In the entire history of IT sphere, a huge number of projects have been successfully rolled out on the market. But the implementation of even the most challenging idea supposes the coordinated work of a large number of people and a well-developed project management system.

But all projects are different, and it is difficult to find a universal system that would suit any leader and all team members. In this regard, many effective approaches and techniques for managing an IT project have been developed. We will talk about the most popular of them.

Classic method

The most proven way to establish project management is to divide the process of tasks fulfillment into several stages following each other: initiation, planning, development, testing, monitoring and completion of the project. This approach recalls a strategic game where you need to complete the previous level before proceeding to the next one..

And although some experts believe that the classical approach is out-of-date, it is still very effective: its biggest advantage is that it helps all project participants to define a clear goal at the initial planning stage. This ensures the stability of the team and streamlines the implementation of the project.

Agile

Perhaps the most popular project management method. In one word, Agile is a general approach to development, and its essence is that people and interaction are always more important than processes and tools, and the product is more important than documentation. According to Agile methodology, you shouldn’t focus on pre-prepared plans. It is crucial to focus on constantly changing conditions within the project workflow and beyond it, as well as on feedback from users. This, first of all, allows developers to embody different ideas and look for new problem solutions keeping their options open.

Kanban

Kanban methodology is a separate Agile framework. Its main goal is to balance the work of specialists and evenly distribute the task load within the team.

There is no obvious sprints – short periods from a week to a month to complete tasks with a designated deadline. Instead, the project development process is divided into specific tasks: “Planning”, “Development”, “Testing”, “Task completion”, etc. After finishing the task it is analyzed for effectiveness: if the task quickly went through all the stages, the team worked productively, if visa versa, managers should identify the cause of the delay and the specialist whose work must be optimized.

Scrum

According to Scrum methodology, two specific specialists join the team working on the product: its direct owner and Scrum Master. The first acts as a kind of converging point between the team and the customer. And the Scrum Master helps in organizing the business process: carries out team meetings, motivates employees and sets the tone for work.

The workflow within this approach is divided into sprints. At the beginning of each sprint, managers give urgent tasks and discuss ways for solving them, and at the end, the results should be obligatory discussed.

PRINCE2

The method with the most strict distribution of roles and a clear team structure. This approach is suitable for large projects with a vast number of employees. Here a separate project management team is created, which consists of a project manager, a committee that controls all stages of the management process, and a team manager. Of course, such a clear distribution of responsibilities definitely reduces the need for frequent team meetings, however, each manager chooses the most convenient methodology for running his department, which can lead to inefficient tasks fulfillment or delay.

PMBoK

PMBoK standard stands for “Project Management Body Of Knowledge”. Many people mistakenly consider PMBoK a separate methodology, while this is a guide that describes universal approaches to organization and project management concepts. It supposes that the company itself must develop a convenient methodology in accordance with PMBoK instructions.

Project management is highly significant in remote mode. Absolutely any of the above mentioned methodologies is applicable to the remote work. However, working with SCRUM with a fixed set of sprints is considered to be the most effective one. According to this model, the team is effectively working on assigned tasks under the condition of daily communication, collective calls and recording the process of task fulfillment on the task board.

One way or another, there is no universal solution in project management for everyone. In any situation, you can find a method that is ideal for a particular organization. It remains only to establish the structure and not to forget about the main goal of the project.