In her 2012 report, Price Waterhouse Cooper’s Eve Mitchell discusses the waterfall, or traditional, project management approach versus the agile approach, which are generally considered to be mutually exclusive. But, she notes, “organisations who would consider they are guided by waterfall principles unwittingly [are] also employing agile practices.” The point is not that you should employ either one of these approaches strictly but realize that each has its benefits and a hybrid approach, such as that presented by the COE, may be most beneficial.

According to the traditional approach, a project is very linear. It begins, it ends. An agile approach is iterative, ongoing, and progressive. It is not as neatly tied down, which drives traditionalists crazy. The Centre of Excellence approach incorporates the most useful, effective strategies for project management. For instance, traditional project management focuses on defined roles and responsibilities, and this is very useful in achieving success.

But the traditional model also leaves a lot of gaps, problems include:

• A Checkmark Mentality: Activities are completed not because they will directly affect the achievement of goals but because they’re on the list.
• Rigidity: Often, projects can devolve into building processes and templates that must be followed to the letter.
• Policing and Control rather than accountability and ownership.

Thought is replaced by adherence to procedure; and this can doom a project. A collaborative, hybrid approach, such as the COE, allows:

• Mentoring of managers and team members.
• Empowering of team members to take ownership of projects, while understanding their accountability and responsibility.
• Daily meetings confirming a project is on track and continues to be aligned with the organization’s goals and objectives.
• Managing of stakeholder expectations to improve transparency, increase understanding, and facilitate active and ongoing participation.
• Building and maintaining of trust within the project teams and between the project teams, business units and sponsors. When you have trust between the various stakeholders the whole process flows and individuals are not looking after their own self-interests but the interests of the project and project team.

Ultimately, the most effective approach is that which encompasses stakeholder expectations, team empowerment and decision-making, and accountability at all levels. The COE approach helps you implement a framework through which to achieve all of this.