PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS: WHICH ONE SHOULD YOUR ORGANISATION USE?

IN my previous article, I introduced project management and explained that it is not a discipline reserved for large corporations, construction companies or ICT departments.

Planning a wedding, building a house, opening a business, implementing a banking system or organising a major community event can all involve project management principles.

But knowing what project management is leads to another important question:

How should a project actually be managed?

This is where project management frameworks, methodologies, standards and approaches become important. There is no single approach that can successfully manage every project. Building a road is different from developing a mobile application. Implementing a core banking system is different from organising a conference.

Developing a new product is different from constructing a building. The nature, complexity, risks and objectives of the project should therefore influence the way it is managed.

What is a project management framework?

A project management framework provides a structured way of managing a project. It helps organisations and project teams think about important areas such as scope, time, cost, quality, risks, resources, stakeholders, communication, governance and change. However, a framework should not necessarily be regarded as a rigid recipe. Modern project management places considerable emphasis on tailoring, selecting and adopting the appropriate practices to suit the circumstances of a particular project. For example, a small project to develop an internal website does not require the same level of governance as a multimillion-dollar national infrastructure project. The objective is therefore not to use the most complicated methodology available. It is to use an approach that provides an appropriate level of control while enabling the project to deliver its intended value.

1. PMI and the PMBOK® Guide

One of the world’s best-known project management frameworks is associated with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and its PMBOK® Guide. The PMBOK® Guide represents a body of professional knowledge covering the principles, practices and performance areas associated with effective project management. The current PMBOK® Guide emphasises areas such as governance, scope, schedule, finance, stakeholders, resources and risk, while placing significant emphasis on value delivery, adaptability and tailoring. A simple way of understanding the PMI approach is to ask a series of questions:

• What are we trying to achieve?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What resources are required?
• What will the project cost?
• How long will it take?
• What risks could affect delivery?
• How will quality be managed?
• What benefits should the organisation receive?

Example: A banking project

Suppose a bank wants to implement a new mobile banking application. The project team cannot simply instruct developers to start writing code. They first need to understand the business requirements, customers, regulatory requirements, security requirements, budget, resources, risks and expected benefits. The PMI body of knowledge provides a structured way of considering these different dimensions.

2. PRINCE2

Another internationally recognised project management method is PRINCE2, meaning Projects IN Controlled Environments. PRINCE2 is particularly recognised for its emphasis on governance, defined responsibilities, management practices, controlled stages and decision-making. The approach is useful where projects involve many stakeholders and where strong governance and accountability are important. Consider a government department implementing a national information system. Such a project could involve government officials, ICT specialists, finance, procurement, legal teams, suppliers, regulators and thousands of users. Without proper governance, it can become unclear who has authority to make decisions. A structured approach such as PRINCE2 helps answer important questions:

Who is responsible?

Who makes decisions?

What authority does each person have?

What must be approved before the project progresses?

This makes governance one of the major strengths of PRINCE2.

3. ISO 21502

The ISO 21502:2020 – Project, programme and portfolio management – Guidance on project management provides another important reference for organisations.

ISO 21502 provides guidance applicable to projects of different sizes, complexities, costs and durations. An important feature is that it recognises different delivery approaches, including predictive, iterative, incremental, adaptive and hybrid approaches. This is useful because organisations do not necessarily have to select one approach and apply it blindly to every project. ISO standards can also provide organisations with a common reference point when establishing project management practices and governance arrangements. For organisations seeking to strengthen enterprise-wide project management, the wider ISO family covering project, programme and portfolio management can also be useful.

4. Agile Project Management

Agile has become particularly popular in software development and digital transformation. At its core, Agile emphasises customer collaboration, iterative delivery, continuous feedback and the ability to respond to changing requirements. Consider the development of a new mobile banking application. At the beginning of the project, management may know what the application should broadly achieve but may not know every feature customer will eventually require. Instead of spending twelve months developing the entire application before allowing customers to see it, an Agile team can develop smaller increments and obtain feedback throughout the process.

The cycle can be summarised as:

Build → Test → Obtain feedback → Improve → Repeat

This approach is particularly useful where requirements are uncertain or expected to change.

5. Scrum

Scrum is one of the most widely known Agile frameworks. Rather than attempting to develop everything at once, a Scrum team works in short, defined periods commonly known as Sprints. For example, when developing an online banking platform, the team could progressively deliver:

Sprint 1: Customer registration

Sprint 2: Account balance enquiry

Sprint 3: Funds transfer

Sprint 4: Bill payments

Sprint 5: Additional security features

This allows stakeholders to see progress and provide feedback throughout development. However, Scrum is not simply about having daily meetings. Successful Scrum requires appropriate roles, responsibilities, prioritisation, collaboration and disciplined delivery.

6. Waterfall or Predictive Project Management

While Agile has become popular, traditional predictive approaches remain extremely relevant. A predictive or Waterfall approach is often appropriate where requirements can be defined relatively clearly at the beginning and where changes later in the project may be expensive or undesirable.

Consider building a bridge

A bridge cannot normally be constructed using the same approach as developing a social media application. There are engineering designs, environmental assessments, regulatory approvals, procurement processes and construction activities that need to occur in a controlled manner. Some activities depend on previous activities being completed. For example, you cannot install the roof of a house before constructing the supporting walls. Predictive approaches are therefore particularly useful where there is greater certainty about requirements and where sequential delivery makes sense.

7. Hybrid Project Management

Perhaps one of the most practical approaches for modern organisations is Hybrid Project Management. Hybrid combines elements of predictive and adaptive approaches. Many real-world projects are simply too complex to fit neatly into one methodology.

Consider a core banking implementation.

Certain elements may need strong predictive control:

• Regulatory requirements
• Contractual obligations
• Infrastructure
• Migration activities
• Major implementation milestones
• Budget and governance

At the same time, software configuration, development, testing and user-experience improvements may benefit from iterative Agile practices. The organisation can therefore combine approaches. This is not a weakness.

It is tailoring the project management approach to the nature of the work.

8. The IPMA Competence Approach

The International Project Management Association (IPMA) provides another important perspective. Rather than focusing primarily on a particular project methodology, IPMA’s Individual Competence Baseline (ICB4) focuses on the competencies required by project, programme and portfolio professionals. The competencies broadly cover:

People

The personal and interpersonal capabilities required to work effectively with others.

Practice

The technical capabilities required to manage projects, programmes and portfolios.

Perspective

Understanding the organisational and contextual environment within which projects operate.

This highlights an important truth:

Project management is not only about technical tools. It is also about people and leadership.

A project manager may have an excellent schedule, risk register and budget, but the project can still fail if the manager cannot communicate, negotiate, resolve conflicts or manage stakeholders.

So, Which Framework Is Best?

This is perhaps the most important question.

The answer is:

There is no single best framework for every project.

Instead of asking:

“Which methodology should our organisation use for everything?”

organisations should ask:

“Which approach is most appropriate for this particular project?”

The decision should consider:

• Project size and complexity
• Level of uncertainty
• Regulatory requirements
• Stability of requirements
• Risk
• Organisational culture
• Stakeholder expectations
• Available skills
• Technology
• Delivery timelines
• Cost of change
• Need for customer feedback

The answer could be predictive, Agile, PRINCE2, PMI-based, ISO-aligned, Scrum-based or hybrid. The important principle is fit for purpose.

Frameworks Should Not Become Bureaucracy

One of the dangers organisations face is turning project management into excessive paperwork. A project can have beautiful reports, complicated templates and impressive dashboards and still fail to deliver value. Project management should provide control without unnecessary bureaucracy. For example, a small internal project may only require a simple business case, project plan, risk register and progress reporting. A multimillion-dollar transformation programme may require a much more sophisticated governance structure. The level of project management should therefore be proportional to the project’s size, complexity, risk and strategic importance.

Projects Must Deliver Value

Traditionally, project success was often measured using three questions:

Was it completed on time?

Was it completed within budget?

Was it delivered according to specification?

These remain important. However, they are not sufficient.

Imagine a project that is delivered on time, within budget and exactly according to specification—but nobody uses the resulting product. Can we honestly call that a successful project? Modern project management increasingly considers value and benefits.

Organisations should therefore ask:

• Did we solve the problem?
• Did customers benefit?
• Did revenue increase?
• Did costs decrease?
• Did efficiency improve?
• Did the investment support organisational strategy?
• Were the expected benefits actually realised?

A project should not simply produce deliverables.

Those deliverables should contribute to outcomes and benefits.

What Does This Mean for Zimbabwean Organisations?

Project management should become a strategic capability within Zimbabwean organisations. Whether an organisation is in banking, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications, government, education or small business, projects consume resources.

Poorly managed projects can result in:

• Cost overruns
• Delays
• Failed systems
• Wasted resources
• Poor-quality products
• Customer dissatisfaction
• Reputational damage
• Failure to realise expected benefits

Before committing significant resources to a project, organisations should therefore ask:

What problem are we solving?

What benefits are expected?

How will success be measured?

Who owns the project?

What are the major risks?

What governance is required?

Which delivery approach is appropriate?

Do we have the necessary skills and resources?

These questions can prevent organisations from investing heavily in projects that ultimately fail to deliver meaningful value.

The Project Manager’s Real Job

The project manager’s job is not simply to prepare schedules, organise meetings or produce monthly reports. The project manager helps transform an idea into an initiative, an initiative into deliverables, and those deliverables into outcomes and benefits.

Frameworks and methodologies provide structure.

But successful project delivery ultimately depends on competent people, effective leadership, good governance, clear accountability, communication, stakeholder engagement and disciplined execution. The best project manager is therefore not necessarily the person who follows a methodology most rigidly. It is the professional who understands different approaches and knows when and how to apply them.

Conclusion

Project management has evolved significantly. Organisations today have access to a wide range of frameworks, standards and methodologies, including PMI’s PMBOK® Guide, PRINCE2, ISO 21502, Agile, Scrum, predictive approaches, hybrid approaches and IPMA’s competence framework. The objective should not be to create competition between these approaches. Each has its strengths and appropriate areas of application. The real skill lies in understanding the project environment and selecting or tailoring an approach that provides the right balance between control, flexibility, speed, governance and value delivery. Project management is therefore not about methodology for methodology’s sake. It is about using disciplined management practices to turn ideas into successful outcomes. For organisations embarking on major investments, the question should no longer simply be:

“Do we have a project plan?”

It should be:

“Do we have the right project management approach to deliver the value we expect?”

That distinction can make the difference between merely completing a project and successfully delivering the benefits for which the project was undertaken in the first place.

Disclaimer

This article was written by Stephen Mukoyi, a very experienced Project Management Professional, in his own personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or position of his employer, clients, professional associations or any other organisation with which he may be associated.

Stephen Mukoyi

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: +263 772 430 608