Does methodology matter for Cottage PM?

There’s been an interesting debate in the PM space for a little while. As Agile development practices continue to expand, there’s a natural tension as both the PM camp and the Agile camp try to figure out how mesh their methodologies. The debate centers around core differences in the traditional PM approaches and the new Agile approaches to managing a software development project. (There’s even the more pedantic discussion about what is  a “methodology” and what we can call a “methodology,” but that part isn’t interesting to me.)

The debate’s been going on long enough now that the community is beginning to come to some consensus (just beginning to, mind you). The most promising outcome I’m seeing so far is a refocusing on the results that matter. In the January 2010 issue of “PM Network,” Jesse Fewell, CST, PMP (@jessefewell) writes on this topic (“Why Methodology Doesn’t Matter,” p. 27; view it at PMI.org here or on his blog here). I like his conclusion:

The most effective approach is tailoring established best practices to fit the unique traits of a given organization and the specific project at hand.

That perspective is helpful in project management, whether or not you’re in a methodology debate. It is also a very important perspective for those of us in “Cottage PM” environments where there is perhaps no PM methodology at all! We’re feeling our way along, learning PM principles, or working to apply those principles and practices in environments where they’re not used yet. We get the raised eyebrows. We get the “don’t bother me with that garbage” responses.

Focus on results and adapt

Whether you’re doing Cottage PM or not, you need focus on results. More specifically, I think, you need focus on value creation. In Cottage PM, as you try to introduce new methodologies, don’t let those methodologies become and end to themselves; they are a means to an end, the means to create some value for the organization. Adjust your PM practice to fit your organization and your project to ensure that value creation, not just to have a pretty WBS because you think it’s supposed to exist.

Jesse offers 3 steps to help you tailor your approach. It’s a good list for Cottage PM practitioners, too. Here they are:

1. Start with what’s easiest.

If your organization actually has a standard approach to projects, work within that approach, improving it as needed. If they don’t figure out what processes and tools you have that would best fit. If your organization doesn’t know what a WBS is, perhaps you don’t call it a WBS. As a PM, you should still be building a WBS, and you should be finding ways to do that collaboratively with the project team. To help your both tailor that approach and communicate it effectively, focus on the “payoff,” the benefits that the organization will realize by doing that work. You still need a schedule, but again, tailor that to what the organization can consume and focus on payoff.

2. Deliver early, deliver often.

Saving up all the deliverables for the very end reinforces stakeholder nervousness; it makes it harder for the PM to measure progress; and it makes it harder for a project team to maintain motivation. A steady stream of deliverables makes it easy to demonstrate steady progress. If you’ve introduced new tools, like WBS or risk management, then you’ve introduced a new variable for the organization that’s risky and needs to be proven. Steady delivery will help demonstrate the value of these tools.

3. Inspect and adapt.

Set a regular review process that will let you and the project team make judgments and adjustments to project methodology and project realities. For example, as I wrote recently, I discovered that one of my project team members wasn’t interpreting the WBS properly and needed some coaching on how to consume that tool. Regular reviews help expose those issues earlier than later. Regular reviews also help you manage the project itself better, methodology aside.

You can successfully introduce these practices in any organization, and if you do, you’re projects will be more successful more often, and where they’re not successful, you’ll probably know that sooner than later and can help the organization minimize the negative impact of “failure.”

Related posts:

1. Project Methodology Brings Focus