HERMES 2022 is the project management method developed and maintained by the Swiss federal administration. It is the latest version of a long-established standard that is widely used across Switzerland — not only by federal and cantonal bodies but by many private organisations — for IT, service, product, and organisational-change projects. As an open, freely available method, HERMES provides a structured, scalable framework for running projects in a consistent and transparent way.
Origins and purpose
HERMES originated in the Swiss public sector to bring consistency and control to projects, particularly IT projects, across government. It has evolved through several versions, with HERMES 2022 the current iteration. Its purpose is to give projects a clear, shared structure — phases, roles, deliverables — so that they can be planned, governed, and delivered reliably, and so that different stakeholders share a common language and expectations.
An open, free standard
A defining feature of HERMES is that it is openly published and free to use, with comprehensive documentation and supporting materials available to anyone. This openness has contributed to its broad adoption beyond the public sector. Organisations can adopt the method without licensing costs and adapt it to their context, which makes it an accessible standard for Swiss businesses seeking a structured approach.
Phases
HERMES structures projects into phases, providing a clear lifecycle from initiation through to closure, with defined decision points between them. These phase gates are points at which the project’s progress and viability are reviewed before it proceeds, giving governance bodies control over the project’s direction and the opportunity to confirm, adjust, or stop it. This phased structure brings predictability and clear checkpoints to project delivery.
Scenarios
One of HERMES’s most practical features is its use of scenarios — predefined adaptations of the method tailored to different kinds of projects, such as a custom IT application, the procurement of a standard solution, or an organisational change. Scenarios provide a starting configuration appropriate to the project type, so teams do not have to assemble the method from scratch. This makes HERMES scalable across very different project sizes and types.
Roles
HERMES defines a clear set of roles and responsibilities spanning the steering, management, and execution of a project. Clarifying who is accountable for what — from the project sponsor and steering committee to the project manager and specialists — reduces ambiguity and supports good governance. Well-defined roles are a cornerstone of the method’s emphasis on transparency and control.
Deliverables and tasks
The method is built around defined deliverables — the concrete outputs a project produces — and the tasks that create them. By specifying the deliverables expected at each stage, HERMES makes progress tangible and reviewable, and provides templates and guidance for producing them. This deliverable-oriented structure helps ensure nothing essential is overlooked and that the project’s outputs are documented and traceable.
Scalability
HERMES is designed to scale from small, simple projects to large, complex ones. Through its scenarios and the ability to tailor the depth of application, teams can apply as much or as little of the method as a project warrants — avoiding bureaucratic overhead on small projects while providing rigorous structure on large ones. This adaptability is key to its usefulness across diverse contexts.
Combining HERMES with agile
HERMES 2022 explicitly accommodates agile ways of working, recognising that many projects use iterative, agile delivery within an overall governed structure. The method can provide the phase-based governance and deliverable framework while agile approaches such as Scrum drive the iterative development inside it. This combination — governance and structure at the project level, agility in execution — reflects how many modern Swiss projects actually run.
HERMES in the Swiss context
For organisations working with or within the Swiss public sector, familiarity with HERMES is often essential, since it is the expected standard for many such projects. More broadly, its structured, transparent approach suits the Swiss preference for governance and clarity. Innopulse works within HERMES where projects call for it, combining its governance with agile delivery, and understands how to apply the method proportionately rather than bureaucratically.
Conclusion
HERMES 2022 is the open, freely available project management method of the Swiss federal administration, widely used across Switzerland for IT and other projects. Built around phases with decision gates, tailorable scenarios, clear roles, and defined deliverables, it brings structure, governance, and transparency while scaling to project size and combining with agile delivery. For organisations operating in the Swiss context, it is a foundational standard worth understanding and applying proportionately.