Project Management Methodologies: From Ford to Agile

When we talk about IT product development, the first things that come to mind are technologies and code. But in reality, project success almost never depends on the programming language — it depends on how the project is managed.


A methodology is the "road" that guides a team from idea to result. Interestingly, many modern approaches didn’t come from IT at all. Let’s look at how they evolved — and why Henry Ford’s experience still teaches us valuable lessons in building digital products today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford introduced assembly-line production for cars. His system was strictly linear: each step followed the next, in order. This made automobiles affordable for millions.

In essence, this was pure Waterfall:
▸ Design
▸ Assembly
▸ Testing
▸ Release

There was no going back — if an error appeared mid-line, it became very costly. This works well if the product doesn’t require constant change. But in IT, such rigidity often proves problematic.

In the 1950s, Toyota took Ford’s ideas further. They emphasized flexibility, team responsibility, and continuous improvement. This laid the foundation for Lean and Kanban — systems that rely on task visualization, short cycles, and ongoing process refinement.

Here we see the early roots of Agile: don’t attempt to build a massive project at once; instead, break work into small steps, validate quickly, and improve iteratively.

By 2001, software developers formalized these principles in the Agile Manifesto. The philosophy was simple: projects should evolve dynamically.
▸ Customers are engaged throughout the process
▸ Changes are welcomed, not feared
▸ Results are validated at every stage
▸ Teams work in short sprints

Agile became a perfect fit for IT products: business changes fast, customers expect flexibility, and markets shift every quarter.

Agile gave rise to an entire family of methodologies:
▸ Scrum — a structured framework with sprints, roles, and ceremonies
▸ Kanban — a visual task board with continuous flow
▸ Agile/Waterfall Hybrid — blending rigorous documentation with flexible iterations

Most companies mix and match. In IT, for example, legal approvals may run on a Waterfall model, while development and testing run in Scrum.

Ford’s history shows us that linear models are great for mass products with minimal change. But once markets demand speed and adaptability, new methods are required.

In IT, the need is even clearer:
▸ A mobile app without updates won’t survive more than six months
▸ A banking platform must adapt to new regulations
▸ Users expect features “here and now”

This means projects can’t be set in stone. They must be built like modular systems — flexible and upgradeable.

And the main takeaway: in today’s business, methodology itself is a competitive advantage. The right project management approach can save months of work and millions in costs.

Methodologies aren’t “buzzwords” — they’re the foundation of project success. Ford proved that system is better than chaos. Toyota showed that flexibility is more powerful than rigidity. Agile proved that in the digital world, winners are those who can adapt quickly.