What is Project Tailoring? Everything You Need to Know
Posted by [email protected] on Aug. 21, 2022 / Announcement / Subscribe 0
When implementing a project management methodology, it’s important to consider the incumbent factors around the project itself and in the context of the broader organization. Too many project managers simply default to a so called “off the shelf” methodology, and then find themselves confused when things don’t work out as they might have planned. The result is wasted time, money, and overall frustration with management on the part of the production team.
It’s vital that, when choosing a project management methodology, that you tailor it to the factors that make the organization and the project themselves unique. While there are many different types of tailoring, we will focus primarily on two: Standard Tailoring and Custom Tailoring. There are no one-size fits all approach to tailoring; each company must choose their own method based on their needs and constraints.
Standard Tailoring: A standardized or generic tailoring solution is often used by companies who need to standardize the way their projects operate across multiple departments and locations. In these instances, it’s ideal if the project manager can use the same methodology for every project in order to ensure consistency among teams.
Custom Tailoring: When a company has specific requirements for how its projects should be managed, customized tailoring may be necessary.
Project tailoring need not occur only before a project. It’s important for project managers to be flexible; if something isn’t working during a project, then the methodology should not be so strict as to be unchanging. The entire point of a tailored project methodology is to conform to the needs of the project and the organization, not to cage the project to a set, unchanging ideal. Project methodologies should be regularly re-assessed and re-tailored as necessary to fit the needs of the team and organization. These lessons learned should then be considered when forming new project management standards for the future.
When tailoring, you should always keep in mind the value and complexity of a project. A highly valuable, and highly complex project would necessarily need more in-depth tailoring compared to a project of relatively less tasks and more simplicity. It is up to the project manager and the organizational team to assess the needs of each project prior to developing a tailored approach to ensuring the success of the project.
At PMI San Diego, we offer opportunities for project management practitioners to enhance their skills through peer-to-peer connection and knowledge sharing, as well as professional development events. Our mission is to enhance the knowledge and skills of current and potential project management practitioners in San Diego through thought leadership, industry best practices and project management community collaboration.
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