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Developing a Project Management Methodology

Lindsey Blake

Colorado State University Global

PJM500: Project Management

Amir Al-Nizami, Ph.D.

August 20, 2023

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Developing a Project Management Methodology

There are an array of project management methodologies outlined the PMBOK and used

all over the world is major industries by project managers. Generally, project management

methodologies are a set of principles that organize and guide workflow to achieve project goals

(Kerzner, 2022). Methodologies range from traditional methods which typically follow a linear

and fixed path, or new models referred to as agile which lend some flexibility to the project life

cycle.

The Project Life Cycle

Project life cycles are heavily dependent upon the delivery method and chosen

methodologies. However, the PMBOK Guide (2021) describe common phases in a project life

cycle:

Feasibility Phase determines the validity of the project and it’s impact on the business structure,

the feasibility phase also determines if the organization has the capacity to execute the project

based on available resources.

Design Phase consists of the planning and analysis needed to specify project deliverables.

Build or Construction Phase is the phase where the project is executed. This phase requires

monitoring and control measures to ensure the project is being delivered per the design

specifications.

Test Phase is carried out to ensure final acceptance by the customer. During this time, the project

team will conduct a punchlist to ensure all work packages are met with the intended quality and

code requirements.

Deploy Phase is when the deliverables are put into use. This phase is when organizations realize

the benefits of their investment and begin to utilize what has been created.

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Closeout is the final phase of the life cycle. Retainage is paid, contracts are closed, and resources

are released to other projects.

The conclusion of each phase requires an assessment known as a phase gate. The

assessment checks to make sure that desired outcomes were met before moving on. The key to

the phase gate is to attach a performance indicator or metric. This provides the project team and

customer with tangible evidence that the project is ready to move to the next phase.

Enterprise Project Methodology (EPM)

An Enterprise Project Methodology (EPM) is generally classified as a set of initiatives

aimed at improving project management effectiveness through a standard set of processes to

streamline projects across a companywide scale (Hornby, 2000).

Exhibit 1 shows how delivery management and project management intersect to become the

EPM.

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The elements that make up an effective EPM typically consist of how an organization will

handle: risk, estimating costs and schedules, project reviews, time accoutning, and information

systems.

Project Management Office (PMO)

The PMBOK Guide – Seventh Edition, defines the Project Management Office (PMO) as

a strucutre that standardizes and facilitates the processes, methodlogies, tool, and techniques

related to project management within an organization. The PMO is mean to support project

management through shared resources, often through the use of templates, shared best practices,

and standards on how projects will be delivered. The PMO ensures that projects are delivered

with common quality throughout and organization.

Case-Study

Many Requests for Proposals (RFP) or project solicitations require firms to provide their

project management methodology or project approach. The company in the case-study has relied

heavily on templates from the PMBOK Guide. John Compton, the president of the company, has

requested that his team to develop a methodology that can be communicated to potential clients.

As the PMO was formed and the team began to define methods, policy and common

procedures that all project managers would follow to ensure consist delivery of projects.

When characterizing the project life cycle phases noted in the case study, we see that the

PMO broke the process into 5 initial steps.

The first step was to define how many phases their methodology would consist of, the

team defined up to six life-cycle phases which aligns with the PMBOK Guide’s suggestion of

Feasibility to Closeout.

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The second and third steps can be characterized as defining the delivery method.

The team would need to select a traditional or agile method of delivery and ultimately made the

decisions to develop a standard set of documents that could be tailored to each project.

The fourth step can be placed in the closeout phase of the life cycle, where

projects are reflected upon. Lessons learned are documented and the project team captures best

practices using the EPM system.

The fifth step that was laid out by the team is to train their project managers on

the new methodology, which can be characterized by commissioning the new processes.

Conclusion

Projects that follow a processed based approach laid out by the PMO, and kept with the

EPM, will be more structured and will have consistent delivery from project to project. The PMO

should be a shared resources space where project managers can seek guidance, templates, and

lessons learned. The set of shared resources is known as the The PMO and EPM typically

follows the defined phases of the PM life cycle will guide the project team on both traditional

and agile delivery methods.

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References

A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide) (7th ed.). (2021).

Project Management Institute.

Hornby, R. (2000). Building effective enterprise project management (EPM) Paper

presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, Houston,

TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Kerzner, H. (2022). Project Management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and

controlling. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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