What Does the Future Hold for Project Management?

Project management is relatively a new role to most staff members and organizations. Only in the last decade has the demand for project management and experienced and educated project managers significantly increased. Interestingly enough, even though it is still relatively new, project management is changing and altering. So what does the future hold for project management? What does this mean for project managers?

The future of project management and project managers relies heavily on technology. There are so many types and forms of project management software that often times it can be overwhelming. However, technology has also given project managers and organizations the option, freedom, convenience, and flexibility to work remotely. Many organizational staff work and are situated entirely in remote locations and by using different forms of technology, such as computers, tablets, and mobile devices. As a result, working remotely itself has shaped how project management functions.

Communication is a big point in project management. When working with teams in remote, off-site locations, this changes the way project managers document project specifications, communicate with team members, and even share documents and other files. Again, these items typically flow through online project management software today, but it has ultimately shaped how project management and teams function.

Another common area that project managers run into is managing budgets. This is still a very difficult area for many organizations to deal with today. Unfortunately, this also stems down to the project managers since it is often the project manager’s responsibility to set up and adhere to strict budget guidelines. The unfortunate fact here is that until the economy picks up again, project managers are going to have to deal with tight budgets and having to do more with less.

Besides the project management altering factors that we already know about, there are many interesting predictions of what the future of project management holds for project managers and organizations. Most would already agree that in the last decade project management has evolved into a genuine science. Interestingly enough, project management is a complex way of thinking that is surrounded by strategies, theories, and methodologies. It also involves discovering new ideas, working with data, and working with projects that we don’t necessarily see.

Currently project managers are classified as people with certain skills, abilities, and talents such as organizational and analytical skills and the ability to be organized, detail-oriented, multi-task, and problem-solve. Project managers are often times those individuals, who are dedicated to helping or serving others, speaking, persuading, and communicating. But what happens if project management begins to attract scientists and highly technical individuals? This is already heading in that direction since technology has really made an impact on how projects are communicated, managed, and organized. Will this completely change the way organizations are run?

Many organizations in many industries are changing today. This may be due to the increase and improvement in technology or the ability and flexibility to work within smaller budgets and deal with more restrictions. However, project management is one particular area that runs many organizations that is constantly changing in the way projects are managed and even in the individuals that serve in the role. What do you think the future of project management holds?