The PM Approach Every Guru is Following

Project Management is a Broad Field, connected closely with Top Management in any Company. Project Managers should have good experience in Business Analysis, with high command of Monitoring & Control of KPIs.

PMI-PMBOK defines a Standard Process & Best Practices for Project Management. PMBOK is divided into 10 key Knowledge Areas for a Complete Control over Project, 1) Integration Management, 2) Scope Management, 3) Time Management, 4) Cost Management, 5) Quality Management, 6) HR Management, 7) Stakeholder Management, 8) Communication Management, 9) Risk Management, and 10) Procurement Management.

Each Knowledge area runs through Five Major Project Management Processes or Lifecycle: 1. Initiation, 2. Planning, 3. Execution, 4. Monitoring & Control, and 5. Closure.

Time Management is the Most influential area of Project Management on Project Success, yet completing a Project respecting Schedule Constraint is still a daily challenge. The Project Management Triangle, consisting of Time, Cost and Scope represents a triple constraint for a Successful Project. Managing three areas of a Project leads to Project Success, however one can not achieve all three constraints.

Scrum is a Framework within Agile Mindset which proposes Process and Principles for Project Management. The Main Concept of Scrum is to Deliver Complex Projects Iteratively to Customer, Receive Customer Feedback to Improve Delivered Product.

Scrum defines Development Team as Small, Self-Organizing, Cross-Functional and Autonomous, who needs to Breakdown Requirements into Tasks and Plan Sprint Activities into Sprint Backlog. To Track their Progress, Sprint Team hold Daily Scrum Meetings to Update the Status and Progress of Sprint Tasks to Facilitate the Creation of Burndown Charts, and Perform Retrospectives at End of each Sprint.

Scrum does not fit neatly into Dynamic Creative and Strategic Agencies, where Fixed Budgets, Timelines and Scope form a burden to flexibility for Scrum Self-Managing Team. Many agencies adopt Scrum Concepts and integrate Fixed Timeline, Budget and Scope Constraints into a Hybrid Project Management Approach - Small, Self-Organizing and Cross-Functional Teams with Daily Standup Meetings and Retrospectives.

In the Hybrid Project Management Approach, Software Architect acts as Product Owner (Technical Scope) who is the sole person responsible to define Software Architecture and Feature List with Prioritization and Technical Risks. Software Architect facilitates the Understanding of Requirements to best meet Customer Objectives and Goals.

Project Manager plays the role of Product Owner (Management Scope) and Scrum Master, where Planning is Outlined in Early Project Phases by Project Manager, based on estimation of SW Architect and adapted on Project Team needs.

While Waterfall Project Management assumes all Phases are Sequential, Hybrid Project Management Approach assumes Bits of Parallel Work. Mockup Software can be Prepared while Requirements and Design are Freezed. Modular Programming can be of Benefit, and Modules to be Integrated by SW Integrator at the end of each Sprint.

Then, Planning is Adapted as Baseline Meetings in Sprint Planning Phase, based on Re-prioritization and Progress, before each Delivery. To Track Progress and maintain Task Visibility, KanBan Boards are used, and updated in Daily Meetings for Reporting. Burn Down Charts or Earned Value Management are Updated Real-Time for Budget/Schedule Monitoring & Control.

Deliveries are handled based on Features, to simulate Sprints. Each Sprint includes the delivery of one or more Features, that are agreed upon with Customer, based on Prioritization of Software Architect. Features should be a Functional Shippable Product.

At end of each Sprint or Release, Retrospective Meeting is held between Project Stakeholders to discuss Lessons Learned.