It’s a rapidly changing world, and as another year comes to a close, we need to wrap our heads around what’s to come. The pandemic has accelerated several trends forward, and we’ll discuss the most important project management trends for you to take note of in 2022. Let’s dive in.
Our Top 5 Project Management Trends
1. More Focus on Agile & Hybrid Project Management Methodologies
Digital transformation is at the top of many priority lists as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the best ways to tackle this is through agile methodologies. Next year, we expect to see more organizations develop agile practices to adapt to changing markets and customer needs. This also coincides with businesses implementing more DevOps practices company-wide to reduce risk, go lean, and become more agile.
But this news doesn’t mean that it’s all Agile all the way. More project managers have responded to the increase in remote working by leaning on a hybrid PM approach. The mix of traditional project management tools with those from the Agile world has provided another layer of flexibility to teams and projects, where they can experience the best of both worlds. For project managers looking to adopt this style, use your professional discretion: project management isn’t black and white, but the more complex the project, the more practical and advantageous Agile methods become.
2. Increased Remote Working
According to Global Workplace Analytics, “regular telecommuting grew 216% between 2005 and 2019” and “69% of US employees worked remotely at the peak of the pandemic.” For those of us in Canada, Statistics Canada reports that nearly 40% of jobs could feasibly be done from home. These numbers tell us that remote work is the future if it hasn’t already arrived. So how does this impact project management?
For one, it means mastering the art of communication and collaboration. With less chance for in-person debriefs, organizations need the right tools in place to ensure open lines of communication across distributed workforces and large distances. Thanks to technology, it’s never been easier to accomplish with apps like Zoom, Slack, and Asana. As 5G continues to roll out worldwide, we’ll see more video streaming apps launch without worrying their content will slow networks down or take up too much bandwidth.
3. Expansion of Project Management Automation & AI
The trend towards artificial intelligence and automation has touched almost every industry, so why not project management? More businesses are looking to AI and automation to perform daily tasks they’d otherwise have to do themselves. This frees them to focus on other aspects of a project while eliminating or significantly reducing human error and avoiding costly delays.
And automation isn’t just about completing simple tasks. Do you want to get a clearer idea of how long a project will take, how much it’ll cost, and the progress being made? Then it’s time to embrace AI. Artificial intelligence can automate your data and provide more realistic timeline predictions for your projects. Whether you’re being sent daily reports or having risks flagged before they become truly problematic, AI is helping businesses make more informed decisions.
However, integrating more complex technology like AI isn’t as simple as downloading a new app. Project managers need to brush up on best practices to understand how they can integrate these complex tools seamlessly. Technology is only as good as the people using it, so make sure you’re using it wisely!
4. Managing Your Work Flow
Historically the PM office manages your project flow. It addresses the overall delivery of building the product and acquiring resources. Managing projects includes how we’re going to develop a product.
Is there a better way? Agile methodologies and value streams can help you use Portfolios. Portfolios decide what to build, strategically aligning it to their organization, including securing funding. It’s part of a well-defined intake process that keeps work from exceeding capacity. It enables the sequencing of work across the organization, makes work visible and aligns the work to business strategies. Next, Programs can help you to coordinate the building of products. Programs allow you to manage resources and teams, large teams, specialists and more. The cornerstone of an agile organization is helping your teams be successful via good servant leadership and semi-autonomous governance. Then you can concentrate on delivering value through building great products! Managing Products includes how we’re going to develop a product – the detailed design. You need a practical approach to product management because you want to build the right product(s), stop making the wrong product(s), build the right product features at the right time, and ensure that people use the product. All areas where agile excels!
5. Advanced Project Management Tools & Solutions
It should come as no surprise that with the addition of automation and artificial intelligence, there would be more advanced project management tools and solutions — and what’s currently on the market is already being widely used. According to a study done by PWC, 77% of companies use project management software for high-performing projects. These tools and solutions are vital for project execution, whether it’s managing budgets and deadlines, streamlining workflow, or improving communication and collaboration.
This links up with increased AI and automation. These new solutions can take raw data and analyze it, allowing you to make better plans for the future. This information can be easily shared with other team members, stakeholders, or clients in real time, creating more meaningful work relationships.
Agile and Lean methodologies are continuously improving, that is why Tactec uses PMI’s Disciplined Agile as its core way of working. We focus on teaching and coaching people in and out of the IT industry the skills needed to make positive changes in their organizations. Whether you’ve got experience or are new to the world of project management, we’ve got a course or business agility program for you.
