Project Management Methodology- By: Nick Thomas

Description : A project methodology briefs you on what to do to manage your projects from beginning till end. It describes every step in the project life cycle in depth, so that you come to know exactly which tasks are to be completed, when and how. Whether you're an expert or a novice, it helps you complete tasks faster than before.

The next thing that comes to our mind is that why do we need a Project Management Methodology. As a Project Manager, you need a Project Management Methodology to shove your projects related to in the right direction and keep them on track. In each and every field, whether it is mobile software development or any other section providing software development services, you also need it to help you manage your projects in a structured way.

The key features of a Project Management Methodology are:
5. Delivering projects quickly
6. Saving time and effort
7. Boosting the quality of the documents
8. Improving project success

Project management methodologies consist of five process groups. Process groups typically include:

6. Initiation
The initiation process group determines the nature as well as scope of the project. If this stage is not carried out in a proper manner, the project will not be fruitful in meeting the business requirements. Understanding of the business environment and making sure all necessary controls are incorporated into the project are the key project controls. Any deficiencies should be reported and fixed.

The first project document is the project charter, which includes:
1. Scope and deliverables
2. Objectives
3. Resources needed
4. Milestone plan and timeline
5. Cost estimate
6. Risks and issues
7. Dependencies
7. Planning and Design

After initiation, the project is planned adequately in terms of time, cost, and resources to estimate the work needed and to manage risk effectively during project execution. This is recorded in the project management plan. Failure in adequate planning reduces the project's chances of success.

Project planning includes:
1. Developing the scope statement
2. Developing the schedule (Gantt chart)
3. Developing the budget
4. Selecting the team
5. Identifying deliverables
6. Risk planning

This information forms the project contract, used to gain formal approval to begin work in any custom software development company.

8. Execution
Execution consists of the processes used to complete the task defined in the project management plan, to accomplish the project's objectives. The execution process involves coordinating people and resources, as well as integrating and performing the activities of the project. The deliverables are produced as outputs from the processes performed as defined in the project management plan.

9. Monitoring and Controlling
The monitoring and controlling process group involves managing and tracking the project, so potential problems can be identified quickly and corrective action taken. Monitoring and controlling includes measuring the ongoing project activities, monitoring the project variables, identifying corrective actions to address risks and issues, and managing changes using the change control process.
The monitoring and controlling process group ends once the project has achieved its goals as mentioned in the project contract. A project may be stopped before completion for various reasons, including changes in the business, lack of resources or higher priorities.

10. Closing
Project closing is an important part of project management, sometimes overlooked. A project that is not closed will continue to consume resources. Closing a project means finishing all activities across all process groups, splitting up the project team, and signing off the project with the customer.

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Author Resource : Nick Thomas is the author of this article. He has been writing articles for many custom software development related organizations like Q3 technologies. Moreover, he has been actively involved in providing useful content writing material related to mobile software development.

For more details, feel free to visit http://www.q3tech.com