Types of Project Management

When most people think of project management, they envision a formal process, one that follows a methodology. Although that variety of project management is the subject of this book, it is important to recognize that there are other types.

Unplanned—These are seat-of-the-pants ad hoc ,where a group of people does its best to accomplish a goal. Under these circumstances, success is unpredictable, and even if it occurs, it cannot be easily replicated because little or nothing has been documented. In a business environment, unplanned projects are undesirable because they lack predictability.

Informal—There are times when an experienced team may decide to run a project without utilizing the complete set of procedures and related documentation that would normally be used. Typically, these are projects of short duration that are very similar to other projects the same group has successfully completed. While success is more likely than in an unplanned project, the informality means that any lessons learned will not be captured for use by another project team. This is undesirable in a business environment, because the probabilities of success for future projects are increased when team members can learn from others’ experiences.

Formal—This is the most common and most desirable form of project management. An established process is followed; documentation is completed; project results are available as learning tools for future project teams.