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I’m currently awaiting my “authorization to test” for my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, which is currently one of the most widely-recognized standards for project management.  Yippie.  It’s a great set of standards, but even PMI recognizes that every project and company is different.  Therefore, as with any formal education, the value of the PMP certification is in being able to apply the knowledge rather than the merely possess it.

I’ve been reading quite a bit lately into an emerging trend called “agile project management” which stems from another trend called “agile software development,” both of which focus more on software development than traditional creative agency work.  However, what I’ve gathered is that Agile Project Management is really just standard project management, with a few key differences.  Here are a few tenants of Agile Project Management (APM) from this ccpace article:

1.  Establish a “Guiding Vision” to enable your team to make decisions independently if needed.
2.  Use teamwork and collaboration whenever possible
3.  Keep everyone constantly informed and have all project details readily accessible
4.  Manage with a “light touch”.  APM assumes the PM is more of a “Visionary Leader” than an “Uninspired Task Master”
5.  Stay adaptive, ready to reorganize your team, resources, and timeline as the project demands.

APM is a huge subject, but it’s another outcome of trying to apply a rigid control mechanism to the organic creative process.   PMI lands on the heavy control side, whereas APM lands on the light side of the spectrum.  Each company is different, and needs to determine how much Project Management is enough to satisfy the balance of control vs. creativity.  I think APM is worth looking into, but that you have to weigh the unique needs of your organization against any approach before selecting one or creating your own.

If you’re interested, here is another great article on the subject.