Analysis of Project Management Methodologies: A Case Study Report

This report presents a case study analysis of project management methodologies, focusing on the refurbishment of a university hall. It explores three primary methodologies: Agile, Waterfall, and PRINCE2. The Agile methodology, with its iterative approach, is examined, including its strengths like customer satisfaction and flexibility, and weaknesses like difficulty in effort assessment. The Waterfall methodology, with its sequential phases, is analyzed for its clear structure and limitations in handling changes and user involvement. The PRINCE2 methodology, a process-based approach, is evaluated for its flexibility and focus on outputs, alongside its drawbacks such as excessive documentation. The report then provides a recommendation to the project sponsor, suggesting the most suitable methodology for the project, along with a conclusion summarizing the findings and the importance of selecting the right methodology for project success. The report includes a comprehensive list of references supporting the analysis.

Case Study

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.................................................................................................................................................3
Agile Methodology..................................................................................................................................3
Waterfall Methodology...........................................................................................................................4
Prince2 Methodology..............................................................................................................................5
Recommendations.......................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Project management refers to the use of various types of techniques of leading a team and
achieving the goals and objectives which are set for them (Badewi, 2016). In this case study,
focus will be made on methodologies to be adopted for completing the refurbishment work at the
university.
MAIN BODY
Agile Methodology
Agile methodology is a practice in which continuous iteration of development and testing
is carried throughout the software development lifecycle of the project (Agile Methodology &
Model: Guide for Software Development & Testing, 2020).
Methods-
 Scrum- Scrum is a method in which concentration is made on management of different
types of tasks in a team-based environment (Conforto and et.al., 2016). This method can
be used for refurbishment of the hall available in the university for the business students.
 eXtreme Programming- It is a technique in which is very useful when there are
constantly changing demands of the customers.
 Crystal methodologies- This technique is mainly used in the form of different concepts
which are chartering, cyclic delivery and wrap up.
 DSDM- It is the Dynamic Software Development Method. It is used when the team
members are quite active enough and have the required power to take various types of
decisions.
 Feature Driven Development- This method describes specific and short phases of work
which makes it easier for the tasks to be accomplished.
 Lean Software Development- This method aims at increasing the speed and decreasing
the cost.
Strengths-
 Customer satisfaction- The use of Agile method leads towards the satisfaction of the
customers. Therefore this can be quite helpful for the university in developing the
business hall as per the needs and requirements of the students.
 Focus on People and interactions- This method allows to focus on people and the
interactions rather than the processes and tools. Thus this method can be very useful for
university to focus on its students and find out what they need.

 Cooperation- This method facilitates high-level of cooperation which is so essential to
attain the required success. Therefore the university can use this method in order to
ensure the cooperation for completing the required work.
 Regular adaptation- This method allows for regular adaptation according to the ever-
changing requirements. Thus it can be used by the university effectively so as to ensure
that it is adapting regularly to the change in the needs and requirements of the students
regarding the business hall. Thus it allows this flexibility in project management.
Weaknesses-
 Difficult to assess the efforts required- In this method, it becomes very difficult to
assess the level of efforts required to complete the project. Thus it can be
disadvantageous for the university in this regard.
 Lack of specific emphasis- In this methodology, there is very less emphasis which is put
on designing and documentation. Therefore for a university this can create a lot of
problems.
 The project can get off the track- In this methodology the project can get off the track
also if there is lack of surety on the final outcome desired. Thus it can be problematic for
the university.
 Centralization of decision-making power- In this methodology the power to take the
decisions lies only with seniors and the juniors cannot take decisions on their own.
Therefore problems can be created for the university related to the project.
Waterfall Methodology
In Waterfall Methodology, different types of sequences are there for completing of a
particular project (Fleming and Koppelman, 2016). Each sequence must be completed before
progressing on to the next one. Thus it makes the completion of project quite systematic. It can
be used by the University for the Refurbishment of its hall so that no problems are caused to the
students.
The phases which are used in this model are as follows-
 Requirement gathering and analysis- In this phase, it has to be identified what is the
overall requirement which is required to be gathered and analyzed. The university needs
to determine the requirement of refurbishment of hall.
 System design- In this phase, the overall system is designed (Hoda and Murugesan,
2016). The university has to design so as to identify the techniques which can be used for
project completion.
 Implementation- In it, the inputs are taken and the system is developed in small phases
(Kivilä, Martinsuo and Vuorinen, 2017). The university needs to use it for breaking the
work into small tasks.

 Integration and testing- In it, the small tasks are integrated together for completing a
bigger task. This can be used by the University for ensuring the right approach towards
work.
 Deployment of system- After the above phases have been completed, the tasks are done
effectively so as to ensure timely completion of work. This has to be ensured by the
university so that the business hall can be refurbished.
 Maintenance- The maintenance work has to be done after the tasks have been
completed. The university has to ensure maintenance of business hall after refurbishment.
Strengths-
 Use of clear structure- Waterfall Method ensures that a clear structure is followed so
that the tasks can be completed effectively. Thus by using this method the university can
ensure that a clear structure is being followed for refurbishment.
 Determination of end goal- With the use of Waterfall Method the end goal can be
determined quite clearly which help in the achievement of tasks without any problems.
This will help the university in setting its end goal and accomplishing it without any
problems.
 Transfer of information- Waterfall Method essentially helps in the transfer of
information so that the required information is available for task completion. This will
help the university in transferring the required information and getting the task done.
Weaknesses-
 Makes changes difficult- Waterfall Method makes it very difficult to make the required
changes. Thus this can create problems for university in refurbishment work.
 Excludes the end user- Waterfall Methodology excludes the end user and as such can
create issues for the university.
 Delays testing- Waterfall Methodology delays the testing process until the project has
been fully completed. Therefore for the university this can be disadvantageous.
Prince2 Methodology
Prince2 Methodology is a process-based method which aims at processes for effectively
completing a project (Padalkar and Gopinath, 2016).
According to it, a project should have-
 An organized and controlled start- This is very much essential so that organizing and
planning can be done properly without any problems. If the university is able to plan
properly for the refurbishment of business hall for the students then it will face no
problem in starting the project.
 An organized and controlled middle- This is also required so that once the project has
been started there should be an organized and controlled middle phase to it. The
university has to make sure that this phase is handled quite carefully so that no problems
are faced in the next phase which is critical.

 An organized and controlled end- This happens when the project has finished. It is
important here to make sure that the project has achieved its main aims as well as
objectives. The university has to make sure that the aims and objectives of refurbishment
of business hall have been achieved after the project has been completed so as to make
sure that it has served its required purpose.
Strengths-
 Flexibility- The entire framework offers flexibility of making the required decisions
(Samset and Volden, 2016). Thus the university is offered the desired flexibility so that it
can make the decisions.
 Communication and accountability- This methodology is best in ensuring
communication and accountability of the work done. Thus the university can make sure
that the communication with the students is done properly on the project and
accountability is taken.
 Focus on outputs and continuous improvement- This methodology is quite useful in
focusing on the outputs and continuous improvement. Therefore the university can make
sure that the desired outputs are achieved and improvements can be done whenever
required.
Weaknesses-
 Excessive documentation- This methodology requires the use of excessive
documentation which can be problematic for the university.
 Updation of documents- At every stage of this methodology, the documents are required
to be updated regularly. Thus this can cause delay in the project undertaken by the
university for the students.
 Slowing down of the project- The senior management of some organizations does not
shows much interest in the projects which leads to slowing down of the project. Thus for
the university this is a disadvantage because it can slow down its project.
Recommendations
For the university, it can be recommended that it makes use of the Waterfall
Methodology. It is recommended because by using it, it can break down the work required to be
done into several small tasks. Thus in the context of the university it would be good that it uses
this technique for better efficiency and effectiveness in project completion.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that project management is a process through
which the projects have to be managed so as to ensure their timely completion. Agile, Waterfall

and Prince 2 are different methodologies which can be used for it. They have their own strengths
and weaknesses and the organization needs to decide which one is the most suitable for it.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Badewi, A., 2016. The impact of project management (PM) and benefits management (BM)
practices on project success: Towards developing a project benefits governance
framework. International Journal of Project Management. 34(4). pp.761-778.
Conforto, E. C. and et.al., 2016. The agility construct on project management
theory. International Journal of Project Management. 34(4). pp.660-674.
Fleming, Q. W. and Koppelman, J. M., 2016, December. Earned value project management.
Project Management Institute.
Hoda, R. and Murugesan, L. K., 2016. Multi-level agile project management challenges: A self-
organizing team perspective. Journal of Systems and Software. 117. pp.245-257.
Kivilä, J., Martinsuo, M. and Vuorinen, L., 2017. Sustainable project management through
project control in infrastructure projects. International Journal of Project Management. 35(6).
pp.1167-1183.
Padalkar, M. and Gopinath, S., 2016. Six decades of project management research: Thematic
trends and future opportunities. International Journal of Project Management. 34(7). pp.1305-
1321.
Samset, K. and Volden, G. H., 2016. Front-end definition of projects: Ten paradoxes and some
reflections regarding project management and project governance. International Journal of
Project Management. 34(2). pp.297-313.
Online
Agile Methodology & Model: Guide for Software Development & Testing. 2020. [Online].
Available through: <https://www.guru99.com/agile-scrum-extreme-testing.html>