A project method is only suitable for execution of initiatives with certain characteristics. A project is a temporary situation, where a team is assembled to address a specific problem, opportunity or changes that is sufficiently difficult that it cannot be handled purely as Product Management.
A project is sometimes used to establish a new product and deliver the initial releases of that product. Project management is also frequently used if there is a major upgrade of a product. Project management should only be used when it is really needed. For most releases on a product roadmap, product management lead processes should be sufficient.
If the conclusion is to define a release as in a Product Management led life cycle management process instead of Project Management, the execution should still have some structure and should provide needed transparency. As a minimum, the following governance mechanisms should be in place:
- An ongoing release is visible in Portfolio Overview – setting priority and providing overview
- There is a Product or Platform Roadmap – giving an overview of planned releases
- Release Plan – explaining what is planned to be include in a release
- Highlight Reporting – making status transparent
