Customising Hybrid project management methodologies

Abstract

Despite the growing popularity of Hybrid project management methodologies (combining Plan-driven and Agile methodologies), research guiding project managers on integrating various methodologies into their project management approach is limited. This gap in understanding managers’ choices and their implications is important as mismatches between the project and its methodology can adversely affect project success. This paper examines how project managers customize Hybrid project management methodologies by selecting aspects of both Agile and Plan-driven approaches. An abductive approach grounded in both theory and practice was used, drawing on Contingency and Coordination Theories together with empirical data including interviews, document analysis and observations from 10 case studies. Results suggest two key characteristics of projects that impact project managers’ decisions when customizing project management methodologies: Team type and project goal. The paper advances our knowledge on how practices from various project management methodologies can be integrated by method or by phase into a Hybrid model.