Project management is a skill that will never go out of style. But that doesn't mean you can rest easy and coast by.
Every year there are new trends that change the management world. It makes sense to learn everything you can about them. After all, reports show that good project management allows companies to waste 28 times less money.
If you want to succeed in project management, you need to keep up to date with what's going on. Below are nine project management trends that you need to keep an eye on.
1. Increase in Automation
How much time do you think your team wastes of repetitive tasks through the day? If you added all that time up, you'd be surprised at how much time your team wastes during the week.
The good news is that you have tools available now that will help you cut out a lot of that work. Task automation is the process of using software to automate repetitive tasks that your team does manually.
Tools like IFTTT and Zapier provide software integrations that connect to the software they use. They will handle the heavy lifting while your team focuses on the work that matters the most.
2. More Remote Collaboration
The internet has dramatically increased the amount of remote work done at companies. As time goes on, this trend is unlikely to slow down.
Because of this, you need to shift your management methods to account for your remote staff. But this is easier said than done.
Expect 2020 to provide more tools that allow easier collaboration for remote project management. Make sure you learn what they are on how to use them.
3. More Data-Driven Decisions
The data economy has changed the way that businesses market to consumers. But it doesn't stop there.
Companies everywhere are starting to use data to optimize the way their employees work. Make sure you track the metrics for each of your projects. You can use this information to better plan your projects in the future.
You can also use your customer data to figure out the most critical projects to work on. Doing things this way will help you serve your customers better by giving them the things they need.
4. Increased Focus on People
Despite the move to data-driven decisions, the importance of focusing on people has become a trend in project management. Many managers are moving past the old trend of focusing on deadlines, budgets, and scope. People aren't being thought of as cogs in a wheel anymore.
Instead, managers are learning to become more emotionally intelligent. This enables them to determine the best ways to appeal to their team. Doing this will allow managers to organize their team, listen, and solve problems more efficiently.
5. More Freelance Workers
While freelancers have existed for a long time, the amount of freelance workers available today has never been higher. This started with the growth of the gig economy. People learned that they could earn money outside of their regular job.
As gig work has become more common, more workers have shifted to freelance work in their professional careers. This increase has given businesses a new source of talent that is available to help.
But using freelancers in your project has its own set of challenges. You will need to learn the proper way to integrate them with your in-house team.
6. Hybrid Project Management Methods
Work has gotten more involved in the past few years. The digital age has created more variety of products and ways to promote them. Because of this, you need to adopt new methods for managing your projects.
Some of the popular methods today are waterfall, agile, kanban, and scrum. The problem is each one of these might not have all the things you need to manage your project.
Expect to take bits and pieces of each of these methods to put together something unique for your team. Your approach may also change depending on your current project. Make sure you research your project in-depth so you can determine the right mix of strategies for managing your project.
7. Acceptance of Failure
Failure is a hard thing to accept in business. But as trends continue to accelerate, it's harder to focus on projects long-term. If something appears not to be working, companies are starting to let them go instead of pushing on.
This trend will enable businesses to be more agile in the future. Instead of dumping a lot of money into big projects, companies will spend money on a minimal product to test the market. If it doesn't work, they'll move on to the next test.
8. More Focus on Security
There has been a significant increase in security breaches in recent years. Because of this, both consumers and businesses are starting to take their online activity seriously. One breach can now cost a company a lot of money.
Expect more security measures to be put in place to protect both consumer and company information. The security team at your company will be tightening access control for your data. This will mean more paperwork on your side of things, but the result will be a more secure company.
9. Project Management Offices
As companies grow larger, it's hard to keep everyone on the same page. You can have two different managers that have a completely different set of goals and way of doing things.
While each of them can be correct, they still need their goals to be aligned with the companies. Project management offices can help you do that.
A project management office is a group that sets project management standards across your organization. While there may be some differences in management styles, your managers will need to follow the standards set by these offices.
Don't Ignore These Project Management Trends
The world of project management changes every year. You need to keep on top of these changes if you want to know how to run an efficient organization. Make sure to learn more about the project management trends above so you can implement them at your company.
Are you interested in more ideas that will help you run your team? Continue reading our blog to learn more ideas that will help your management skills.
