You know how there are Type A and Type B personalities associated with people? The Type As are the more rigid, highly-organized, time-sensitive people, while the Bs are more relaxed go-with-the-flow types.
What if I told you that projects had personalities, too?
If the project process is highly predictable, the players are mostly in agreement, and the outcomes are fairly certain, these projects are more like Type A people.
However, if the project process is less than predictable, the players are not in agreement, and the outcomes are less certain, these projects reflect more of a Type B personality.
Type A projects can successfully be managed in a more prescriptive (traditional) way. However, Type B projects don’t fit into that box and are better guided via a process known as Agile, a PM philosophy that allows for faster execution under rapidly-changing circumstances.
In fact, there are a variety of PM methodologies (even several that fall under the Agile approach). Here at Solarity, we apply a combination of them to the projects we manage, harnessing the strengths of each in order to achieve optimal outcomes for our clients.
For you Type A people, here is a summary list with links to several of the PM methodologies Solarity employs:
- Traditional waterfall: Sequence the events that need to take place, then execute them in order.
- Agile: An iterative approach to planning and guiding a project.
- Scrum (and other Agile approaches): Emphasizes decision-making from real-world outcomes rather than speculation using a simple set of roles, responsibilities and meetings.
- Lean: Focuses on increasing customer value through minimizing waste, especially in a manufacturing setting.
- Event Chain Methodology (ECM): Uncertainty modeling used to identify and address risk.
- Extreme (XP): An agile model for software programming that emphasizes simplicity, communication, feedback, courage and respect.
For you Type B people who may not want to follow a bunch of links, here’s a poem I wrote about the same methodologies:
Just kidding. But you get the picture. You should follow the links if you want to learn more.
We then adapt or incorporate appropriate processes, tools, techniques and templates that we feel will help us achieve the success our customers have grown accustomed to.
With our value of continuous improvement, our customers always know that we are on top of new trends, methodologies and findings in the field of project management.
You don’t need to tackle that project alone. Learn more about Solarity’s professional services here.
About the Author
Glenn Thomas, PMP®, is a Project Manager and Trainer with Solarity, helping our clients achieve their strategic goals by assessing their current situation, defining their desired future state, and then acting upon an approved plan to help them reach their desired outcomes. Before joining Solarity, Glenn served as the Director of IT Governance for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is a member of both the global organization & local chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI)®, and has served on the Board of the PMI Bluegrass Chapter as a past President and VP of Communications. Glenn possesses a wealth of experience and knowledge in Project Management, Strategic Planning, and Governance, and we are excited for him to be a part of our team.
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