I am currently preparing an introduction for IT people in PM methods. While struggling to come up with a way to provide a fast overview of a method, I came up with the following: the four mechanisms of PM methods. A short description of how these mechanisms function within a certain method, works quite well as a fast introduction.

Decisions: A project is a game of trade offs. There is always a need to balance resources, money and time towards certain goals. Because nothing is unlimited, because you are dealing with scarce resources decisions have to be made for which purpose resources are allocated. A method provides a mechanism to make those decisions.

End Result: The goal of a project is to solve a problem or to take an opportunity. There is a reason why a project is performed in the first place. With all decisions that have to be made, with all the changes in the environment that take place a method provides a mechanism to keep the eye on the price, to keep a project pointing to a certain direction.

Resilience: "Change" is a projects middle name. Uncertainties and changing certainties are the environment in which project have to operate. That is just inherent to the nature of projects. How a project deals with changes, how it absorbs or adapts to uncertainties and shifting targets is a major component of the method.

Tailoring: Not all situations are created equal. Different circumstances make different projects. What is effective and desired in one situation may be complete irrelevant and harmful in other situations. A method will provide a mechanism to tailor the method itself to the circumstances.