Technology is driving innovation so quickly that nobody thought it was possible. The business environment and customer expectations are changing, driving organizations to take advantage of the opportunity to change themselves. In the context of enterprise project management, there is ever-increasing pressure to deliver results more quickly and efficiently. This triggers faster adoption of new technologies. And in turn, this drives significant change in the structure and the nature of project management.
A Small Step in PPM for SMB, a Huge Leap for Enterprise Management
Now is the time for small and medium-sized businesses to stay “on top” of current project management trends and try to get “in front of the wave.” According to Capterra’s Top Tech Trends survey, 4% of SMB leaders don’t consider technology trends and advancements when planning for the future, and 17% consider them but say they aren’t a major priority.
According to PMI’s “Pulse of the Profession”, enterprises that take steps to mature their project management talent, PM capabilities, and project culture achieve significantly higher project success rates (92% versus 32% for underperformers). And growing up to use a project management system, as well as a Project manager is one of the leading PM trends, that SMBs should not miss this year.
“In the face of transformational efforts, the ability to control and manage the introduction and impact of the change will be a business-critical skill set.” — “Where Your PPM Career Won’t Be in 2020: Project Managers Must Reinvent Themselves for the Digital Future.”
“Accidental project managers” are individuals who lead and collaborate on projects but lack formal training, certification, or even the official title of “project manager.” It often happens in small and medium-sized companies, where accredited project professionals are a rare breed. Another study found that More than 60% of project managers don’t actually have any project management education or certification. Some of them don’t even have an official title “Project Manager” or even any project management responsibilities in their role description.
How can you leverage this trend in your organization? Foster a culture that supports and develops project management skills. Encourage innovation. Encourage your employees to challenge the status quo and follow trends, which will improve motivation and effectiveness.
The second prominent trend for SMBs is that project management moves out from IT and moves into “everywhere.” According to the Gartner’s PPM Hype Cycle report, business unit spending on technology and services outside of IT is growing each year.
Partly because traditional IT projects are seen as too slow, and innovation comes as a response to that. Thanks to changes brought to us by digitalization, automation, and integration of different tools, organizations are increasingly looking to mature their project management capabilities outside of IT.
Project management everywhere is the next step in the natural progression of business management as a whole. It’s a state where project management becomes a generalized skill set that is necessary across all functions and departments. According to the analyst Mbula Schoen, the author of Gartner’s PPM Hype Cycle report, this trend is crucial for small business leaders who frequently find themselves in the roles of the executive project sponsor.
In 2020 project management is a constantly evolving domain that entwines itself through all the domains across a wide range of diverse industries. The most important project management trend in 2020 is EPM decentralization. The one-size-fits-all strategy is finally facing extinction.
The conventional waterfall methodologies are now being crossbred with modern ones, producing hybrid methodologies that are best suited for the scenarios where the projects are handled with the help of multiple interconnected tools and teams with no strict hierarchy structures.
Luckily, there are tools that allow total and complete EPM decentralization. It is achieved by giving teams and project managers the ability to work on a project with the tools of their choice, while still providing PMOs, executives, and owners with all data needed for analysis and decision-making.
PPM Express, for example, being just this kind of toolkit, aggregates the data from any tool your teams have chosen to work with projects (including Jira, Trello, Asana, and the whole Microsoft project management spectrum, like Project Online and Planner). And PMOs and executives can get the data they need to adjust or evaluate the project in one place, taking all the other teams and projects into account.
Everyone gets the necessary information, and no one is bothered with unnecessary excessive reporting and paper-pushing.
DIY Solutions & Flexibility
Organizations have spent the last few years focused on shortening the time between identifying the need and delivering a solution. The new age of technology requires a continuous stream of updates, features, and enhancements, delivered to customers, which can be achieved with automation.
The foundational elements of this future work model are already in place. Project managers are shifting from task-focused administration based on the triple constraint of time, cost, and scope, ensuring the investments they are accountable for are delivering value aligned with the enterprises’ goals.
The Agile concept of self-organized teams is creating a more dynamic project delivery environment. Traditional models are being replaced by the concepts such as offices with no set desk spaces, where team members can work from any place in the world. The office environment also becomes less important as workspaces become mobile and productivity is just as high no matter which part of the world the team members are in.
Technology is enabling this evolution. In recent years, we’ve come from the human imagination driving technology to technology driving human innovation. That’s, basically, what the future holds for enterprise portfolio management in the upcoming five to seven years.