An Obscurity or a Blessing? The Project Management Approach

Over the past decade, there has been a great deal of advancement in the field of project management. The outcome of a business initiative might have far-reaching consequences, either greatly enhancing the company's capacity to compete in the market or severely hindering its progress.

For a long time, people have dabbled with the concept of a structured approach to project management. As a result, the discipline of an organized approach to project management was something that almost every manager had to acquire. From inception to completion, every business or IT project follows the same defined processes according to that approach. Among those measures would be...

All projects must begin with a clear definition, followed by a thorough needs analysis and detailed requirements specification.

A cost-benefit analysis;
The scope of the project;
A timetable and budget for the project.
Specifications in depth Phases:
Planning
Execution
Closing

When all projects follow the same procedure and make use of the same reporting methods and tools, team members and project managers save time and effort since they learn to do it all the way through. In addition, by consistently applying the same procedures and criteria, an evaluation scale for the system's effectiveness may be created, which in turn enhances project teams' capacity to perform successfully over time.

It was inevitable that this standard operating procedure would be formalized and mature into a robust system capable of standardizing all projects. The "intuitive" aspect of evaluating a project's performance can be diminished by creating a standard industry-wide approach that mandates rigorous training and the use of identical terminology, tool sets, and success criteria.

Therefore, "the Project Management Method" was created so that all businesses could certify project managers once they had completed rigorous training in a standardized approach.

To what degree the PMM adds efficiency to the project management process or merely adds another layer of bureaucracy is heavily dependent on individual assessments of the method's efficacy and its implementation in the business world.

Applying an approach that is uniform across industries has several significant benefits. Customers can have faith that certified project managers will apply the system consistently across all company settings. Because certification tells businesses they can trust the PMM system to be executed appropriately, hiring skilled project managers becomes simpler.

The profession of project manager starts to adopt a level of professionalism comparable to that of lawyers and doctors when an external system of certification and evaluation of performance is put in place. Thus, the PMM movement is a sign of the development of the IT and project management fields as they strive for more oversight and responsibility.

Applying the PMM technique to individual projects is where the risks lie. A PMM-qualified manager can only keep his certification if all of his projects follow the same template. Due to their individuality, projects may not readily conform to the PMM methodology.

There is minimal space for modification or flexibility in the PMM system's rigorous documentation procedure, which is reliant on numerous meetings to prove that the project is meeting requirements. Since PMM is a sophisticated methodology, the necessary tool sets for process tracking can be both costly and complicated.

Because of the stringent requirements of the PMM system, the project's real business goals may take a back seat after its implementation. When following the PMM's guidelines, project managers risk becoming too invested in the technique and neglecting the business's best interests or the project's efficiency.

Because middle management has traditionally relied on their judgment and creative problem-solving abilities, the PMM's lack of space for individual judgment and creativity is problematic. Excessive expenses and burdensome requirements that neither the company nor the project profit from are brought about when the PMM methodology takes over the project process.