Global Management Methodologies
Differences between the different Project Management methodologies and the new trends for the Social Sector
Director of Umanitar Academy, Carla Damião is internationally certified in 6 Project Management methodologies and helped in the development of the global methodology Master Umanitar GP Agile, which aims to bring high-level Management and Strategy tools and processes to the Social Sector, adapted to the reality of the sector.
The Social Sector perceives a growing demand that was previously dominated by the commercial area: to obtain tools, processes and methods for the design, planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of projects that support the difficulties and challenges of their programs.
To start, it is important to emphasize the difference between Method, Methodology Owner and Educational Institution.
The table below illustrates this in a simplified way:
| PMBOK | PRINCE2 | |
| Owner | Project Management Institute (PMI) | Office of Government Commerce (OGC) |
| Teachers | PMI, Udemy, Alura, PUCSP… | Galileu, Udemy, Prince2Portugal… |
| Country | USA | United Kingdom |
| Method | Traditional | Traditional |
| SCRUM | SIX SIGMA | |
| Owner | Jeff Sutherland | Motorola |
| Teachers | Impacta, Voito, Alura, ESPM… | Vanzolini, Alura, Udemy, Fm2s… |
| Country | USA | USA |
| Method | Agile | Agile |
Methodologies for Social Projects:
| PROJECT D | MASTER UMANITAR | |
| Owner | PM4NGOs | Umanitar Academy |
| Teachers | Filantropia, Ink Inspira, Quintessa… | Umanitar e Observatório do Brasil |
| Country | USA | Germany |
| Method | Traditional | Traditional + Agile |
It is possible to notice that there are 2 main tools in the Traditional Market (PMBOK and PRINCE2), also two main Agile methodologies (Scrum and Six Sigma) and, now, the Social Sector has two Management Methodologies (Project Dpro and Master Umanitar).
Usually the creator of the methodology also runs their own trainings, but not always, as in the case of Project Dpro created by PM4NGOs and Six Sigma created by Motorola that never sold courses but support institutions that replicate the method and sell their certifications.
In the case of PMBOK and Master Umanitar, the creative companies also teach courses on the methodology, but compete with other replicators that can teach the method and resell the certification tests. If the student passes the test, they can receive the original certificate of the methodology from the creators, regardless of who has taught them.
Another very important point: All methodologies have things in common, not being opposed, but complementary and aggregating.
The basis of all management methodologies is simply, management.
Meaning of “Management”:
Feminine noun.
Action to manage, administer or govern public or private business;
Administration.
Function or exercise of the person responsible for the administration; manager.
If you have already managed a project, you already have knowledge that will be taught in any methodology above.
METHODS ARE TOOLBOXES
- There is no better or worse tool, only the one that works best for a given moment or project.
- No method should be extremely rigid, saying the knowledge can only be applied in the manner it was taught.
- No method were made to restrict or limit, but to expand and add new knowledge and possibilities.
A methodology is a set of guidelines and principles that can be adapted and applied to a specific situation.
Methodologies should provide a roadmap for project management. Teams that do not share a methodology tend to be less efficient.
Therefore, methodologies arise from specific needs, and evolve as the teams’ needs evolve.
A good manager has technical knowledge (methodologies and repertoires) and experience to decide and define what to use and how much to use within the context of your organization.
And how are each methodology composed?
| PMBOK | PRINCE2 |
| 5 Phases, 10 Disciplines, 47 tools | 7 Phases, 7 Principles, 7 Themes, 40 Tools |
| SCRUM | SIX SIGMA |
| 6 Principles, 3 Bases, 7 Phases e 10 Tools | 5 Phases, 8 Tools e 12 Concepts |
| PROJECT D | MASTER UMANITAR |
| 6 Phases, 23 tools e 6 Disciplines | 7 Phases, 5 Disciplines, 3 Principles e 42 Tools |
The Phases:
Phases are called “project life cycle”, that is, it is how each methodology divides the project to organize the processes that can occur in each phase.
All phases have a beginning, middle and end. They can have specific names such as Transition (end), Monitoring (middle), Ideation (beginning)… the number of phases and names always seek the same objective: to divide the project into parts that can be subdivided into processes to facilitate the manager’s visualization.
The Principles:
The principles or guidelines are “good practices that must permeate the entire project” such as “foundation”, “good communication”, “adaptability” … they would be the bases that the leader must be attentive when making a decision.
The thinking of a manager who studies management methods permeates the principles when he needs to make a decision: “Am I leaving my project well-grounded? Is it adaptable? Am I following the good practices I learned? ”.
The Disciplines:
Here are identified the matters that the manager needs to manage.
Examples: Time management; Scope management; resource management … they are almost always similar and always contain at least these three that we mentioned above.
They can be complementary to team management, stakeholder management, justification management …
These disciplines help the manager to understand and remember that he needs to “balance several dishes”, paying attention to all aspects of the project. Nothing can be forgotten, no discipline can be less important.
The Processes or Tools:
Here is the most fun part of the methodologies, in my opinion, because it is the time that the manager leaves the theory and adds practical knowledge in his routine.
Examples of processes are: Schedule, Cash Flow, Earned Value Analysis, WBS, SWOT Analysis, Risk Plan …
All of these “tools” are generally ways of organizing or preparing a process to make life easier for the manager. There are several ways to execute a good schedule, but within each methodology there are one or more methods that the manager learns to assemble, which adds his technical knowledge. The more processes he knows, the bigger the “toolbox” available for him to use.
I love this toolbox comparison … if you know how to use just a hammer and a screwdriver, you will have a lot more difficulty putting together a wardrobe than that person who knows how to use and has a lot of equipment, right?
t the same time, if you need to nail a picture to the wall, you won’t need your entire arsenal.
A good manager has a large toolbox at his disposal and knows how to use them, but mainly he knows what and when to use it. To take the Master Umanitar GP Agile training with certification test included, click on the link : Master Umanitar GP Agile
