Traditional project management

Traditional project management is a set of principles and practices focused on planning, organizing, securing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve an organization's specific goals and objectives. It involves a series of processes, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and closing, with the objective of completing the project within established time and cost parameters. Traditional project management utilizes proven processes and best practices to ensure successful project outcomes, such as the use of project management methodologies, clear communication and reporting, risk management strategies, and quality management processes.

Example of traditional project management

• Construction Projects: Traditional project management is used in construction projects to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. This includes planning, budgeting, scheduling, resource allocation, and risk management. Construction projects typically involve a team of professionals such as architects, engineers, contractors, and project managers who work together to design, develop, and build a structure according to the project’s specifications.
• Software Development Projects: Traditional project management is also used in software development projects. This includes planning, scheduling, resource allocation, budgeting, and risk management. Software development projects typically involve a team of software engineers, designers, and developers who collaborate to create a software program according to the project’s specifications.
• IT Projects: Traditional project management is also used in IT projects to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. This includes planning, budgeting, scheduling, resource allocation, and risk management. IT projects typically involve a team of IT professionals such as systems engineers, software developers, and database administrators who work together to create a system according to the project’s specifications.

Best practices of traditional project management

1. Establish Clear Goals and Objectives: Establishing clear goals and objectives is the first step in any project management process. This ensures that everyone involved in the project is on the same page and working towards the same goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (SMART).
2. Create a Detailed Project Plan: A detailed project plan outlines all the tasks, resources, dependencies, and timelines needed to complete the project. This plan should include a budget and schedule, and should be reviewed and updated regularly.
3. Assign Roles and Responsibilities: Assigning roles and responsibilities to team members ensures that everyone understands who is responsible for what tasks. This helps to ensure that tasks are completed on time and that no tasks are overlooked.
4. Monitor and Control Progress: Regularly monitoring and controlling the progress of the project is essential for successful project management. This involves assessing risks and taking corrective action as needed to ensure the project is on track and progressing as planned.
5. Implement Quality Assurance Practices: Quality assurance practices help to ensure that the project is completed according to the specifications and objectives established in the project plan. This includes conducting regular reviews and inspections, tracking and analyzing performance metrics, and following established quality control processes.
6. Report Progress and Issues: Regularly reporting progress and issues to stakeholders is essential for successful project management. This helps to ensure that everyone involved in the project is kept up to date on the progress and any issues that may arise.
7. Close the Project: Closing a project involves documenting the results and lessons learned, archiving project materials, and distributing final reports to stakeholders. This helps to ensure that future projects benefit from the lessons learned during the current project.

Advantages of traditional project management

Traditional project management provides several advantages, including:

• Improved efficiency and productivity due to the use of best practices and proven processes. Traditional project management ensures that resources are properly allocated, tasks are completed within established time frames, and projects are completed within budget.
• Enhanced communication and transparency. Traditional project management provides clear structures and processes for communication and reporting, which ensures that teams are collaborating effectively and are aware of project progress.
• Increased accountability. With traditional project management, clear roles and responsibilities are established, allowing for better accountability.
• Improved risk management. Traditional project management allows for the identification and mitigation of risks before they become problems.
• Enhanced quality control. Traditional project management uses quality control processes to ensure that project deliverables meet the agreed upon standards.

Limitations of traditional project management

Traditional project management is a set of practices focused on planning, organizing, and controlling resources to achieve organizational goals and objectives. However, this approach has several limitations. These include:

• Rigidity: Traditional project management is based on a predetermined structure and plan, which can limit the team’s flexibility and ability to adapt to changing project conditions.
• Scope Creep: Traditional project management does not always provide the tools and processes necessary to effectively manage scope creep, which can lead to overruns in time and cost.
• Poor Communication: Traditional project management relies heavily on verbal communication, which can lead to misinterpretation and confusion.
• Poor Risk Management: Traditional project management does not always provide the necessary processes and tools to identify, analyze, and manage project risks.
• Lack of Visibility: Traditional project management does not always provide the necessary visibility into project progress and performance, which can lead to missed deadlines and budget overruns.

Traditional project management — recommended articles

Applications of project management — Organizational project management — Life cycle approach — Project delivery method — Execution of the project — Aspects of project management — Monitoring and control — Project management governance — Importance of project management

References

• Salameh, H. (2014). What, when, why, and how? A comparison between agile project management and traditional project management methods. International Journal of Business and Management Review, 2(5), 52-74.
• Špundak, M. (2014). Mixed agile/traditional project management methodology-reality or illusion?. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 119, 939-948.
• Hass, K. B. (2007). The blending of traditional and agile project management. PM world today, 9(5), 1-8.