Trends in Project Management Series - Conclusion
Welcome to the last instalment of our Trends in Project Management 2020. Throughout the series this week, we covered the 2020 Trends in Project Management that are enabling Project Managers to succeed in a business world that is being impacted by the current turmoil:
- Challenges Facing Project Managers in 2020
- Cultural & Emotional Intelligence
- Hybrid Project Delivery
- Application of Technology to Project Delivery
Now that we’ve taken a close look at the top trends, we’ve drawn some interesting conclusions.
2020 heralds the era of Project Managers as generalists.
What we see with these top three trends in project management is the need for managers to grow their expertise in several diverse domains. There is a growing need for project managers to intentionally grow their knowledge and capabilities in the areas of people management, technology management and in applying the full range of project delivery methodologies.
Recommended actions for Business Leaders and Project Managers:
- Develop your skills to increase personal Cultural and Emotional Intelligence Quotients
- Advance your Organizational Change Management (OCM) capability maturity
- Learn and apply Business Analysis tools and techniques to understand the environmental context of your projects
- Learn and become proficient in applying multiple project delivery methodologies
- Apply delivery methodologies appropriately to engagements based on specific project and client requirements
- Grow awareness of AI and ML tools and technologies that could be used to better deliver projects
- Become knowledgeable in and proficient at applying technology to project management
- Embrace emerging technologies for improved efficiency and to free up leaders’ time to apply skills to tasks best suited to human abilities
- Make use of the technology that benefits you and your client
- Deploy data analytics tools to monitor and measure project and team performance
Expected Outcomes:
- Enhanced Emotional Intelligence improves ability to motivate teams to deliver results
- Application of Hybrid Delivery Methodology to fit the specific project and client requirements can enable speedier delivery of results on complex projects
- Levering technology frees up PM time to focus on people management
In the end – Embracing these trends will lead to enhanced ability to deliver greater value faster and exceed client expectations more often!
Project Managers and business leaders are advised to invest in, and actively pursue the concept of Project Managers as generalists. This concept requires embracing a philosophy of Lifelong Learning and continuous personal growth for Project Managers and Business Leaders to thrive and successfully deliver results for their clients during these challenging and rapidly evolving times.
The last word…What does the immediate future look and feel like?
“Always-on curiosity; All-inclusive leadership; A future-proof talent pool.”
You are always looking for what’s next, trying out new project delivery approaches, new ideas, new perspectives, new technologies. Keeping an open mind, along with a healthy dollop of skepticism, means you’re getting the best out of your team, no matter their age, level on the org chart, digital knowledge, skill set or location. You are not “just” managing projects but also managing technology —and managing people who know how to manage technology. There might also be some robots on your team, too. You not only advocate for technology, but you are also creating a whole cadre of digital ambassadors who help make the case. You are recruiting and retaining project professionals with the skills most needed for this complex digital era. They have the will, the disposition, and the ability to keep up with trends and adapt their skills accordingly. And they help their teammates do the same. When DevOps gets a new complementary partner in Design Operations (DesOps), for example, they are on it. And while that might be cutting edge today, they know it will be a short-lived advantage.
This is a culture driven by innovation, agility, sensitivity, and critical thinking reinforced with the right standards, tools and educational opportunities. Know when to integrate emerging project delivery practices without chasing after every new digital development.
The end goal is to arm project leaders and their teams to operate effectively at high speeds employing a diverse mix of people, methodologies and technologies.
