Simplifying Project Management – a Couple of Methods

Have you been given a project to manage?

Do you get the feeling you need a project manager just to decide which project management method to use?

Well let’s try and simplify things for you. We’ll dispel your fears and help you successfully manage your project.

Despite what you may think there are only three elements to manage in any project:

  • People
  • Resources (money, materials, equipment, etc)
  • Time

Before we go too far, you’ll find project management has a language of its own too.

Here are some terms you may come across:

  • WBS - Work Breakdown Structure: Breaking down a project into small steps or chunks.
  • Gantt chart: A visual method, often using Excel, to create a timeline for steps and tasks.
  • PERT: Programme Evaluation and Review Technique is a method to ensure the project runs on time.
  • CPM - Critical Path Method: Creating a list of all tasks, how long they’ll take, and where they fit overall.
  • Waterfall: Imagine a waterfall with water cascading over different ledges. Each stage depends on the completion of the previous one. The project cascades but if there’s a blockage it will hold up the rest.
  • Kanban: Developed by a Toyota engineer for manufacturing processes. A visual waterfall with cards or post-it notes on a whiteboard.

It’s really quite simple!

Managing a project is as simple as getting from A to B. From where you Are to where you want to Be. And working out the steps in between the two places.

Just like setting a route for a journey on your satnav. You need to know where you are starting from and where you need to get to. Everything in between is just steps on the way.

How does it work?

Think of a busy restaurant kitchen and the two opposing sayings:

  • Too many cooks spoil the broth!
  • Many hands make light work! 

The difference is communication. 

Have you ever watched “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” with Chef Gordon Ramsay?

A dish may need input from several chefs. Each element requiring different preparation and cooking times. But, and this is the important bit, they must all arrive on the plate at the same time ready for serving up to the customer.

Properly prepared. Properly cooked. If one element is missing, you need to know as soon as possible.

If preparation of just one ingredient is delayed, you need to know as soon as it becomes apparent so you can make necessary adjustments.

It all must be there at the same time. This will only happen only if all chefs communicate. If everyone knows what is required of them. Exactly where they are in the process. 

Do you recall in the show the insistence on the response “Yes Chef” to ensure the message had been received and understood? This is what project management is all about.

Two Popular Methods

There are many methods you can use. Here are a couple of popular ones.

PRINCE 2

A traditional favourite. Popular in the public sector. A very structured method if that suits your way of working.

It stands for - PRojects IN Controlled Environments - and generally has 7 processes: 

  1. Starting up
  2. Initiating
  3. Directing
  4. Controlling
  5. Managing stage
  6. Managing product delivery
  7. Closing

If you like structure, then this will work for you. It has a very structured process. 

Certain tasks and milestones have to be achieved throughout. Controlled Environments in the name means a very controlled way of working.

I have to declare that it is not my personal best way to work.

AGILE

This, however, is probably my favourite! When I first came across Agile it was a refreshing discovery. 

The great thing about this method is you have greater engagement with everyone involved. Regular contact with all the key stakeholders. You never feel out on your own.

I found Agile most effective in generating solutions for many diverse needs. Agile started out as a methodology for software development. It comprised 12 principles.

Some of the key points being: 

  • Customer satisfaction by early and continuous delivery
  • Solutions delivered frequently (weeks rather than months)
  • Close, daily cooperation
  • Projects built around motivated individuals
  • Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)
  • Sustainable development at a constant pace
  • Simplicity
  • Regular team reflection

But really, it’s a simple process:

  • Brainstorm
    • Requirements
    • What you want to achieve – getting from A to B
  • Design
    • Document – what’s needed
    • Prototype - solutions
  • Development Iterations
    • Demo to users
    • Feedback into the process
  • Quality Assurance
    • User testing – check it works
    • Identify defects
    • Resolve bugs
  • Deployment
    • Minimum viable product (MVP)
    • Technical support
  • Deliver to Client 

At this stage the project may be complete. If further requirements are identified, then these would be entered back into the cycle.

Conclusion

There are many project management methods available but they sometimes over-complicate what is needed.

In simple terms you need to:

Understand

  • Who is involved?
  • What is required?
  • What are the steps needed?

Manage

  • People
  • Resources
  • Time
  • Achieve success.
  • Be prepared to adapt

You’ve heard the old saying ‘keep it simple, keep it sweet’. Well, that’s a great motto to adopt with every project you manage.

Don’t overcomplicate. Don’t overthink. Don’t make mountains out of molehills!

Just get on and do it!

Author Bio | Keith Grinsted MBA FRSA

Keith Grinsted

 

Keith Grinsted is a business author, strategist, and AI adoption advocate based in Essex, UK.

He works at the intersection of leadership, resilience, and intelligent technology - helping organisations move from viewing AI as a technical tool to recognising it as a practical business partner.

Keith is currently writing AI as a Business Partner, exploring how AI can support everyday decision-making, productivity, governance, and strategic clarity across private, public, and third-sector organisations. His work focuses on pragmatic implementation rather than theory - helping leaders integrate AI into daily workflows in ways that enhance judgement rather than replace it.

With experience spanning startups, retail, corporate environments, local and national government, and charity boards, Keith brings a cross-sector lens to organisational transformation. He has been described as a modern-day Sir John Harvey-Jones for his ability to identify overlooked opportunities and unlock underused capability within teams and systems.

He is Founder of Pathway Collective, a platform integrating AI literacy, executive coaching, charity-sector insight, and second-act career development. Through this work he supports senior leaders, trustees, entrepreneurs, and professionals navigating change in an AI-enabled economy.

Keith is also the author of previous business titles with Business Expert Press (New York) and has written for national publications including Huffington Post UK. His commentary has appeared on BBC television and radio.

Alongside his work in technology and leadership, Keith has led national conversations around loneliness, workplace wellbeing, and career reinvention. His LAUNCHPAD programme supports individuals facing redundancy or career transition, and he is a qualified Mental Health First Aider.

Awards include:

  • Open University Business School Alumni Award for Outstanding Contribution to Society
  • Investors in People Exceptional People Award for Community Engagement

Keith believes the future of work lies not in choosing between humanity and technology - but in learning how to align them.

January 2024

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