Methodologies
The main PM methodologies, explained plainly
"Which methodology" isn't a one-size question — the right one depends on the work, not a personal preference. Here's what each one actually is, in plain terms, grouped by the kind of problem it's built to solve. Related training or courses for each are on their way — see the Courses page for certifications already live.
Traditional / Predictive
Scope, schedule, and budget defined up front — the project runs the plan rather than discovering it as it goes.
Waterfall
A linear, sequential approach — each phase (requirements, design, build, test, deploy) finishes before the next starts. The original "traditional" methodology most others are defined in contrast to.
Best for
Projects with fixed, well-understood requirements up front — construction, manufacturing, and regulated or compliance-heavy work where changing course mid-project is expensive or risky.
Key characteristics
- ✓ Requirements locked early; changes go through formal change control
- ✓ Clear phase gates and sign-offs between stages
- ✓ Easy to plan budget and timeline upfront, harder to adapt once underway
- ✓ Documentation-heavy by design
PRINCE2
A structured, process-based methodology (not just the certification) — organises a project into defined stages with clear roles, and a business case that gets revisited throughout, not just signed off at the start.
Best for
Organisations that need consistent governance across many projects at once, especially in the public sector or regulated industries.
Key characteristics
- ✓ Seven principles, themes, and processes define exactly how a project should run
- ✓ Continued business justification checked at every stage, not just the start
- ✓ Clearly defined roles (Project Board, Project Manager, Team Manager)
- ✓ See our PRINCE2 vs PMP comparison and the Courses page for certification info — this is about the method itself
PMBOK / PMI Framework
Not a rigid step-by-step method so much as a comprehensive body of knowledge — process groups and knowledge areas that most Western traditional PM training is built on.
Best for
PMs who want a comprehensive reference framework rather than one fixed process — often used alongside a more specific methodology rather than instead of one.
Key characteristics
- ✓ Organised around process groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, closing)
- ✓ Underpins the PMP certification — see Courses
- ✓ Flexible, framework-like reference rather than a prescriptive process
- ✓ Widely used in the US and multinational organisations
Agile / Iterative
Work delivered in small increments, reviewed and adjusted as you go — built for requirements that are likely to change.
Agile
Not a single method but a set of values and principles (the Agile Manifesto) — prioritising working output, collaboration, and responding to change over rigid upfront planning. Scrum and Kanban are specific implementations of agile thinking.
Best for
Projects where requirements are likely to evolve — software and product development especially, increasingly used in marketing and operations too.
Key characteristics
- ✓ Work delivered in small increments, reviewed and adjusted frequently
- ✓ Prioritises responding to change over following a fixed plan
- ✓ Requires a different governance and reporting rhythm than traditional methods
- ✓ "Being agile" and "doing Scrum" aren’t the same thing — agile is the philosophy, Scrum is one way to do it
Scrum
The most widely used agile framework — work organised into fixed-length sprints (usually one to four weeks), with defined roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team) and ceremonies (sprint planning, daily stand-up, review, retrospective).
Best for
Product and software teams building something iteratively, where a backlog can be prioritised and re-prioritised sprint to sprint.
Key characteristics
- ✓ Time-boxed sprints with a fixed goal, not open-ended work
- ✓ Daily stand-ups keep the team synchronised without status meetings
- ✓ Retrospectives build continuous improvement into the process itself
- ✓ Needs genuine team buy-in — imposed as pure process, it doesn’t work
Kanban
A visual, flow-based approach — work items move across a board (e.g. To Do → In Progress → Done) with limits on how much can be in progress at once, rather than fixed time-boxed sprints.
Best for
Ongoing, continuous-flow work — support and ops teams, maintenance work, or teams that don't want the rigidity of sprint cycles.
Key characteristics
- ✓ No fixed iteration length — work is pulled as capacity allows
- ✓ Work-in-progress (WIP) limits are the core discipline that makes it function
- ✓ Very visual — the board itself is the primary management tool
- ✓ Easier to adopt gradually alongside an existing process than Scrum is
Process Improvement
Less about delivering a one-off project, more about improving how work gets done repeatedly.
Lean Six Sigma
A combination of two disciplines — Lean (eliminating waste, originally from Toyota's manufacturing system) and Six Sigma (reducing defects and variation using statistical analysis, originally from Motorola).
Best for
Manufacturing, operations, and process-heavy environments where the goal is efficiency and consistency rather than delivering a single project.
Key characteristics
- ✓ DMAIC framework (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) structures improvement work
- ✓ Belt-based certification system (Yellow, Green, Black Belt) signals depth of training
- ✓ Heavier on data and statistical rigour than most PM methodologies
- ✓ Often used alongside a project methodology, not instead of one
Hybrid
No single standard — a deliberate mix, increasingly the reality in most organisations rather than a “pure” methodology.
Hybrid
Often Waterfall-style governance and phase-gates for overall structure and reporting, with Agile or Scrum sprints for the actual delivery work inside each phase.
Best for
Organisations that need traditional governance — fixed budgets, board sign-off — but are delivering technical work best suited to iterative development.
Key characteristics
- ✓ No single standard — the mix is defined per organisation or per project
- ✓ Common pattern: Waterfall-style stage gates at the macro level, Scrum sprints at the micro level
- ✓ Requires more deliberate design than picking one method off the shelf
- ✓ Often the practical answer when a “pure” methodology doesn’t fit political or contractual reality
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to pick just one methodology?
No — most real organisations run a mix, whether or not they'd admit it. It's more useful to know the vocabulary and reasoning behind each one than to be a purist about any single method.
What's the difference between Agile and Scrum?
Agile is a set of values and principles — a philosophy. Scrum is one specific framework for putting those values into practice, with defined roles, ceremonies, and sprint structure. Kanban is another way of being agile without using Scrum at all.
Is Agile always better than Waterfall?
No — it depends entirely on the work. Waterfall is often the right choice when requirements are genuinely fixed and changing course mid-project is expensive (construction, regulated compliance work). Agile earns its keep when requirements are likely to shift and you need to adapt as you learn.
Which methodology should I learn first?
Whichever matches the job ads you're actually applying to. If you don't know yet, PRINCE2 or a basic Scrum credential are the most commonly requested starting points in the UK — see the Courses page for how each maps to your career stage.
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