Whether it’s jumpstarting sustainability initiatives or spearheading the development of your favorite open-world video games, project management is the profession that makes things happen.

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. It’s the practice of planning, organizing, and executing the tasks needed to turn a brilliant idea into a tangible product, service, or deliverable.

Key aspects of project management include:

• Defining project scope
• Identifying deliverables
• Managing risks
• Effective communication across teams
  
  

Project Professionals are the people working behind the scenes to bring brilliant projects—like sustainability initiatives and open-world video games—to life. They have the skills, knowledge, and experience to ensure a project achieves its goals.

And while project management is a larger-than-life profession, the skill set it requires is more accessible than you’d think. In fact, if you’ve ever created a schedule, planned a party, or led a group project, you’ve already tapped into your project management potential.

Learn more about Project Managers and how you can become one in our next article—What is a Project Manager?

Project Management Approaches

There are all types of projects across various industries, which means each one needs to be tailored according to its unique needs. So, Project Managers often rely on one of three primary approaches.

Predictive Project Management

• Best for when project and product requirements are well-defined and stable at the beginning.
• Emphasizes detailed planning and execution based on initial requirements.
• Follows a traditional model where each phase is completed before the next one begins.

• Ideal for projects where requirements are subject to high level of uncertainty and volatility and are likely to change throughout a project.
• Uses an iterative and incremental approach, allowing more flexibility and adaptation.
• Encourages continuous collaboration and embraces change as a natural part of the process.

• Combines aspects of both predictive and adaptive approaches.
• Ideal for projects with varying degrees of certainty and flexibility.
• Allows for some project elements to be well-defined and constant while others are subject to change.

All these approaches have benefits and are ideal in different project scenarios. So, it’s up to Project Managers and their teams to decide which will lead to the most effective and successful completion of their project.

PMI is the world’s leading authority on project management. We maximize project success to elevate our world.

We prepare organizations and individuals to work smarter in our dynamic world through:

• Global advocacy
• Networking
• Collaboration
• Research
• Education

Since our establishment, we’ve worked hard to build a proud legacy as a “for-purpose” organization. If that sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, we invite you to learn more about PMI and the impact of our legacy.