With shifting technologies, methods, and the latest trends, the landscape of project management is continuously changing and the transformation appears to be accelerating. Most of the emerging project management trends that occur in the industry are shaped by global physical and cultural events, which could potentially be revolutionizing project management as a whole.
Project management is frequently associated with fields such as engineering and construction, as well as, more recently, healthcare and information technology (IT), that generally contain a complex set of components that must be completed and assembled in a specific order to produce a working product.
Regardless of the industry, the project manager's duty is essentially the same: to assist in the definition of the project's goals and objectives, as well as to identify when and by whom the multiple project components will be accomplished. They also establish quality control procedures to guarantee that finished components meet a set of requirements.
What is modern project management?
Modern project management is a well-developed discipline capable of delivering predictable, repeatable outcomes. Modern project management approaches are very analytical, necessitating the use of automated technologies to support them on large projects. It is learned by practice and previous experience, just like most other disciplines.
To prepare, perform, and manage tasks, modern project management makes use of automated systems. It is also said to be more adaptable than the traditional method. More professional service firms are engaging on short-term or even one-time projects, necessitating a new approach to project management. In a fast-paced setting where mid-project modifications can be handled quickly and efficiently, the modern project management style thrives.
What are the some of the advantages of modern project management?
Modern project management creates advantages such as:
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Multiply the number of projects you're working on at the same time.
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Minimize risks and human error.
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Makes your time more flexible.
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Reduction of project cost
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Provides a view of the connection among individual projects and strategic goals
What are the trends in project management?
Project management trends entail the emerging approaches which concern the planning and organizing of a company's resources to complete a certain work, event, or duty. Personnel, funds, technology, and intellectual property are among the resources managed, which might be a one-time endeavor or a continuous effort. Some of these trends are:
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Taking shape of hybrid project management approaches
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The emergence of enhanced collaboration and remote working
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Increasing demand for soft skills
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Prevalence of artificial intelligence and automation
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Increasing dependency on project management tools and solutions
What will be the future of project management?
With these recent trends, an increase in millennial project managers, project management offices, and a greater emphasis on cybersecurity will become more noticeable. The future of project management lies in the social, health, and political improvements for the next few years. Anticipated trends for the future of project management include:
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The transition from partial remote work to full-time remote work
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Continued concentration on Agile methodology
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Emphasis on physical and mental stress avoidance
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Organizational project management
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Increased demand on project managers
Leadership paradigms are changing and evolving as a result of the introduction of new technology. Thus, it creates new approaches regarding the management of day-to-day operations for the business owners and managers. To name some, here are the recent trends in project management impacting the business world.
1. Taking Shape of Hybrid Project Management Approaches
Project managers and the entire business industry used to follow a single project management approach for all projects in the past couple of years. While these people and organizations embraced different methodologies, they all relied on the same framework.
Project managers and the organizations for which they work, on the other hand, have become more adaptive in their approaches in recent years. Some have even combined several methodologies to create hybrid ways that are suited to their project or industry's demands. Alternative project management approaches such as Kanban, Agile, and Scrum, as well as shifting company attitudes that allow for more flexibility, have all contributed to this transformation.
Kanban is a project management methodology that prioritizes minimal daily deliveries and makes progress more measurable. The name is a Japanese term that translates to "billboard" in English. It works effectively in projects with a lot of changes since it's a good approach to keep work in progress under control and avoid project stagnation.
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On the other hand, Agile is a set of principles that enables developers to swiftly react to change and use a more flexible approach than the typical waterfall rigid structure. Agile is gaining traction and is quickly becoming the industry standard for many businesses.
Lastly, Scrum is a methodology for assisting teams in their collaboration. Scrum motivates teams to learn from encounters, self-organize while dealing with an issue, and reflect on their victories and defeats to continuously improve, similar to how a rugby team (from which it derives its name) prepares for the big game.
To put it simply, hybrid project management pertains to techniques that combine traditional project management and agile methodologies. The hybrid framework enables you to centralize all of your projects, tasks, people, and communications, allowing you to make better business decisions.
2. The emergence of Enhanced Collaboration and Remote Working
Project management is no longer confined to the four walls of a traditional office. Digital and remote workgroups are more common than ever before, thanks to a multitude of factors such as increased connection, shifting business ideals, and the rise of the gig economy.
We can now interact and work together over longer distances than it has ever been before, owing to technological advancements. Acknowledging the sharp increase of remote work and distributed workforces is critical for project managers to enable evaluation of outcomes and goals since this now has a significant impact on the project planning process and internal communication.
With better technologies on the horizon, like 5G, we'll be able to broadcast and watch video content without clogging up network traffic or slowing it down. All of this makes project management and team cooperation much easier.
Project managers must develop strategies to eliminate friction and inefficiencies that may arise as a result of the boom in remote labor, which is expected to remain even after the worldwide health crisis fades. Effective communication has always been a vital approach for efficient project management, but as this trend proceeds to advance, it will grow increasingly crucial.
3. Increasing Demand for Soft Skills
Character qualities and interpersonal skills that describe a person's relationships with others are known as soft skills. Soft skills are seen as a complement to hard skills in the workplace, which pertain to a person's knowledge and occupational abilities. A soft skill, as opposed to an intelligence quotient (IQ), is a phrase used by sociologists to define a person's emotional intelligence quotient (EQ).
Soft skills have less to do with what people know and more to do with who they are. As a result, they encompass the personality qualities that determine how successfully one interacts with others and are typically a distinct element of a person's personality. Employees that display a good blend of hard and soft talents often perceive a higher demand for their services in a competitive labor market.
The World Economic Forum’s second issue on “Future of Jobs” report ranked the most in-demand soft skills this year which includes:
I. Analytical thinking and innovation
II. Active learning and learning strategies
III. Creativity, originality, and initiative
IV. Critical thinking and analysis
V. Complex problem-solving
VI. Leadership and social influence
VII. Emotional intelligence
VIII. Reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation
IX. Coordination and time management
Project management entails more than just defining the scope, setting deadlines, and settling on a budget. Project managers must also manage people, which adds to the complexity. Failure to recognize and understand project members' emotions might result in a lot of emotional activity in the group. Certainly, the outcome will not be as perfect as you want it to be. Proper knowledge of emotions is important to cope with varied personalities and ensure project success, making it an essential leadership skill for project managers all around the world. As a result, understanding every side of emotions and what motivates people is becoming more crucial than ever in predicting future project success.
Here are some recommendations to help you enhance your soft skills to stay up with the rising demand:
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Don't guess what people are thinking or feeling. Encourage conversations and make sure you have all of the crucial project facts written down.
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Motivate employees to be themselves, participate in project planning, and show their personalities.
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Get to know individual team members better by asking them about their lives outside of work.
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For yourself and your co-workers, learn how to give a proper apology and resolve an argument as quickly as possible.
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Listen to what others have to say. It's never too late to learn something new or enhance your skills.
4. Prevalence of Artificial Intelligence and Automation
Many administration-focused duties that typically belong to project managers, such as resource allocation, project balance, and schedule and budget updates, will likely be automated as a result of artificial intelligence. Another instance would be resource allocation automation, which has traditionally featured variable degrees of automation.
According to a PMI assessment on AI, there are six leading technologies that are having or will have an impact on project management:
Although some may be worried about the effects of automation on the industry, these improvements also carry a lot of promise. By automating low-value-add processes, project managers may focus their resources and energy on tasks that will have the most impact on their enterprise, allowing them to make more transformations and increase the possibility of meeting the project's strategic goals.
Because of the expansion of artificial intelligence in project management, many organizations have already begun to use artificial intelligence (AI) to automate routine operations that need human effort. The effect is useful for collecting performance insights in addition to automating simple operations. The managers can use automation to complete difficult activities such as scheduling and data visualization, as well as make educated decisions based on the data gathered.
For project management professionals, they need to understand and align the plans on AI of their organization with their daily tasks and roles before they can successfully prepare for these automation changes.
5. Increasing Dependency on Project Management Tools and Solutions
Project management tools aid a person or team in effectively organizing and managing their projects and tasks. Typically, the term relates to project management software that can be purchased online or downloaded for free.
Organizations can use project management tools to help them execute their plan, but they could likewise be applied to handle their portfolio and the numerous responsibilities associated with it. This will enable them to make better judgments and increase their organizations' progress toward important objectives while also adding value.
The following features can be found in project management software:
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Planning/scheduling – With tasks, subtasks, folders, templates, workflows, and calendars, project management systems allow you to plan and assign work in one place.
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Collaboration – Email should not be your only means of contact; project management systems allow you to assign tasks, add comments, create dashboards, and proof or approve changes with your team.
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Documentation – With file management options that allow for updating, versioning, and saving files, you can avoid missing or obsolete files.
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Evaluation – Track and measure production and growth through resource management and reporting.
The turning point has always been project management tools and solutions. Here are a few examples of how these tools are affecting project management for the better.
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Project planning - Makes improved plans based on information from prior projects.
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Time management - and scheduling: Tracks time spent on projects and organizes scheduled events, meetings, milestones, and deadlines.
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Collaboration and communication - This allows you to exchange important information with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
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Budgets and deadlines - Assists you in meeting project deadlines while staying within your budget.
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Progress tracking - Keeps track of whether or not projects are on pace, and whether or not resources need to be modified.
Final Thoughts on Top Project Management Trends
Project managers, or individuals who plan to walk on this path, should make identifying, predicting, and reacting to changing industry needs a top priority. Because project management is a part of almost all current enterprises and industries, even non-project management workers can gain from it.
To be involved in project management creates thrilling experiences. Artificial intelligence, soft skills, remote working, and other trends add up to the continuous improvement of teamwork. Which then can lead to well-executed projects.
Always be on the lookout for project management future trends for the uninterrupted growth of your organization!
