How can we decide the best framework or methodology? Organizational change ,pmo set up ,cultural change ,project management office ,project manager ,program management office ,scrum master ,pmo ,business ,leadership ,consultants ,management ,performance ,pmi ,scrum ,six sigma

1. Amir Nasiri
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Home »Community » Member Articles » 2015 » December » What Is the Best Framework or Methodology for Your Organization?
What Is the Best Framework or Methodology
for Your Organization?
17 December 2015
Context
For weeks I wanted to write this article. Before doing so, I did some research to understand how to even start
talking about the different methodologies and what one can do to choose among them. Most books, articles, and
research, as well as blogs written by experts in the field of Agile and Lean management, were not able to answer
my questions:
What if the team is not ready to understand Agile?
What if the organization is not receptive?
What if the management team rejects such a methodology?
How does one even pursue implementing an Agile framework?
What tools can one use to make the right selection?
This article is based on my opinions, observations, and experience. By no means am I trying to lean toward one
versus the other, nor am I engaging in promoting any institution or organization.
I understand there are strong feelings among hard­core project managers and ScrumMasters, but the fact is that
this article is not about either one of these camps. Rather, in this article I want to address ways to come to a
decision. I hope this article will help you take a more holistic view of setting up a project management office by
taking everything into consideration and looking at all angles, since we, as humans, make decisions based on
our comfort level and what we feel is right; we don’t always take into consideration what can be right.
Abstract
As project managers, we struggle over what the right methodology is, and then how to use it. We are sometimes

2. instructed to use one methodology versus another, either due to one company's established project
management (as well as standardized implementation) or due to prior knowledge of the project managers.
The bottom line is that it is never about one framework or the methodology. But it is always about the right
framework and methodology for the needs of the particular organization, as well as how to implement and carry
out that selected framework and methodology.
This article will explore how to make that decision, and when to make it.
Introduction
The purpose of the project management office is to establish a center of excellence and institute project
management governance. The project management office helps set up the standardized framework for
managing projects. The PMO is also sometimes responsible for strategizing with business for growth.
Background
A company in the beautiful city of Aliso Viejo, California, has a combination of mixed cultures. One stems from
the combination of two traditional management cultures as the result of a merger and acquisition; the other
stems from the geographical, sentimental, and customs differences of the Asian parent company.
Given these cultural differences, it will be a challenge to decide what framework to implement. The areas of
concerns raised by the team are as follows:
No clear understanding of Done (objective)
Unclear stories (scope)
Too many interruptions
Not enough time to plan
Scope creep from business
No accountability and responsibility
Unclear resource planning
After working with various cross­functional teams, attending several meetings, and having many side discussions
with management and various team members to address the concerns, we were successful in creating and
designing a framework with a methodology that will meet the needs of the organization while taking all these
differences in to consideration.
Figure 1. Scope not clear
Framework versus methodology
I view framework as a foundation. Just as a house must be built on a good foundation, a methodology must be
built on a solid and strong framework. A framework establishes the governance and the principles that one must
follow; it is the “what.” The framework takes into consideration the culture and the needs of the organization.

3. The methodology, on the other hand, focuses on the “how.” How can one execute the framework? The
methodology will provide the tools and the action plan to implement the framework. The methodology will take
into consideration the resource availability and the budget.
The framework is the strategic plan and the methodology is the tactical plan. They are the yin and yang of the
project management office, and you need to make sure that they are balanced and aligned with the
organization's vision.
Figure 2. Balance of framework and methodology
Various frameworks and methodologies
The main focus should be on understanding the needs of the organization before selecting a framework or a
methodology. There is honestly no such a thing as one that is more advantageous or disadvantageous than
another. Those who engage in that kind of discussion make decisions based merely on subjectivity rather than
objectivity.
The main objective should be that one understands the organization, its people, and its culture. Then use any
one of these principles and tools to construct your own, something that fits the team.
Agile
The focus is on Lean implementations. The Agile framework concentrates on the team, self­management,
flexibility, and versatility to deliver the product. The Agile framework consists of various methodologies, including
Scrum. Scrum is built on team trust. The team understands how to work together so that they can deliver. The
direction and the scope must be very clear in order to avoid mistakes, because mistakes can be devastating to
the team’s morale. (The advantage is that one can quickly recover and make up for it in the next sprint.)
The goal of Scrum is to deliver in a Lean fashion. Those who have used it understand that there is little to no
documentation and the focus is on delivery, within a two­ to four­week sprint, of whatever the team agreed to as
their initial commitment.
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)
I consider PMBOK a framework that is focused on traditional project management, such as Waterfall and
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). PMBOK teaches one the traditional way of doing projects through
focus on detailed documentation, planning, and understanding of the start and finish of a given project. It is also
based on the principles of confirmation, sign­off, and follow­up.
Waterfall and SDLC focus on a series of steps to implement in order to complete the project. Therefore there are

4. dependencies that one must take into consideration.
Figure 3. SCRUM vs. SDLC
Game Plan
This section will focus on how to make the decision on the right framework and methodology. What is the best
way to come to a conclusion and understanding of what works and what doesn’t?
Earlier I stated that one must understand the nature of the team, the culture of the organization, and the
availability of resources. The nature of the team refers to its ability, capability, and openness to change. The
ability defines the ease of adaptation and acceptance of change. The capability refers to the compliance and
execution of the change. The resource availability refers to people and technology as well as budget.
Ability
Capability
Resource availability
If an organization has the ability, capability, and resource availability, the implementation of the framework and
methodology will be easy.
Interview and research sessions
Since the organization in question was already a Scrum shop, the first step was to review the burn­down chart.
This chart enables one to study the behavior of the team and how it conducts itself in implementing sprints. It
also reveals the team’s attitude and level of discipline. The conclusion can be made through a thorough study of
the burn­down chart and velocity.
The next step is to interview the product owners, ScrumMaster, and team members. Three questions were
asked to conduct the interview and investigation:
1. What works now and what doesn’t?
2. What do you like the most?
3. What do you like the least?
Then the interview and investigation engage the team leaders. In this exercise, an executive summary will be
prepared from the discussion of the team members. Then question how the teams were evaluated and the key
performance indicators (KPIs) used to audit them. The KPIs will help us understand what areas the team
leaders are focused on to gauge the team.
The team leader meeting must emphasize the functionality and performance of their teams and their
understanding of how their teams are implementing the process. Input from team leaders is valuable since they
interact with their team constantly and have solid information about the current state and the need of the team.
Whiteboard exercise

5. After gathering all this important and valuable information, one must start drawing it on a whiteboard and try to
connect the dots. Try to categorize based on:
Ease of implementation
Understanding of the current process
Current knowledge and skill set
Training need
Own it
Now piece the puzzle together and create a framework with a methodology that fits the team and addresses their
need. Ask these simple questions:
What are the team members asking for?
What is lacking in the current process that has not been addressed?
What can be created to get the team on track again?
What is the most the team can do with the minimum effort (change)?
What can one do to motivate the team?
How can one implement the new “own it” framework?
The new framework and methodology must have the “own it” feel to it for the team. Then find ways to gain
support and momentum around implementation.
The best way to get support is by mobilizing the team and helping them understand the overall goals. The worst
enemy is the fear of the unknown. If one can spend a great deal of time explaining and helping with
implementation, that fear will go away. Therefore, spend a great deal of time with each team and unit.
Provide training and help each team ease into the new framework and methodology. It must be understood and
the expectation must be set that this will take time and will take the whole village to implement. The organization
must be working together to implement the new framework and understand that there will be some hiccups along
the way.
Brand it
Try to create a sense of pride and ownership. It's important that one get the entire PMO team on board as well
as the team leaders. Promote the new framework and methodology through presentations given to various
teams; provide Q&A sessions as well as training. Create key words that resonate with the new framework and
methodology. Work with the teams and team leaders to help to get the brand name to the entire organization.
The branding and promoting as well as the entire framework and methodology must align with the organization's
vision and mission.
Conclusion
Please do not implement a framework, and expect the team to exercise a methodology, just because it is the
latest buzz term you've heard or because you went to a seminar, training, or expo and you think it is the best
next thing. That mindset is very short­sighted, and it is unsustainable. A cookie­cutter approach will never work
and will only cause confusion. One size doesn't fit all.
It is always important to understand the organization, the people, and the culture as well as the core competency
of the business. The other important thing to take into consideration is the competition, so whatever you do to
understand them will add a competitive edge and advantage to the organization, allowing it to differentiate itself.

6. Behavioral psychology through KYT (know your team) is important, as is KYC (know your client), since at the
end of the day you are dealing with these groups of people. The success of whatever you do depends on their
buy­in.
The bottom line here is to establish a framework (governance or principles) and methodology (tools) that meet
the needs of the organization and create ROI.
Believe in your framework and mobilize the entire organization to implement it, since it belongs to everyone.
This article is dedicated to all the people at Rakuten.com.
Tags:
Opinions represent those of the author and not of Scrum Alliance. The sharing of member­contributed content
on this site does not imply endorsement of specific Scrum methods or practices beyond those taught by Scrum
Alliance Certified Trainers and Coaches.
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