This document discusses methodologies for IT project management. It defines a methodology as a framework for structuring, planning, and controlling information system development or maintenance. The document examines different types of methodologies for project management and support divisions within an IT department. It recommends adopting an established industry standard methodology like PRINCE2 or PMBoK and customizing it to an organization's needs. Project management methodologies are important but should be used alongside other methodologies from disciplines like development.

1. What is Methodology?
- Written by Mark Walker (MetaPM Advisory and Delivery Practice Leader)
Choosing a Methodology
We hear a lot of questions about methodologies in our business. What methodology should we be using? Should we
adopt an established methodology or are we better to build our own customised framework? Do we even need a
methodology? How can we use PRINCE2 or PMBoK if we want to adopt Agile development techniques?
To answer these questions we first need to understand what a methodology is and therefore what value it can deliver to
our own organisation. In this paper we will look at methodologies appropriate to a corporate IT department, as this is a
very common situation we see here in Melbourne. The same basic principles discussed here will obviously do apply to
other industries as well.
What is a Methodology?
An IT methodology refers to the framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing or
maintaining an information system. A good methodology is process based, derived from experience, structured,
repeatable, scalable and able to be tailored. It would include processes, techniques, tools (e.g. templates or role
descriptions) and standards.
As we know an organisation’s IT department is commonly organised into a projects division and a support division.
The projects division will be responsible for on-time, on-budget delivery of new capability through functions such as:
• Business Case;
• Governance;
• Planning; and
• Procurement and/or Construction
Typically this division will be organized into project teams that wax and wane over time, and often there is a PMO
function that is constant.
The support division will be responsible for the every day running of the IT systems through functions such as:
• Service Level Management
.
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2. o Performance
o Availability
• Defect Management; and
• Configuration Management. This division will typically be organized into a permanent structure along
functional lines.
There are industry proven methodologies to support each of these disciplines, and often an IT department will
develop their own operating framework. With the prevalence of robust methodologies in this domain today it makes
sense for organizations to adopt an industry standard and then customize it for their particular needs.
Classes of Methodology
There are many different methodologies that have been developed. In the typical IT department we see in
Melbourne the following classifications have evolved:
Projects Division
Project Management
Examples include:
• PRINCE2®
• PMBoK
Systems Integration and Software Development
Examples include:
• Waterfall (linear)
• Prototyping (iterative)
• Incremental (combination linear and iterative)
• Spiral (combination linear and iterative)
• Rapid Application Development (Iterative)
• Other s/w development methods:
o Unified Process
o Object Oriented
o Agile
There are also specialist methodologies that have evolved for other IT disciplines, such as business analysis, data
modelling and testing. Certainly, there is not a one size fits all methodology that can be applied, and the most
successful IT departments will draw on a number of good practice methodologies to support the professional
disciplines practiced, as is appropriate.
Support Division
Examples include:
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3. • ITIL
• COBIT
Methodologies in the MetaPM Delivery Practice
As a Project Management consultancy, MetaPM draws on OGC’s PRINCE2 and PMI’s PMBoK as our primary
source for good practice methods in project governance, planning and delivery. All of our consultants are formally
trained in PRINCE2 or PMBoK. It is our belief that PRINCE2 provides a suitable process framework for the majority
of projects we deliver, and we use PRINCE2 as our foundation methodology to supplement our clients’ in-house
methodologies as needed. On top of this we reference PMBoK for additional techniques and tools.
We use this approach for the project management of all our projects; iterative web development, linear legacy
system development, packaged software implementations, or even policy or new product development projects. In
our practice the project management method is distinct from the BA, development, testing and other methodologies
used by other professionals to perform their functions.
Interestingly, one of the important functional areas in the project management domain that is not called out
specifically in PRINCE2 or PMBoK is Procurement and Vendor Management. Clearly this is an important function
in the delivery of projects, particularly for Government organisations. Both methodologies cater for this function to
occur but the practitioner needs to draw on other sources for the detail.
Also, PRINCE2 and PMBoK focus on the project planning and delivery. In our experience there are other
‘supporting organisation’ functions that need to be addressed to make projects successful, and this becomes more
so with the larger and more strategic initiatives. These functions would include strategic alignment, organisational
change management, and project methods and benefits management. At MetaPM we have supplemented our
foundation delivery method with these functions.
Of course there is some level of inter dependency between the disciplines. For example the PM processes would
need to be tailored to suit an Agile development environment. However, in our experience, a project management
methodology such as PRINCE2 is still extremely relevant in an Agile development environment, and the trick is to
bring the two disciplines together to compliment one another in the particular situation. It is important to maintain
the PM discipline framework around whatever development approach is used.
Conclusion
In summary MetaPM believes that Project Management is an essential discipline in any project environment, and
this discipline is supported by bespoke PM methodologies such as PRINCE2 and PMBoK. These PM
methodologies compliment other methodologies in the systems integration world. However we don’t believe
methodologies from other disciplines, such as the Agile methodology, can be used in place of a PM Methodology.
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4. An experienced PM practitioner will understand the practice behind the methodology, and will be able to adapt the
local framework using a foundational methodology model to deliver successfully. Further, they will understand the
supporting organisation functions that are required for a successful project environment.
Therefore, in general, we would advise that the most cost effective approach is to adopt an industry standard
method that is appropriate to your discipline. The only time when this might not be the case is when your
organisation derives some competitive advantage through use of an unique framework, and even then an industry
standard method can often be tailored to suit. An industry standard method can also be scaled up or down to
accommodate various situations. It will also probably come with available training and experienced practitioners in
the market.
Please contact MetaPM to discuss how you could make better use of Project Management methodologies in your IT
department.
* PRINCE2® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
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