Agile methodology is commonly used to deliver more complex
projects. It uses six main deliverables to track progress and create the product which are the
product vision statement, product roadmap, product backlog, release plan, Sprint backlog,
and increment. With these features, it establishes itself as a methodology that places an
emphasis on collaboration, flexibility, continuous improvement, and high quality results.
Best suited for: Projects that require flexibility and have a level of complexity or uncertainty.
For instance, a product or service that hasn’t been built by the team.
Agile is a methodology that has methodologies within itself, such as Scrum and Kanban.
While some may argue that they should be considered more as frameworks, they are used to
develop and deliver a product or service and carry their own set of characteristics and
terminology which I think makes them worthy enough to be included on this list.
2. Scrum
Scrum is comprised of five values: commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect. It’s
goal is to develop, deliver, and sustain complex products through collaboration,
accountability, and iterative progress. What distinguishes Scrum from the other Agile project
management methodologies is how it operates by using certain roles, events, and artifacts.
Scrum team roles
Product owner: Product expert who represents the stakeholders, and is the voice of the
customer.
Scrum master: Organized servant-leader who ensures the understanding and execution
of Scrum is followed.
Scrum events
Sprint: Iterative time boxes in which a goal is accomplished. Time frame does not exceed
one calendar month and are consistent throughout the development process.
Sprint planning: Where the entire Scrum team get together — at the beginning of every
Sprint — to plan the upcoming sprint.
Daily Scrum: 15 minute time boxed meeting held at the same time, every day of the
Sprint, where the previous day’s achievements are discussed, as well as the expectations
for the following one.
Sprint review: An informal meeting held at the end of every Sprint where the Scrum
team present their Increment to the stakeholders, and discuss feedback.
Sprint retrospective: A meeting where the Scrum team reflect on the proceedings of the
previous Sprint and establish improvements for the next Sprint.
Scrum Artifacts
Product backlog: Managed by the Product Owner, it’s where all the requirements
needed for a viable product are listed in order of priority. Includes features, functions,
requirements, enhancements, and fixes that authorize any changes to be made to the
product in future releases.
Sprint backlog: A list of the tasks and requirements that need to be accomplished
during the next Sprint. Sometimes accompanied by a Scrum task board, which is used to
visualize the progress of the tasks in the current Sprint, and any changes that are made in
a ‘To Do, Doing, and Done’ format.
Best suited for: Projects that consists of teams of less than seven people who need a flexible
approach to delivering a product or service.
3. Kanban
Kanban is another popular Agile framework that, similar to Scrum, focuses on early releases
with collaborative and self-managing teams. A concept that was developed on the
production line of Toyota factories in the 1940s, it is very visual method that aims to deliver
high quality results by painting a picture of the workflow process so that bottlenecks can be
identified early on in the development process. It operates on six general practices, which
are:
1. Visualization
3. Flow management
Kanban achieves efficiency by using visual cues that signal various stages of the development
process. The cues involved in the process are a Kanban board, Kanban cards, and even
Kanban swimlanes for those looking for that extra bit of organization.
Kanban board: What’s used to visualize the development process, a Kanban board can
be either physical (a whiteboard, sticky notes, and markers) or digital (like Zenkit’s online
project management tool).
Kanban cards: Each Kanban card depicts a work item/task in the work process. Used to
communicate progress with your team, it represents information such as status, cycle
time, and impending deadlines.
Kanban swimlanes: Flowing horizontally, Kanban swimlanes are a visual element on the
board that allows you to further distinguish tasks/items by categorizing them. Their
purpose is to offer a better overview of the workflow.
While there are no set rules of Kanban per-se, it works by using a Kanban board to represent
the stages of development from the beginning when ideas are produced, to the work in
progress, to when the work has been completed. The board’s basic structure is three columns
labelled as ‘To-Do, Doing, and Done’ — which is rather self-explanatory.
If Kanban is the project management methodology of choice, you get to use one of these!
Like most Agile frameworks, Kanban made its mark within the software development
industry. However, due to its flexibility it has gained traction in other industries, and is one of
a few project management methodologies that can be applied to any project that requires
continuous improvement within the development process.
Best suited for: Like Scrum, Kanban is fitting for projects with smaller teams, who need a
flexible approach to delivering a product or service. Kanban is also great for personal
productivity purposes.
4. Lean
Lean methodology promotes maximizing customer value, while minimizing waste. It aims to
create more value for the customer by using fewer resources. Stemmed from the Japanese
manufacturing industry, its values suppose that ‘as waste is eliminated, quality improves
while the production time and cost are reduced.’
It identifies three types of waste; muda, mura, and muri, also known as the 3Ms.
Muda
Muda is about getting rid of waste, and refers to an activity or process that does not add
value. It can either be something that is a physical waste of your time or something that is a
waste of your resources. Characterized as seven original wastes, they are:
2. Inventory: The work in progress (WIP) and stocks of finished goods and raw materials that
a company holds.
4. Waiting: The act of waiting for a machine to finish, for a product to arrive, or any other
cause.
5. Overproduction: Over producing product beyond what the customer has ordered.
Mura
Mura is about eliminating variances in the workflow process at a scheduling and operation
level so that everything flows evenly. For example, when publishing a magazine, if an editor
spends too much time editing an article, it means that the design team will have less time to
create the spread before the publishing deadline comes. Therefore, you would reduce the
editing time and ensure every department’s timeframe spent on the article is the same.
Muri
Muri is about removing overload so that the nothing slows down. It refers to managers and
business owners imposing unnecessary stress on their employees and processes due to
things such as poor organization, unclear ways of working, and using incorrect tools.
Best suited for: Often mistaken for specializing in manufacturing industries, Lean
methodology is ideal for any business or organization that is not looking for a process as
such, but is interested in transforming how they conduct doing business.
5. Waterfall
One of the more traditional project management methodologies, Waterfall is a linear,
sequential design approach where progress flows downwards in one direction — like a
waterfall. Originating in the manufacturing and construction industries, its lack of flexibility in
design changes in the earlier stages of the development process is due to it becoming
exuberantly more expensive because of its structured physical environments.
The methodology was first introduced in an article written in 1970 by Winston W. Royce
(although the term ‘Waterfall’ wasn’t used), and emphasizes that you’re only able to move
onto the next phase of development once the current phase has been completed. The
phases are followed in the following order:
2. Analysis
3. Design
4. Coding
5. Testing
6. Operations
Pre-Agile saw the Waterfall methodology being used for software development, but there
were many issues due to its non-adaptive design constraints, the lack of customer feedback
available during the development process, and a delayed testing period.
Best suited for: Larger projects that require maintaining stringent stages and deadlines, or
projects that have been done various times over where chances of surprises during the
development process are relatively low.
6. Six Sigma
Six Sigma is project management methodology first introduced by engineers at Motorola in
1986. It aims to improve quality by reducing the number of errors in a process by identifying
what is not working and then removing it from the process. It uses quality management
methods, which are mostly empirical and statistical, as well as the expertise of people who
are specialists in these methods.
There are two major methodologies of Six Sigma carried out by Six Sigma Green Belts and
Six Sigma Black Belts, and are supervised by Six Sigma Master Black Belts. They are DMAIC
which is used for improving business processes, and DMADV which is more for creating new
processes, products or services. The letters stand for:
There is also a Lean Six Sigma methodology which is committed to improving team
performance by systematically eliminating waste and reducing variation.
Best suited for: Larger companies and organizations that want to improve quality and
efficiency through a data-driven methodology.
7. PMI/PMBOK
PMI stands for the Project Management Institute which is a not-for-profit membership
association, project management certification, and standards organization. Through the PMI,
comes the PMBOK which is not quite a methodology but a guide detailing a set of standards
that characterize project management.
PMBOK stands for the Project Management Body of Knowledge and is a set of standard
terminology and guidelines for project management. It states that there are five process
groups that are prevalent in almost every project. They are;
1. Initiating: Defining the start of a new project or new phase of an existing project.
2. Planning: Where the scope of the project, objectives, and how the objectives will be
achieved.
3. Executing: Actually doing the work defined in the project management plan.
4. Monitoring and Controlling: When you need to track, review, and regulate the progress
and performance.
5. Closing: Concluding all activities across all Process Groups to formally close the project or
phrase.
Along with this, it includes best practices, conventions, and techniques that are considered
the industry standard. Regularly updating their guide to ensure that they echo the most up-
to-date project management practices, the PMBOK is currently up to its sixth edition which
was published in print and online in 2017.
Best suited for: Because it’s more of a reference guide than an actual project management
methodology, you can’t implement PMI/PMBOK to a project. However, it can be used for
when you want to weigh in on the best practices for your project.
. . .
You may find that more than one of the aforementioned project management
methodologies seem ideal for your project, or hey, none of them would work. What we’ve
provided is a simplified guideline to help you take the first steps of selecting the best
methodology for your upcoming project. The next step to take is to do further research and
then once you find the best match, pair it up with a great project management tool (ahem,
like Zenkit), and you’re all set.
Don’t forget to let us know which project management methodology worked best for you!
Cheers,
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What about PRINCE2? It seems to me that PMI and PRINCE2 are quite comperable, but PMI is more
common in US, while PRINCE2 in in EMEA region.
Very good overview btw, great work. 🙂
Thanks, Ivan 🙂
Ah yes, PRINCE2, perhaps I’ll have to include it in a revised version of this article. Cheers for the
tip!
Thanks, Prativa 🙂
Hi Aruni,
Establishing a retail shop seems to me something that may involve a few uncertainties and
surprises, so I would probably recommend something Agile as they provide leeway and flexibility.
Thanks .
Hi Dinnie, great article and very informative. I currently work in a company and we execute contract
both government and private contract. I was hired in February and there were 41 contract job being
worked on. Ranging from road construction to procurement/supplies etc. I am having a hard time
determining which methodology to use and how to track these projects. Most of them have been
completed.
Hi Chris,
Construction and procurement are traditionally associated with Waterfall, however, I would
advise to do further research on whether or not this would apply to your situation. Thanks for the
support 🙂
hye, what is the best methdology for gym management system? thank u
While I’m not all too familiar with gym management systems, I can recommend Kanban. It
provides great flow management and the board and cards used offer a visual structure to track
various tasks/items in the one place.
Cheers!
Thanks Nazima 🙂
Thanks for the article. It amazing how it articulates so much knowledge, on a succinct way and gives
to the user a quick and sufficient overview of the PM methods as well as the initial boost for a
further research deepening down, if needed. What do you would be the best mix methods or mix of
them in an ERP implementation such as SAP? Thanks in advance for your reply!
Thanks, Yannis!
I haven’t had any experience with ERP implementation myself, however, as they’re usually
complex projects, perhaps something agile would be ideal. This is the part where I would suggest
to do further research 🙂
Nice Info! Let me ask: and what about “CRISP-DM” methodology for Data Mining Projects? You
think is a good option for? Regards from Perú!
Hi Juanalfieri,
I can’t say I’m overly experienced with CRISP-DM, so I would recommend further reading
elsewhere. Thanks for the note though, I will look this up and perhaps include it in a revised
version of this article 🙂
Hi Good afternoon. could you suggest the best methodology for a project in putting up IT
infrastructure (Hardware setup).
Hi Jay 🙂
Considering a hardware setup is a pretty standard procedure, I would recommend something
along the lines of the Waterfall method. There’s a lot of planning and documentation involved, so
it could be fitting. Hope that helps!
Hii good afternoon……Nice Info……Which company use agile method for quality assurance in
software development?
Hi Nithya,
I’m sure many companies use agile methods for quality assurance in software development.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell you which exactly. Thanks for reading 🙂
Hi Dinnie,
first of all; I would like to thank you for the amazing article. secondly; If I have a design project
(architectural) do you think that the best methodology for that is the Aigle?
Thanks
Hi Samar,
Glad you enjoyed the article 🙂 Agile isn’t the most popular method to use for design projects,
however, if you feel that it could work for yours, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go.
Hi,
I did point out that they’re not methodologies but more guides that detail a set of standards that
characterize project management. Appreciate your comment. 🙂
ITIL, PYMBOK, PMI, Prince2. Lean, Waterfall, Six Sigma are solid methods, structures or libraries used
in conjunction.
Most of the other methodologies were invented due to the high cost of software development.
Agile is really done in non regulated areas due to the high cost of documentation vs development
so you find a great deal of in fighting in IT environments and then there are high rates of sacking
until you find a team that works well in agile, scrum, kanban together. These methods are more a
process requirements to me having studied most of the methods.
I am an IT specialist and I can tell you that any construction industry laughs at agile, scrum and
kanban. Only suitable for IT and it creates bullying and discrimination. If you enforce ITIL then much
of agile, kanban and scrum can be heaped into one name and that would be ‘continuous objectives’
which is not a project as the definition is one of a kind. The same type of software can be built
numerous different ways and therefore fails the once off unique definition.
Thank you for the concise explanation. I am currently in R&D and moving towards software
development. I was not familiar with any software development methodologies before. Your article
was very concise to get to know some of the well-known methodologies.
What methodology would you recommend for a corporate email implementation? The current
system needs updating to accommodate over 2,500 staff members.
Hello Dinnie,
I am from finance field. But for my project book i need information of agile methodology. As i’m
Non – IT background your article helps me to undestand it in a simple way & info which is in your
article helps me to write it on my project book. Thank You..!!
Glad you’ve found the article helpful. Appreciate your support, Aditi.
Is there a number I can reach you at. I am a general contractor submitting a bid on a large project
and I need to provide an awful lot of information on project methodology. I would really appreciate
if I could reach out to you for a quick call.
Hi Paul,
The best thing to do would be to send a quick email to [email protected] – our team will be able
to get back to you and set up a time to call.
Hi,
Could you please upload all of these as well ? ITIL, PYMBOK, PMI, Prince2. Lean, Waterfall, Six Sigma
(I know some of them are mentioned and some of them are not)
Hi Mitz, thanks for your suggestion. I’ll be sure to add it to our list.
If you have further feedback, I’d recommend sending them to our customer service team at
[email protected] 🙂
Hi Kiran,
Like most projects, it all depends. There are instances where Waterfall would be ideal, but then
there are other instances where agile methodologies would best suit. I would recommend doing
research beyond this article as we’re not too acquainted with hospital management. 🙂
Hi Donnie,
I’m an aircraft engineer and currently interested I’m learning and being certified in QM systems.
Now there is a lot of information available online on different methodologies being used hence too
much information is not helping. I am currently working in the manufacturing industry where all
sorts of vehicles are made.
So far I understand that the methodologies that will suit my industry would be six sigma, Kaizen and
LEAN; please do correct me if I am wrong or if there are others available which I have not
mentioned. Now with that said. I have 2 questions.
1. Which certification recommendations do you have for engineers in the manufacturing industry.
2. What methodology do you recommend for a startup manufacturing business and which
methodologies should they evolve to.
Regards,
Danish
Hi Danish,
Regarding certification, I would recommend enquiring with someone within the manufacturing
industry as they’d have more knowledge about this kind of stuff. As for methodology
recommendations, as you mentioned, LEAN and Six Sigma could work, but once again, I would
advise doing further research.
Brilliant overview or Synopsis. There is so much changing in project management world that it does
get confusing. This article does align all ducks in a row.
What about research projects in Information technologies? What is the typical approach or does it
very much depend on the type of domain of research?
Thanks
Hi Fernando,
The approach really depends on the type of domain of research. But I’ve found that agile
approaches are common.
Hello,
What applications are best and worst suited for the use of Agile principles?
What are the challenges in using this approach that Systems Analysts and Project Managers need to
be aware of?
Projects that require flexibility and have a level of complexity or uncertainty. For instance, a product
or service that hasn’t been built by the team.
Agile is a methodology that has methodologies within itself, such as Scrum and Kanban. While
some may argue that they should be considered more as frameworks, they are used to develop and
deliver a product or service and carry their own set of characteristics and terminology which I think
makes them worthy enough to be included on this list.
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