Models, Methods and Artifacts

PMBOK 8th Edition organises the project manager's toolkit into three categories: Models (ways of thinking about projects), Methods (means of achieving outcomes), and Artifacts (templates, documents, and deliverables). Together they support the principles and performance domains without prescribing what to use when.

Models are conceptual frameworks: situational leadership (Hersey-Blanchard), Tuckman's stages of team development, motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor's X/Y), conflict resolution (Thomas-Kilmann), change models (ADKAR, Kotter's 8 steps), complexity (Cynefin), and communication models (Shannon-Weaver, gulfs of execution/evaluation).

Methods are techniques used to deliver outcomes: data gathering (interviews, surveys, focus groups), data analysis (root cause, decision trees, what-if), data representation (matrices, charts), decision making (multi-criteria, weighted), estimating (analogous, parametric, three-point), meetings (kick-off, retrospective, status), and estimating-and-decision groupings.

Artifacts are the tangible outputs of project work: strategy artifacts (business case, benefits realisation plan), logs and registers (risk register, issue log, lessons learned), plans (project plan, communication plan), hierarchical decompositions (WBS, PBS, OBS, RBS), baselines (scope, schedule, cost), visual data and information (Gantt charts, dashboards, burn-down/up), reports (status, variance, forecast), agreements and contracts.

The PM tailors which models, methods, and artifacts to use — using only what adds value to the specific project.

Key Points

• Three categories: Models (thinking), Methods (doing), Artifacts (outputs)
• Models: situational leadership, Tuckman, ADKAR, Cynefin, motivation theories
• Methods: data gathering, analysis, representation, estimating, meetings, decisions
• Artifacts: business case, registers, logs, plans, baselines, charts, reports
• Tailor what you use — selecting tools is itself a tailoring decision
• Templates exist to save effort, not to be filled in for their own sake
• Registers and logs are living documents — keep them current to keep them useful
• Choose visual representations that match the audience and decision

Key Terms & Definitions

Model

A thinking strategy used to explain a process, framework or phenomenon — e.g. Tuckman's team stages, Cynefin, ADKAR.

Method

A means for achieving an outcome, output, result or project deliverable — e.g. brainstorming, root-cause analysis, parametric estimating.

Artifact

A template, document, output or project deliverable — e.g. risk register, business case, WBS, status report.

Cynefin Framework

A sense-making model that distinguishes Clear (Obvious), Complicated, Complex, Chaotic and Disorder domains, each requiring different decision-making approaches. 'Disorder' is the central state where you don't yet know which domain you're in.

ADKAR

A change management model: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement — describing the personal change journey.