Open source project management

Methodology

Hello again. Picture is a so called swimlane diagram of an open PM2 Methodology promoted by PM2 Alliance. Quote from the site: "Founded by PM2 practitioners, the Alliance brings together individuals from institutions, companies and the academia to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field’s challenges while promoting the wider adoption of the PM2 Methodology."

Why am I writing about open project management methodology? Quoting again certain points of the PM2 Manifesto: "We, the Signatories of the PM2 Manifesto:?

BELIEVE THAT

• the future of project management depends on the community of project managers working together

...

As members of the PM2 Alliance, we will:

...

• evolve PM2 to cover the PM community’s needs through the coordinated involvement of the community itself."

People working in projects need to share their knowledge for the advancement of the profession. There is a lot of project management guidelines and templates available for those who want to implement the PM2 Methodology. You can by the way sign the Manifesto, if you agree on the statements.

My previous blog post was about the mindsets. Quoting again the PM2 Manifesto:

"As members of the PM2 Alliance, we will:

...

• advocate the establishment of the PM2 Mindsets as an essential dimension of effective project management and team behaviour."

Mindsets are an essential part of effective project management. Quoting the PM2 Mindsets article: "Mindsets are guidelines for adapting management processes and behaviours to the situation."

The message here is that project management is not only about following procedures, applying tools & techniques or filling in templates. When it becomes nothing more than a layer of bureaucracy, it produces the exact opposite of the intended effect.

Tools

Similarly there are open source project management tools - like OpenProject, whose community plan is free. That plan is available, if OpenProject is installed on own server (on-premises).

Maybe not so surprisingly OpenProject has joined forces with PM2 Alliance. In this case the tool and methodology support each other as said on the site: "A fool with a tool remains a fool. But project management without a good tool is slow, bureaucratic and inefficient."

If you are interested in developing the OpenProject and have necessary skills for that feel free to contribute.

Getting involved

People who want to participate can volunteer or join the PM2 Alliance. There is also a minimalist and open project management system P3.express for those who are looking even simpler PM model.

Welcome to the growing community of project management, whether as part of PM2 Alliance or as a P3.express practitioner.