What is GDPM?
Goal Directed Project Management (GDPM) was introduced in the 1980s by a group of project management consultants - Kristoffer V. Grude, Erling Andersen and Tor Haug. They are the authors of the third edition, 256 paged paperback book published in 2004 of the same name. ISBN: 0-7-494-4186-0
GDPM has gone through many developments since its inception and Fast Forward Project Management LLP recognise the power and value of a straight-forward and pragmatic project management approach which not only improves effectiveness, but also increases the chance of project success through the use of a few simple techniques and templates.
It is a light-touch and non-bureaucratic approach which breaks down the complexities of project management using simple, practical techniques which are easily understood by people regardless of whether they are experienced in project management or not. GDPM can be used, either as a stand-alone approach or in conjunction, with other methodologies such as PRINCE2, APM, and PMI etc.
Goal Directed Project Management as its name implies focuses on the project end goal and what outcomes need to be achieved as the project moves forward through a number of achievement based milestones rather than focus on the detailed activities of how they will be achieved. The resulting milestone plans are normally simpler; often a plan on a page, making it an ideal communications and control tool and because the focus is on what is needed, the milestones are more robust to changes.
GDPM encourages active sponsorship and stakeholder engagement to clarify the project scope, boundaries, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed) objectives and success criteria. It separates planning the what from the how and emphasises collaborative participation, rather than imposition, in the development of the project milestone plan. The roles & responsibilities of the team are clearly defined using a responsibility matrix and resource contracts to engage people in the project. The small and simple documentation set conveys all of the relevant information and makes it easier to maintain project control. Finally a multi-dimensional project health-check tool is used as the team’s ‘conscience’ to ensure the project is set up and controlled effectively.
GDPM is a particularly good approach when used to deliver business change, breaking down functional boundaries and engaging people from all areas of the organisation – many who may have little or no project management expertise.
- Milestone Plan & Responsibility Matrix
- Milestone Contract
- Resource Contract
- Project Healthcheck
- Sponsor Contract