7 Project Management Styles

Project management involves the planning and organization of a company’s resources to move a specific task, event, or duty toward completing a project. This could involve a one-time project or an ongoing activity. The scope of project management has increased over time covering varied fields like healthcare, IT, engineering, and construction, and so forth. Irrespective of the industry, project managers tend to have the same task at hand; identify the goals and objectives of the project, allocate project components to the team, and ensure the quality of the deliverable components.?

What is Project Management?

In general, project management includes four key stages: planning, initiation, execution, monitoring, and closing. From beginning to end every project has an action plan, a budget, and a time frame. Project management ensures that the project runs smoothly, stays within budget and the result is delivered on time.

Types of?project management

There are several types of project management including:

1.?????Waterfall Project Management: this is a straightforward linear approach to project management where tasks are completed sequentially, and each phase must be completed before the next can begin. The waterfall approach requires clearly defined responsibilities for each member, which are not expected to change throughout the life of the project. This type of management style is ideal for long projects with well-defined requirements and a fixed scope.

2.?????Agile Project Management: this is an iterative approach to project management that focuses on flexibility and adaptability. Projects using this method have the liberty to adjust along the way. It breaks the entire work into smaller workable chunks that can be worked on simultaneously thereby decreasing the time required to complete a project. Agile is best suited for projects where requirements may change, and the scope may be adjusted over time.

However, it should be noted that agile is an umbrella term used for a set of principles rather than a different methodology and it can be further divided into two approaches: scrum and Kanban.

3.?????Scrum project Management: This is an agile framework that emphasizes teamwork, communication, and iterative development. It focuses on completing the work in short cycles called sprints, the teams have a daily stand-up meeting where the progress of the project is discussed, and issues are addressed. This approach maintains the quality of the project and is also flexible for changes as and when needed.?

4.?????Kanban Project Management: this is another agile framework that focuses on visualizing and managing the workflow. It mainly relies on the use of a Kanban board, which is a visual representation of the project’s workflow that helps to identify and resolve bottlenecks in the process. this approach is best for avoiding wasteful work and inconsistencies to increase efficiency and productivity. Although Kanban is primarily associated with software development it can also be used in other industries.

5.?????Lean Project Management: This management approach aims to minimize waste and optimize value by focusing on continuous improvisations. In short, it requires the project managers to identify the project’s value and what it means for the customer, then they deduce the sum of all necessary actions that would be required for the completion of the project and lastly, they eliminate all processes and actions that do not add value. This is an ongoing evaluation gathering customer feedback and improving as it goes. This is best suited for projects with a high degree of uncertainty or where speed is of the essence.?

6.?????Six Sigma Project Management: like the lean approach, Six Sigma is also about understanding the requirements of the customers, eliminating waste, and continuously improving to end with a high-quality deliverable. This approach focuses on four key aspects of a project: scope, time, cost, and quality. Although the Lean project management style ensures efficiency due to its structured nature it leaves little to no space for flexibility and innovation.?

7.?????PRINCE2 Project Management: this is a structured approach to project management that emphasizes the importance of planning, monitoring, and controlling the project. This requires projects to have a clear business justification, cost assessment, baseline requirements, clear allocation of responsibilities and roles, multiple phases of the project, and with plenty of time for quality control. It is best suited for complex projects involving multiple teams and stakeholders.

Knowing which style best suits your project needs will allow you to coordinate your team and the project effectively. You may also find that combining two or more styles of project management works in your and your team’s favour. In short, there is one size fits all way to manage a project, it is important to consider the skills and needs of your project, company, and teams and choose elements of project management styles accordingly.?