To say that pandemic life alone has changed project management would be an oversimplification – trends and shifting workplace focuses have realistically meant that PM responsibilities have been morphing for at least five years.
However, just as it did with most other job roles, a global pandemic that turned reality as we knew it on its head has significantly hastened the PM challenges that, in most cases, were already in the works.
In some ways, this is a fantastic opportunity for growth, but as is always the case where notable changes are concerned, this path hasn’t been all plain sailing.
In fact, even individuals who considered themselves experienced in project management are finding themselves falling behind or failing to account for new challenges.
Regardless, competitive advantage in this field, and in business in general, continues to depend on the ability of PMs to account for, and adapt to, their changing roles according to the following most notable shifts.
# 1 – Agility has never been so important
Unlike traditional approaches to project management, an agile PM focus is more concerned with project planning that leaves plenty of room for complex and ever-changing modern work environments. For traditionally-leaning PMs, the uncertainty and space for error inherent in this approach are enough to create significant stress, but as the challenges of recent years have especially highlighted, there’s no room for inflexibility in modern business.
Instead, ongoing success relies on agility achieved through a focus on shorter planning horizons and a more segmented approach to smaller chunks of work at any given time. That way, it’s far easier to ensure business that responsively competes regardless of further unexpected setbacks, all while ensuring that countless hours of work on suddenly outdated focuses needn’t go to waste.
# 2 – Managing a new type of team
Recent shifts towards remote working have meant that, as well as having to adjust to entirely new ways of working, PMs are having to manage teams that look nothing like they did even two years ago. Longer distances, and the issues that they can pose, stand to prove especially detrimental to project management that doesn’t factor for these shifts at the planning stage.
Of course, securing the right, smoothly running tech-based collaboration tools is an obvious first step here, and relies not only on retraining but also on IT support that forever keeps things up and running. Equally, finding new ways to offer employee support using chat and video calling software is a must.
PMs should also make sure of continued efficiency by always factoring for collaboration despite differing time zones, making delegations clear in the face of distances, and focusing on regular and clear project updates that keep everyone in the loop, and on track, despite this change.
# 3 – The age of journeys, not projects
While it might seem strange considering that the word project appears within your job role, it’s also worth noting that PMs are increasingly expected to focus on overall business journeys as well as individual projects that have a more limited scope.
In part, this ties in with a focus on more agile PM outlooks, with prioritised long term business goals making it far easier, and faster, to adapt individual project focuses whenever necessary.
More generally speaking, however, ‘projects’ that have traditionally been relatively static need to become more dynamic entities that account for not just objectives in the moment, but also wider business goals and their changing focuses.
Tailored project solutions that factor for wider objectives overall especially enable an ongoing momentum, and improved results, that are far harder to achieve if you simply take one project at a time without a little bigger-picture thinking.
# 4 – AI should always complement approaches
Artificial intelligence (AI) might not have overtaken human thinking quite yet, but an increasing business reliance on AI to automate simple and repetitive tasks certainly suggests that PMs should sit up and take notice.
AI-led analytics tools that can increase project visibility, as well as incorporating insights into outcomes and operations in general, are especially useful when utilised alongside more traditional PM focuses.
In many ways, then, PMs of the future need to consider AI as a helpful colleague, providing the platform from which true, responsive project management can finally shine.
Change can be overwhelming, but the saying also goes that it can be as good as a holiday, especially if you welcome it with open arms. So, start feeling the sun on your skin by adapting your role per these new trends.
