HERMES
HERMES 2022: what has changed compared with HERMES 5.1
Since the first quarter of 2023, HERMES, 2022 edition has been the official version. At the time, the Federal Chancellery stipulated that ongoing projects may be continued with HERMES 5.1. Many organisations therefore still work with templates from HERMES 5.1 today. Anyone starting a new project should know the differences. They do not only concern details but the structure of the method.
Why there was a new edition
In autumn 2021, the specialist group HERMES decided to revise the entire manual, including passages whose content did not change. According to eCH, this was a major overhaul: the reference manual was completely revised, and agile development was integrated better. The most important aims were to align the method more strongly with the business and to streamline it.
The most important changes
- Project management and development are separated. HERMES now only regulates project management. The solution itself can be developed traditionally, in an agile way or mixed. Agile methods are embedded as a black box.
- The business is in the foreground. The method is less geared to IT. Business responsibility and the business model carry more weight.
- Three or five phases. Traditional projects have five phases: initiation, concept, implementation, deployment and closure. Agile projects have three: initiation, execution and closure.
- Fewer scenarios, modules and roles. Eight scenarios became five, thirteen modules became twelve. Many texts were shortened.
- Programme management is integrated. It is part of the reference manual as an annex and no longer a separate standard. This allows agile and traditional projects to be managed together in one programme.
- Sizing before tailoring. With HERMES 5, users had to tailor the method themselves. According to the Federal Chancellery, many were overwhelmed by this. Now the sizing on HERMES Online first determines the size of the project and reduces the documents. Only then can they be adapted further if required.
- New training and certification. Foundation conveys knowledge and overall understanding, Advanced the application. The certification was aligned with this.
The five scenarios of the 2022 edition
| Scenario | What it is intended for |
|---|---|
| Service/product development | developing a service or a product, for example training documents, an internal standard or a delivery service |
| Service/product adaptation | procuring, adapting and introducing a product or service available on the market |
| IT development | developing a new IT solution or developing an existing one further |
| IT adaptation | procuring, adapting and integrating an IT solution available on the market, for example standard software or IT infrastructure |
| Organizational adjustment | setting up or changing an organisation, for example in a relocation, a merger or an outsourcing |
In HERMES 5.1 there were eight scenarios for this, including separate agile variants and a dedicated scenario for IT infrastructure. Infrastructure projects now fall under IT adaptation.
The modules compared
| HERMES 5.1 | HERMES 2022 |
|---|---|
| Project steering, project management, project foundations | unchanged. Project foundations now also contains the procurement analysis. |
| Agile development (steering agile development with Scrum) | dropped, agile development runs as a black box |
| Business organisation | Organization, now with the business model |
| Testing | Tests |
| Information security and data protection | ISDP |
| Product, IT system, procurement, deployment organization, IT migration, IT operation | same name |
Four modules are mandatory in every project: project steering, project management, project foundations and deployment organization. In addition there is a list of minimum required documents. They cannot be removed when tailoring, but an organisation can adapt them to its own governance requirements.
Further differences become apparent when switching. HERMES 5.1 had four phases for all projects, without a separate closure phase. The minimum roles to be filled were project sponsor, project manager and specialist. Today the user representative is mandatory instead of the specialist. The project order became the execution order, the project release became the execution release.
How HERMES is developed further today
HERMES is adapted continuously. Major changes are decided during the year. From September to December, manuals, templates, training documents and examinations are updated so that a stable version applies again from the beginning of the year. The current 3rd printing of the reference manual dates from 31 December 2025.
For 2026, the eCH specialist group HERMES has announced these innovations:
- guides on design thinking and on business analysis in project management
- a revised agile guide
- a HERMES bot based on officially approved HERMES information
- an AI concept for HERMES
Recommendation
If your templates still date from HERMES 5.1, switch to the 2022 edition with the next new project. Use the sizing on HERMES Online when doing so. The sizing is designed to reduce the documentation effort. Also check whether your own templates and directives still refer to old module and scenario names.
Further reading: HERMES project management for SMEs and municipalities
Sources: HERMES Reference Manual Project Management, 2022 edition, 3rd printing (in German) · HERMES 5.1 Reference Manual, 4th printing (in German) · Federal Chancellery, presentation on HERMES 2022 at the BFH HERMES conference 2022 (in German) · eCH interview with Martin Schwaar (in German)