PROJECT MANAGEMENT: WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
Traditional project management skills, such as project governance or project management methodology, aren’t sufficient to meet changing organizational needs. Gartner recently surveyed 373 project management leaders to identify the “next generation” skills — from organizational awareness to financial acumen — that disproportionately impact performance. They also identified three future-focused project manager roles: the teacher, the fixer, and the orchestrator — all of which highlight the uniquely human aspects of project management that go beyond performing discrete, repetitive tasks.
The future of project management is increasingly shifting its focus from the specifics of individual projects to the broader set of skills required to execute them effectively. This trend emphasizes that the success of a project manager will depend more on their diverse skill set rather than their familiarity with a particular project type. As Gartner’s research suggests, project managers of the future will need to develop and hone a range of critical soft and technical skills to stay efficient and adaptable in their roles. The certifications would be essential but more premium would be put on the need to home certain skills.
The next generation of these skills includes organizational awareness, data acumen, cross-functional collaboration, financial acumen, willingness to adopt new technology, process and framework expertise and customer-centric mindset. This creates the future-focused role that Gartner explored was hinged on how they can navigate an organization’s project depending on the people, budget or the project itself. It is more about the changing needs of an organization and what set of skills are needed for the project. Before I expand on my personal opinion and analysis of the research, these are three roles it unravelled.
The Teacher: A teacher project manager enhances the skills needed for distributed delivery teams to thrive. They excel in coaching and motivating individuals, managing projects, and integrating new technologies. Their strong communication abilities help them explain complex topics, such as regulatory and compliance matters, to various stakeholders. They can effectively support multiple teams, promoting a culture of shared accountability and enterprise outcomes instead of focusing solely on local ownership. This collaborative approach helps align team efforts with the organization's overall objectives.
The Fixer: Organizations facing challenges with workflows and complex projects can benefit from a fixer project manager. These managers are skilled at collaborating across teams, making decisions, and managing finances. They excel at solving tough problems and handling risks within projects and across entire portfolios. Fixer project managers are especially helpful for organizations undergoing digital transformations or changing their operating models. They are also valuable for companies that have many dependencies between different teams and are struggling with execution due to a lack of engagement and alignment with business partners.
The Orchestrator: In enterprise digital transformation projects, organizations need project managers who can handle complexity and support delivery teams, especially when resources are limited. Orchestrator project managers excel at managing resources and ensuring that work is aligned and prioritized effectively. They are skilled in understanding data, focusing on customer needs, and being aware of the organization as a whole. They gather various insights, align them with strategic goals, and turn them into actionable steps. Additionally, they are good at managing relationships across different teams, particularly in complex projects with many stakeholders.
Opinion
The roles of project management, business analysis, and product ownership are beginning to share similarities as modern organizations adopt more flexible, cross-functional approaches to project execution and product development. Traditionally, these roles were distinct, with clear responsibilities and boundaries. However, with the rise of agile frameworks and the growing emphasis on collaboration, adaptability, and customer-centric strategies, the lines between these roles are increasingly blurring. So the future really would require these roles to equip themselves with skills that would cut across every phase of an organisation. Technology is evolving and so would the roles of project managers and business analysts. No matter where you find yourself, you should focused on delivering value and having a customer-centric approach to every project.
Credit: Gartner Research/HBR
