HERMES
HERMES for small projects
The full scope of HERMES is designed for large projects with a high level of complexity. That is what the reference manual says. The Federal Chancellery also notes that most projects are relatively small and do not need the full complexity of HERMES. In my assessment, HERMES is nevertheless often applied as if every undertaking were a major project. That leads to a lot of paper and to the accusation that HERMES is bureaucratic.
The method offers three ways of adapting the effort to the size: sizing, tailoring and HERMES One.
Step 1: sizing
Sizing is a tool on HERMES Online. You enter a few details about your undertaking. From these, the tool determines how large and how significant the project is. You then receive a suitable scenario with a structure plan and the necessary templates.
According to the reference manual, sizing reduces the complexity and the scope of the documentation to the absolute minimum. The requirements of HERMES remain fulfilled. The Federal Chancellery explicitly recommends sizing for organisations that mainly run medium-sized and small projects.
Step 2: tailoring
You can then adapt the result of the sizing further. HERMES names four options for this, which can be combined:
- Remove modules you do not need, for example the IT migration module if no data is migrated.
- Remove tasks and outcomes. The minimum required documents are excepted.
- Add your own modules, for example for communication, marketing, real estate or staff development.
- Add tasks and outcomes if your organisation has additional requirements.
You can save scenarios adapted in this way and reuse them for similar projects.
What does not drop out
Even in the smallest HERMES project, some elements remain mandatory:
- Four modules: project steering, project management, project foundations and deployment organization.
- Three roles: project sponsor, project manager and user representative.
- The minimum required documents of the modules used, for example the project initiation order, the study, the execution order and the final project evaluation. An organisation can adapt this list to its own governance requirements.
For very small undertakings: HERMES One
For very small undertakings, HERMES is often too much even after sizing. The Federal Chancellery says so itself. If an undertaking does not meet the criteria for a project in terms of size, duration and complexity, the effort for full governance is hardly justified.
For this there is HERMES One, a lean tool. According to the Federal Chancellery it is widely used, for example for organising events, developing a small app or other one-off tasks. Governance according to HERMES is not fully ensured in this case. For such undertakings it is not necessary either.
Which scope fits
The following allocation is an assessment from practice. It does not come from HERMES.
| Undertaking | Example | Suitable scope |
|---|---|---|
| Very small undertaking | organising an event, a small app, a one-off task | HERMES One |
| Small to medium-sized project | new industry software, new website, relocation of a department | HERMES with sizing, tailoring if required |
| Large project | several departments, public tender, high costs, programme | HERMES in full scope |
A simple rule
This rule comes from practice, not from HERMES: only create a document if someone needs it for a decision or a handover. But there are three things you should not leave out even in small projects: a project sponsor by name, an objective recorded in writing and an acceptance at the end.
Further reading: HERMES project management for SMEs and municipalities · The role of the project sponsor in HERMES
Sources: HERMES Reference Manual Project Management, 2022 edition (in German) · Federal Chancellery, presentation on HERMES 2022 at the BFH HERMES conference 2022 (in German) · eCH interview with Martin Schwaar (in German)