Exploring the Basics of Project Management
Project Management Frameworks: Quick Reference Guide
Project managers need different approaches to projects, and the different frameworks help
them tailor their approach and address specific project characteristics and challenges.
The following are three common frameworks that are industry standards in project
management:
• Waterfall
• Agile
• Hybrid
Waterfall
Waterfall is a traditional and sequential project management framework where the project
teams complete tasks in several phases that follow a linear order. The teams fully complete
each phase before moving to the next phase, making it a structured and predictable approach.
Project managers and project teams often use the Waterfall framework for projects with fixed
requirements, scope, and budget, ensuring minimal changes during project execution.
The following graphic illustrates the five phases in the Waterfall framework that help teams
follow a clear and organized approach to a project.
Review the following list that describes each phase in the Waterfall framework in detail.
• Phase 1: Analyze requirements: Project managers work closely with clients and
stakeholders to understand the project’s needs, expectations, and constraints. They
collect and document all project requirements in a project scope document.
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Exploring the Basics of Project Management
• Phase 2: Design: After finalizing the requirements, the project team creates a detailed
design. Based on the project, this might include interface design, technical
specifications, or physical layouts.
• Phase 3: Develop: Once the client and stakeholders approve the design, the project
team uses the design to create a working product according to the specifications.
• Phase 4: Test: Next, the quality team tests the product to ensure it meets all specified
requirements, checking its functionality and performance through various testing
methods.
• Phase 5: Deploy: When the project team ensures that the product is free of errors, they
launch the product and deliver it to the client and stakeholders.
Agile
Agile is a flexible framework that values adaptability, continuous improvement, and a high
level of collaboration. It enables project teams to break down work into small, manageable
iterations, each resulting in a functional version of the product. This iterative framework allows
teams to adapt quickly and respond to changes while prioritizing customer feedback to ensure
the product evolves according to user needs.
Agile is most effective for projects where teams need to adapt quickly, incorporate ongoing
feedback, and deliver work in small, manageable chunks.
The following graphic illustrates how the first four phases in the Agile framework form a
continuous cycle of planning and development, while the last phase extends outward to
denote the continuous nature of releasing and improving the product.
Review the following list that describes each phase in the Agile framework in detail.
• Phase 1: Conceptualize and initiate: Project managers and project teams work with
stakeholders to define the overall goals and scope of the project. They focus on
understanding the project’s vision, key objectives, and potential challenges. Instead of
planning for the long term, they outline high-level deliverables and set expectations.
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• Phase 2: Plan for iterative development: In Agile, project teams replace long-term
detailed planning with incremental or progressive delivery of value. This means that
they divide a project into manageable sections, where they deliver specific features in a
short cycle. These cycles allow for flexibility and frequent adjustments based on
ongoing feedback.
• Phase 3: Develop and execute: The project team works in short cycles to build and
test the product, ensuring they develop, review, and refine each feature before moving
to the next. The team collaborates frequently to ensure the product aligns with the
project’s vision and goals. Continuous communication allows them to quickly adjust the
product based on new insights and challenges.
• Phase 4: Review and gather feedback: At the end of each development cycle, the
team presents the completed features to stakeholders or users to gather their
feedback. This feedback is essential for identifying improvement areas and deciding the
next set of features or changes to prioritize.
• Phase 5: Release and improve continuously: In Agile, project teams continuously
improve and refine a product throughout the project lifecycle. As they complete
features, they release them to users and gather feedback for future improvements. The
team continues to iterate on the product even after its initial release, ensuring it
evolves based on real user needs.
Hybrid
Hybrid is a flexible framework that blends elements of both Waterfall and Agile. This allows
project managers to tailor their strategy to best suit the specific needs, using the strengths of
each framework.
The Hybrid framework works well for projects that require a clear plan but also need
adaptability as work progresses.
The following graphic illustrates how the first two phases in the Hybrid framework follow
Waterfall’s sequential approach, while the third phase transitions into Agile’s continuous cycle
of development, testing, and improving.
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Exploring the Basics of Project Management
Review the following list that describes each phase in the Hybrid framework in detail.
• Phase 1: Analyze requirements: Project managers lead the team in defining the
project scope, key objectives, and requirements. They ensure clarity on deliverables,
compliance needs, and constraints before execution begins. This structured planning
helps minimize the risk of costly changes during development.
• Phase 2: Design: After finalizing the requirements, designers, engineers, or other
relevant stakeholders create detailed product design, depending on the industry. The
teams might also create a test version to evaluate internally, gather stakeholders’
feedback, and finalize the design. The project managers facilitate collaboration,
ensuring the team establishes a clear structure.
• Phase 3: Develop and release iteratively: The project team transitions to the Agile
framework by breaking down work into iterations, developing, testing, and refining
deliverables based on real-time feedback. The project managers ensure coordination,
prioritize tasks, and help the team adapt to changes efficiently.
Choosing the right framework
For project managers, the decision to select a project management framework shapes how
they plan, execute, and monitor projects because it can impact timelines, resources, and
stakeholder engagement.
Review the following list to explore the various factors that help project managers choose the
best framework to align with their project’s unique characteristics and requirements.
• Project complexity and size: Project managers must assess whether the project is
large and complex, which might require a structured framework, such as Waterfall, or
smaller and more flexible, such as Agile.
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• Stakeholder involvement: Project managers need to consider the level of stakeholder
engagement required. Agile might be suitable for projects that need frequent
stakeholder interaction. Alternatively, Waterfall might be better for projects with less
frequent or more formal stakeholder engagement, where changes are less likely during
the project lifecycle.
• Project scope and deliverables: Project managers benefit from evaluating whether the
project scope is well-defined or likely to change. Waterfall is ideal for fixed scopes,
while Agile and Hybrid approaches work well for projects with evolving deliverables.
• Time and resource constraints: Project managers should consider the project’s time
and budget limitations. Waterfall might be appropriate for projects with tight schedules,
while Agile can offer flexibility when resources or deadlines shift.
