13 essential project management techniques

It’s no secret project managers have a lot on their plate. So it makes sense the discipline has a few techniques designed to make the process smoother and more successful. 

While it may feel like adding yet another methodology is more trouble than it’s worth, the fact that around 80% of projects fail shows PMs need all the help they can get. So without further delay – here are the tried and tested project management techniques you need to know. Let’s dive in!

What is project management?

Project management is the process of guiding a project to a successful finish. It’s a huge field, encompassing every industry imaginable. Broadly speaking, it involves: 

• Planning
• Organizing
• Overseeing tasks and resources
• Setting clear objectives
• Managing timelines 
• Keeping activities within budget
• Guiding the team to hit project goals on time and within scope.

And if that sounds like a lot, then you’d be correct! Which is why project managers have a range of techniques at their disposal to help them navigate all of this.

Why do we need techniques in project management?

Imagine trying to bake a cake without a recipe, or play a symphony without the music. Plunging into a big project without proper management would similarly end up a chaotic mess. 

Techniques offer a structured approach to project planning and execution. Despite variations, most center around fine-tuning planning, resource management, risk mitigation, and improving communication among team members and stakeholders. 

Ultimately, following one (or more) of these raises your chances of delivering a project that smashes its goals while remaining on time and to budget. A job well done for every project manager.

1. Lean project management

Lean is, as the name implies, focused on maximizing value by reducing waste. It emphasizes efficiency, continuous improvement, and delivering only what the customer needs (and no more). 

How it works

Lean has four main principles, which, when combined, promote efficiency, lower waste, and better align your product with customer needs. It also focused 

• Identifying value from the customer’s perspective
• Mapping the value stream to work out which are value-adding and non-value-adding activities
• Making sure processes flow smoothly and produce only what’s needed 
• Continuously improving processes. 

Why you should use it

Lean’s focus on continuous improvement is empowering for employees. It also helps you deliver maximum value to the customer while minimizing waste, which is great for your retention and your bottom line. Lean’s focus on flow and pull principles also helps you create a more responsive, flexible work environment.

When to use it

It’s especially useful when efficiency and waste reduction are paramount, such as in manufacturing. It’s also useful for service industries, including IT and finance, where streamlining processes can lead to big delivery improvements.

2. Scrum

Scrum is part of the Agile framework. It’s an iterative project management approach that focuses on flexibility, speed, collaboration, and customer feedback. Done well, it helps teams adapt (or stay ‘agile’) to changing demands, all while delivering value throughout the whole project lifecycle.

How it works

Scrum works by breaking a project into small, manageable units called iterations or sprints. These typically last one to four weeks. At the beginning of each sprint, the team chooses a set of tasks from a prioritized list, known as the product backlog. Then there are daily stand-ups throughout. At the end of each sprint, stakeholders assemble for a review meeting, where they offer their thoughts. And to wrap it all up, there’s a retrospective, which helps the team reflect on what did (and didn’t) go well. 

Why you should use it

It promotes flexibility, allowing teams to respond quickly to new information as it comes in. It also promotes continuous delivery: by breaking the project into smaller iterations, each punctuated by feedback, stakeholders can offer thoughts throughout, which means lower risk of unpleasant ‘surprise’ moments later on. It also promotes collaboration thanks to regular catch-ups, all of which boost team cohesion. 

When to use it

It’s good for all types of project, but best when you need flexibility and speed, and/or there are high levels of uncertainty. It’s a favorite of the software development world, but you’ll also spot it in other projects where flexibility and continuous improvement are important. 

3. Kanban

Kanban helps teams manage workflow. It visualizes the work on a board, limiting work in progress (WIP), and maximizing flow, making it easier to spot bottlenecks and optimize processes.

How it works

The aforementioned board is typically split into columns that represent different stages of the process, such as ‘to do,’ ‘in progress,’ and ‘done.’ Cards, representing tasks, move through these columns as they progress. By visualizing task flow, teams can set work-in-progress limits, meaning they focus on finishing current tasks before taking on something new. This keeps the workflow steady. 

A Kanban board created in Cacoo 

Why you should use it

Kanban gives the team full workflow visibility, which boosts transparency. It’s easy to see task status, manage flow, spot bottlenecks, and address issues sooner. Limiting WIP also means teams can take on what’s manageable and avoid spreading themselves too thinly. It’s also great for transparency, so when the team needs to work together at pace, it’s a great option. 

When to use it

It’s ideal for projects with sequential workflows and tasks with dependencies. For that reason, it’s popular in continuous delivery projects – software development, manufacturing, and service industries, to name a few. 

4. Scaled agile framework (SAFe)

The Scaled Agile Framework, or SAFe, is essentially Agile, but scaled up for larger organizations and especially tricky projects. It offers a structured approach to scaling Agile across multiple teams, aligning them with business goals while boosting all the good things Agile brings.

How it works

SAFe integrates various Agile practices like Scrum and Kanban, offering a solid framework that includes roles, responsibilities, and processes at different organizational levels. It consists of four levels for organizations of different sizes with specific requirements: team, program, large solution, and portfolio. 

In terms of running structure, it includes regular planning and review cycles, known as program increments (PIs), which typically last 8-12 weeks.

Why you should use it

SAFe gives you a structured framework for scaling Agile, promoting alignment, collaboration, and efficient value delivery across multiple teams, while allowing for speedy adaptation and continuous improvement.

When to use it

SAFe is ideal for large organizations and complex projects, offering much-needed strategic alignment, coordination, and scaling across multiple teams. This improves collaboration and value delivery. If your team’s already using Agile and you want to scale up to the organization (or a bigger team), this is the one you want.

5. Gantt charts

Gantt charts offer a visual timeline of a project’s schedule. But instead of the columns running vertically as with Kanban, they run horizontally, displaying tasks along a calendar that shows when each task starts and ends.

How it works

They use horizontal bars to represent tasks, showing their duration, start/end dates. Tasks are listed vertically, with dependencies indicated by arrows. This helps project managers visualize task sequences, monitor progress, and identify delays and bottlenecks.

Why you should use it

Gantt charts give you a clear, detailed visualization of a project schedule. They show task progress, dependencies, and overall timeline, all of which PMs need to know. They also help you track tasks, understand delays’ impacts, allocate resources, and enhance communication among team members and stakeholders.

A Gantt chart created in Cacoo 

When to use it

Use them for fairly rigid projects with well-defined schedules and tasks that run in a clear sequence. Construction, event planning, and marketing campaigns are all good examples of the ideal pairing for a Gantt chart. 

6. Critical path method (CPM)

If you think of a project as a series of critical tasks, then CPM maps out the fastest route from start to finish.

How it works

CPM involves defining every single task in a project, plus their dependencies. From here, PMs can work out which tasks are the most critical to project completion, plus the longest sequence of tasks that determines the project’s minimum duration. Delays on the critical path delay the entire project, while tasks not on this path have some flexibility (known as ‘float’, allowing for delays without impacting the project’s end date.

Why you should use it

Knowing the full impact of delays, plus where there’s wriggle room, helps PMs prioritize resources. It also helps them predict the shortest possible project duration, anticipate delays, and make adjustments. This improves resource allocation and scheduling.

When to use it

CPM is ideal for projects with interdependent tasks and strict deadlines, e.g. construction and software development. Use it in the planning phase and for ongoing monitoring to improve your chances of hitting critical deadlines.

7. Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)

PERT is a type of network diagram. It arranges tasks like a flowchart (rather than sequentially), showing both the critical path’s duration, as well as the relationships between tasks. It helps project managers estimate timings and identify the minimum time needed to finish the entire project.

How it works

Nodes (usually represented by rectangles or circles) represent each task, with arrows indicating dependencies. Using PERT involves estimating optimistic (O), most likely (M), and pessimistic (P) timings, then calculating the expected time (TE) using: TE = (O + 4M + P) / 6. This helps PMs account for variability and uncertainty in durations, which gives a more accurate project timeline overall.

A PERT chart made in Cacoo

Why you should use it

PERT incorporates uncertainty and variability in task duration estimates. This gives managers a more realistic (not to mention flexible) project schedule. By considering the best-case, most likely, and worst-case scenarios, it helps PMs plan ahead – something that’s always important in the world of project management. 

When to use it

When uncertainty and complexity rule, PERT is what you want. It is ideal for research and development projects, product development, and anything where precise time estimates are elusive. Use it during the planning phase to develop a detailed project schedule and throughout the project to monitor progress and adjust plans. Using PERT helps PMs predict project completion times and manage risks better.

8. Waterfall

With Waterfall, tasks are completed in a linear, sequential manner. Teams need to complete each phase of the project before moving on to the next, much like water flowing down a series of steps.

How it works

With Waterfall, the project is divided into distinct phases: requirements, design, implementation, verification, and maintenance. Each phase has specific deliverables to complete before the next one begins. 

Source: tutorialspoint.com

Why you should use it

Waterfall offers a clear, structured approach to project management. This helps you catch issues early, manage workflow, and complete every task (without missing things).  The emphasis on documentation and structure means it’s great for onboarding team members and training them consistently.

When to use it

Any situation where the project calls for clear, stable projects with tasks you need to perform in a specific order. When the project has critical timelines and high regulatory or quality standards, make it your go-to.

9. Earned value management (EVM)

Earned value management (EVM) integrates scope, time, and cost measures so PMs can assess project performance compared to the plan and forecasts. 

How it works

EVM works by calculating three key metrics: 

• Planned Value (PV): The value of work completed by a specific date, according to the plan
• Earned Value (EV): The value of work actually completed by this time
• Actual Cost (AC): The cost tallied up for the completed work at a specific point in time.

Comparing these three values, PMs can work out cost and schedule variances, plus performance metrics like the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI).

Why you should use it

EVM gives PMs insight into project performance in a way they can quantify. With this data, they can spot issues and take a proactive approach to stopping them in their tracks. 

When to use it

EVM is ideal for projects with set budgets and schedules, like those in construction, aerospace, defense, and engineering. It helps PMs monitor cost and schedule performance, giving them lazer-sharp control. Applied from the project’s start, it helps the team stay on track and within budget.

10. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

WBS helps you break a project into smaller, more manageable chunks. This hierarchical decomposition gives PMs a clear picture of what needs to be done.

How it works

With a WBS, you start by noting down the project’s major deliverables or phases. Then you break them down into smaller, more detailed tasks. Taking a hierarchical approach helps you organize the total project scope. For example, in a software development project, phases like design, development, and testing are split into more granular tasks like creating wireframes and coding. 

Why you should use it

WBS clarifies project scope and responsibilities, making it easier to estimate time and resources. It also boosts communication, fostering shared understanding among team members and stakeholders. Finally, it improves your risk management approach by helping you spot issues early. 

When to use it

It’s best for projects with clear goals and deliverables, especially large, complex ones that need detailed planning. Use it in the planning phase to gain a deep understanding of the work at hand and establish a solid foundation for what’s to follow.

11. Extreme project management (XPM)

XPM was designed for the most complex and uncertain projects. It emphasizes flexibility, adaptability, and rapid response to change, making it ideal dynamic projects with high levels of uncertainty.

How it works

Extreme project management (XPM) uses a dynamic planning approach, founded on iterative development and continuous improvement. A major difference between XMP and other methods lies in its ethos of calculated risks. Experimentation and innovation are encouraged, led by managers who serve as facilitators and coaches.

Why you should use it

XPM works by embracing uncertainty. This means teams can flex fast as new information comes in. It also emphasizes collaboration and continuous feedback, so it’s good for keeping teams aligned with stakeholder needs. Through calculated risk-taking, it improves innovation, making it an ideal choice for startups and organizations looking to boost their creativity.

When to use it

When things are uncertain or more complex than normal, you’ll want XPM. It’s ideal for startups, tech companies, and R&D in particular, although it can flex to suit any dynamic project. It really shines where traditional, rigid methodologies might fail to accommodate the fast pace and fluid nature of the work. 

12. PRINCE2

PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based project management technique. It offers a structured approach with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. 

How it works

PRINCE2 is built around seven principles, seven themes, and seven processes that guide the overall project approach: 

• Business Case
• Organization
• Quality
• Plans
• Risk
• Change
• Progress

The seven processes, from starting up a project to closing it, offer a clear, disciplined, and systematic roadmap for the project. 

Why you should use it

It works because it’s detailed and structured. The focus on clear roles and responsibilities helps the team establish accountability and reduce ambiguity, while its emphasis on business justification keeps the project aligned with organizational goals. Plus, The process-based approach makes for better risk management, quality control, and change management. 

When to use it

It’s best when the project depends on high levels of control and governance. Large, complex projects in an environment where structure is essential for maintaining quality and good risk management. 

13. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)

Developed from the theory of constraints (TOC), CCPM aims to improve project delivery times by addressing resource bottlenecks and minimizing delays caused by uncertainties and task dependencies.

How it works

CCPM begins with the critical path. But unlike the critical path method, CCPM accounts for the availability and capacity of resources. To protect the project schedule from uncertainties, CCPM introduces buffers: a project buffer at the end of the project, feeding buffers where non-critical tasks feed into the critical chain, and resource buffers to ensure resources are there when you need them. 

Why you should use it

CCPM’s emphasis on prioritizing critical tasks and avoiding multitasking boosts productivity while lowering the risk of project delays. This method also fosters a culture of proactive management, where nascent issues are identified and addressed early.

When to use it

Use it for projects with tight schedules, limited resources, and complex task dependencies. It flourishes in projects that call for precise scheduling and efficient resourcing. By using CCPM, PMs can improve their chances of project success, despite resource uncertainties.

Fine-tune your techniques with project management tools 

Techniques are good, but project management software makes them great. With Backlog, our own PM tool, you get interactive charts, real-time notifications, a range of access options, and an array of integrations and metrics to make the process of monitoring and improving simpler. Better yet, it operates on the cloud, from one central hub — so everyone, from team members to managers to stakeholders and beyond can keep those goals in sight, every step of the way. Give it a try today!