9.2 Principles – processes – tools
Principles
The following table shows some of the discussed methodologies’ principles: similar principles appear in the same row. It is important to note that they are similar and not same. For example, PRINCE2 Continued business justification is much more documentation based than the other two, Lean and Agile. The latters are much more collaboration oriented.
PRINCE2 |
Lean |
Agile |
Continued business justification |
Voice of the customer |
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation |
Learn from experience |
Kaizen, Continuous Improvements, Amplify learning |
|
Defined roles and responsibilities |
|
Having minimal set of roles (PO, team members, SM) |
Manage by stages |
PDCA |
Manage changes |
Manage by exception |
Quality at the source |
Working software over comprehensive documentation |
Focus on products |
Constancy of purpose |
|
Tailored to suit the project environment |
|
|
|
Respect for People |
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools |
Table 9.1: Principle comparison from PRINCE2 viewpoint
Processes
Let’s see a similar table for processes. In case of processes the different methodologies’ similarity is much weaken than it was in case of principles.
PMBok |
PRINCE2 |
Scrum (iteratively) |
LEAN PDCA cycles |
Initiation |
Starting up a project |
Form an initial Product Backlog |
Preliminary PDCA cycle(s) |
Plan |
Almost all stages creates/ updates plans |
Backlog prioritization and creating sprint backlog |
Plan |
Execute |
Directing a project |
Sprint |
Do |
Monitor & Control |
Managing a Stage Boundary, Controlling a Stage, Managing Product Delivery |
Daily scrum |
Check & Act |
Close |
Closing a project |
Delivery of product increment |
Post PDCA cycle(s) |
Table 9.2: Process comparison from PMBok viewpoint
We have to mention that PMBok deals with a lot of essential project management processes, e.g. procurement, human resource management, that the others do not mention at all.
Tools
PRINCE2 |
PMBok |
Lean |
Agile |
Risk Register |
Risk Register |
|
|
Product Breakdown Structure |
Work Breakdown Structure |
|
Features, epics, user stories |
|
Gantt Chart |
|
Burndown, burnup chart |
|
|
Gemba |
|
|
|
5S |
|
|
|
Root Cause Analysis |
|
|
|
Value Stream Mapping |
|
Table 9.3: Tools comparison from PRINCE2 viewpoint
Overview
The previous three comparisons clearly show the major differences of the four different methodologies:
- PRINCE2 is a mixture, it is principle and process oriented at the same time
- PMBok is process oriented
- Agile is much more principle oriented with some processes
- Lean is principle oriented and much more an improvement framework than a project management method, however, it can be applied in this sense as well