Project Management
Key Points
- Project management focuses on creating something of value in a
systematic way.
- The larger or longer a project or task, the more that project
management will help.
- Software development generally starts at requirements and ends at
maintenance.
- The Waterfall model consists of stages that happen sequentially, one
after another.
- The Waterfall model is helpful when requirements are very clear and
well understood.
- The Waterfall model is difficult if requirements and technologies
are unclear or change frequently.
- The Agile methdology is intended to be more iterative and responsive
to changes in requirements.
- The Agile methodology focuses on individuals and interactions,
working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.
- The Scrum framework focuses on time-boxed iterations of work with
consistent customer feedback.
- The Kanban method relies on visual tracking of work.
- The MoSCoW method focuses on labeling work as “Must haves”, “Should
haves”, “Could haves”, and “Won’t haves.”
- There’s no universally “best” methodology — only right-sized for a
given project, team, and moment.
- Requirements clarity and likelihood of change are the biggest
factors; stable scope favors Waterfall, change favors Agile.
- Most research software leans Agile, but real projects commonly blend
approaches.
- GenAI excels at the text-heavy parts of project management: drafting
stories, summarizing, and brainstorming.
- Always verify AI output — hallucination and false confidence are
real risks, and accountability stays with you.
- For research software, mind reproducibility, disclosure policies,
and never share sensitive or unpublished data with external tools.
- GenAI augments good project management; it doesn’t replace human
judgement.
