When you think of leading the charge on a new project, you have great ideas on how it can be done. You can see the process in your head and even formulate a finished product. Did you know that the way you want things to happen may actually be a regular plan? There are several ways in which project managers take the helm, and many are commonly used every day. Some managers even combine methodologies into what is called hybrid project management. By combining different methods, results, and plan structures that go against the grain and open new opportunities become available.
Today at WillDom, we want to go over hybrid project management types as well as how they can be used in tandem to great effect.
Different types of Project Management
Today we will only mention three types of project management, but know that there are many more to research and blend together. To start, we will talk about the simplest, waterfall project management. This is also the easiest type to include in a hybrid project management style.
Waterfall project management is the step-by-step process method where each task follows another down a single work timeline. Similar to a waterfall, each part flows into the next, and development flows in a unified direction. It can also gain speed like a waterfall in that each successive completion builds momentum toward release.
Next, we have agile project management. This process includes many stages of alpha and beta testing the gauge user interest. Then when you have that data, new facets, patches, and pieces can be incorporated to meet customer wants. That is why it is referred to as agile, you are moving and bending based on data inputs and making the best project for a test group.
Finally, there is the critical path method. While sometimes difficult to fit in with hybrid project management processes, it can still be a useful tactic. Critical path methodology (or CPM for short) is the process of finding the most important structures before launch and completing those first. Essentially, you headhunt for critical issues and main systems and prioritize their work before scheduling anything else.
How to combine two types of Project Management
The entire reason you would want to use a hybrid project management approach is to get the best results from two opposing methods. To do this, you need to find out which part of each style appeals to you and works for the project at hand.
Say you like the testing stages of agile and the singular timeline of waterfall. You would organize everything to happen within one easily viewed schedule, but include waves of testing on that line. There would be several stages for user review and incorporation mixed in your waterfall production line. It may slow the momentum a bit as you wait for results, but you would get feedback before continuing forward.
However, mixing agile and CPM into a hybrid project management approach would look like something else. You would be sending test structures of your most critical systems out to users to gauge the overarching themes and useability. Here you are testing the core marketability of your project and creating a very user-driven experience from the ground up.
It can be very easy to build a hybrid project management system, you just have to know what result you want from a blend. If you are focusing on speed, then combining waterfall and CPM will get you to a sellable stage the quickest.
If this is still a bit confusing, or you need help defining what type of hybrid project management you need, then feel free to learn all about our team members. They can guide your project, or show you just what you need to do so. With a worldwide approach and professionals from every tech industry, WillDom has just what you need to succeed.
Advantages of Hybrid project management
As mentioned before, the real advantage of a hybrid system is that you can decide your result before you begin. Each step along the way will build toward that goal and keep you on track to succeed. Custom hybrid project management guidance especially makes it so that you can hone in on what matters most to you and your team.
Whether it is speed, user involvement, momentum, or critical systems creation, you can get what matters most in your sights. There are also so many more ways you can manage a project that creates near-infinite variations. What we listed here is just a scratch on the surface of possibilities.
Disadvantages of Hybrid project management
When creating a hybrid system, not everything is perfect. By creating a new fusion of stylings, you can sometimes miss out on what makes a solo style unique. For example, the waterfall style of doing things is diluted somewhat by waiting for tester data. You are stopped from working until surveys have been processed, thus stopping a bit of the momentum the style leans towards.
You could also create a style of management that doesn’t fit your needs and is difficult to find your way out of. With so many intertwined systems, resetting can be difficult. You have to take care to make a truly catered system, not one designed to create a certain outcome.
Now that you know all about hybrid project management, try it! If you have any questions or need help, do not hesitate to connect with us on LinkedIn or visit our website.
