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What is the Best Approach for Project Management?

In my 20+ years as a project manager, one thing I’ve learned is that no killer app remains front and center forever.  In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of you don’t know what I mean by “killer app.”  Think of it as an application that’s gone viral, like generative AI.  It’s the latest and greatest thing and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.  Like all viral things, AI will either fade or find it’s place and move from novel to common (I lean toward the latter).  Unlike videos of trunk monkeys, bullfrogs selling beer, and annoying fruit, it could take a while.  Actually, though, today’s topic is, fortunately, not about AI.  It’s about a topic that has been contested for over 20 years – what is the best approach for project management?

There have been lulls, but there are still people, today, who will tell you that agile is the only way and quote you all the evils of the dreaded “waterfall” while overlooking that agile approaches have their own, and sometimes similar shortcomings.  I recently read an article about the wonders of agile estimating and how flawed waterfall estimating is.  Not responding with a little reality was difficult.  I still might.

Regardless, the best approach for project management is not Scrum, SAFe, Lean, Six Sigma, or “waterfall.”  That is, it’s not any one of those in all circumstances.  For me, the best approach for project management is as follows:

• Understand the nature of the work being done in your organization and how it is selected.
• Understand how people in your organization work, how decisions get made, and how work gets done.
• Be familiar with multiple project management and product delivery approaches so that you can identify the most appropriate approach for your given situation (but don’t worry about getting certified in all of them), and be prepared for other people to not be ready to change, yet.
• Guided continuous improvement – in most cases, you can make improvements over time.  Make them intentionally and celebrate your successes.
• Sometimes, dramatic change is needed.  Learn how to tell the difference and, when dramatic change is needed, help manage the change in the capacity you are able, even if that just means being a cheerleader.

In short, the best approach is "not" picking one approach and never changing.  It’s getting enough information to find the right approach for your situation and intentionally improving.  This takes time and experience, and even then, you won’t always get it right the first time, and maybe not the second.  Keep on learning and improving.