Comparison of Project Management Methodologies

Here’s a table that compares various project management methodologies based on their focus, flexibility, and common use-cases.

Methodology	Focus	Flexibility	Common Use-Case	Creator	Year of Inception	Real-World Example	Cost-Effectiveness	Time-to-Market	Success Rate	Skill Gaps/Needs	Common Challenges	Time to Deliver
Waterfall	Sequential design	Low	Software Development	Dr. Winston W. Royce	1970	Aerospace projects	Low	Slow	Varies	Planning	Complexity, changes	Long
PRINCE2	Process-oriented	Low-Moderate	UK Govt Projects	CCTA, UK	1989	UK Health Service	Moderate	Moderate	High	Certified training	Bureaucratic overhead	Moderate
DSDM	Early Agile	Moderate	Software Development	DSDM Consortium	1994	BBC’s iPlayer	Moderate	Fast	High	Agile mindset	Resistance to change	Fast
Agile	Iterative & Flexible	High	Various	Multiple	2001	Spotify	High	Fast	High	Agile principles	Cultural shift	Fast
Scrum	Team Collaboration	High	Software Dev	Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland	1990s	Google	High	Fast	High	Scrum Master	Scalability	Fast
Kanban	Workflow Visualization	High	Various	David J. Anderson	2000s	Toyota	High	Fast	High	Visual management	Workflow bottlenecks	Fast
XP	Software Quality	High	Software Dev	Kent Beck	1996	Chrysler C3 Project	Moderate	Fast	High	Technical expertise	Resistance to change	Fast
CPM	Timeframe Management	Low	Various	DuPont	1950s	Construction projects	Moderate	Slow	Moderate	Scheduling skills	Complexity	Moderate-Long
CCPM	Resource Leveling	Moderate	Resource-Intensive	Eliyahu M. Goldratt	1990s	Manufacturing	Moderate	Moderate	High	Resource management	Changing priorities	Moderate
PERT	Statistical Timing	Low	Complex Projects	U.S. Navy	1950s	Polaris Project	Low	Slow	Moderate	Statistical analysis	Uncertainty	Long
Six Sigma	Process Improvement	Low	Manufacturing	Motorola	1986	General Electric	Moderate-High	Slow	High	Statistical skills	Resistance to change	Moderate-Long
Lean	Waste Elimination	High	Manufacturing	Toyota	Post-WWII	Toyota Production System	High	Fast	High	Lean principles	Resource constraints	Fast
TQM	Quality Control	Low	Various	Edward Deming	1990s	Ford Motor Company	Moderate	Slow	Moderate	Quality assurance	Cultural change	Moderate-Long
APF	Uncertainty Management	High	Unknown Variables	Robert K. Wysocki	2000s	Research projects	High	Fast	Moderate	Adaptability	Uncertainty	Fast
Scrum of Scrums	Scaling Scrum	High	Large Agile Projects	Multiple	2000s	Amazon	Moderate-High	Fast	Moderate	Scrum expertise	Coordination	Moderate-Fast
FDD	Iterative & Incremental	Moderate	Software Dev	Jeff De Luca	1990s	Banking software	Moderate	Fast	High	Design skills	Complexity	Fast
RUP	Flexible Software Dev	Moderate	Software Dev	Rational Software	1990s	Telecom projects	Moderate	Moderate	High	RUP principles	Complexity	Moderate
Big Bang	Less Structured	High	Startups	N/A	N/A	Tech startups	Low-High	Fast	Low	Creativity	Lack of direction	Fast-Uncertain
Spiral	Risk Management	Moderate	Software Dev	Barry Boehm	1986	NASA software projects	Moderate	Slow	Moderate	Risk assessment	Complexity	Moderate-Long
IID	Incremental Changes	High	Software Dev	Multiple	Various	Gmail	High	Fast	High	Iterative dev skills	Scope creep	Fast
JAD	Client Involvement	Moderate	Software Dev	IBM	1970s	Enterprise software	Moderate	Moderate	High	Communication skills	Stakeholder conflict	Moderate
Crystal	Agile Variants	High	Tailored Projects	Alistair Cockburn	1990s	Small-scale projects	High	Fast	High	Teamwork	Project size	Fast
V-Model	Validation & Verification	Low	Software Dev	N/A	1980s	Medical software	Low	Slow	Moderate	Testing skills	Rigidity	Long
OOPM	Customer Needs	Low	Software Dev	N/A	1990s	User-centric apps	Low	Slow	Moderate	OOP principles	Complexity	Moderate-Long
Benefits Realisation	Outcome Focus	Moderate	Change Management	N/A	1990s	Organizational changes	Moderate	Moderate	High	Change management	Alignment	Moderate
Event Chain	Uncertainty Modeling	Moderate	Complex Projects	N/A	2000s	Pharma research	Moderate	Slow	Moderate	Event modeling	Uncertainty	Long
LeSS	Scaling Scrum	High	Large Agile Projects	Craig Larman, Bas Vodde	2000s	Banking projects	Moderate-High	Fast	High	Scrum, LeSS principles	Coordination	Moderate-Fast

Please note: Information like “Cost-Effectiveness,” “Time-to-Market,” “Success Rate,” and others can vary greatly depending on the specific circumstances of a project, and that “Time to Deliver” is a generalized term, with actual delivery times changing based on specific project conditions and constraints. This table provides general insights into each methodology.

Horkan

a blog by Wayne Horkan

Comparison of Project Management Methodologies