The Project app is a handy tool that can help you manage a project. But how does the Project app fit in with the other apps in the Fortes Change Cloud? And in which way of working does the Project app fit?
This article answers the following questions:
- Where does the Project app fit in the Fortes Change Cloud?
- How does the Project app fit my way of working?
- When do I choose a project?
Where does the Project app fit in the Fortes Change Cloud?
The Project app gives you insight into the progress of different projects and helps you manage your project (s). For example, the app offers a planning tool with a Gantt chart and a kanban board on which all tasks can be recorded.
Project linked to a portfolio item
A project is usually started from a portfolio item. If you start a project from a portfolio item in the Portfolio app, this will be visible on the portfolio item in the portfolio funnel. This way you can see at a glance which portfolio items have been started as a project.
How does the Project app fit my way of working?
The Project app fits well within the waterfall method due to the clear structure that it can give a project. However, a project is not necessarily tied to this way of working. Projects also fit well with hybrid works; a way of working where projects exist alongside agile teams.
Waterfall method
The waterfall method is seen as a traditional way of working. In this method, a project goes through different phases, of which the completion of the project is the last one. Often a project is started when change is needed within an organization.
The Project app fits well within the waterfall method. Mainly the clear, delineated structure of a project and the clear way of reporting within the Project app contribute to this. For example, all phases of a waterfall model can be displayed in the Gantt project planning. Read everything about the Project App at Getting Started: everything about the Project app.
Hybrid method
It is also possible within a portfolio to work both agile and waterfall, or to use projects in an organization that works mainly according to agile methods. Projects can therefore easily co-exist with agile release trains and agile teams in the same portfolio. Within Fortes Change Cloud we call this working hybrid. So you actually use the best of both worlds.
When you work hybrid, you work with agile teams and / or agile release trains and with projects. Traditionally, a project is used in this scenario to manage a defined project, often with a deadline, while the agile teams or agile release trains take on ongoing tasks.
When do I choose a project?
In the following cases it is often decided to start a project (work waterfall):
- The project has a short lead time.
- The project has a clear scope and / or deadline, for example a rule imposed by law.
- An organization is simply set up as a project organization and uses, for example, the Prince2 methodology.
Note that the above points are examples and that there are many other cases where a project is a good outcome.
In the latter case we usually do not come across hybrid forms, unless a small part of the organization is already geared towards working agile.
