You’ll no doubt recall Arras People offering their predictions for 2011 for Tipoffs. Long story short: we solicited expert advice, talking of trends to watch such as stronger project offices, corporate adoption of social media, increases in approved projects, and increases in job availability.
Our friends at ESI International, a leading project management learning company, have followed suit, dropping a Top 10 Global Project Management Trends for 2011 list on the public this week. According to their press release:
Key themes include building the project manager’s (PM) influence, accelerating new leadership and communication skills, and increased use of informal learning approaches such as social media and experiential training. A global panel of consultants and senior executives assembled by ESI identified the trends.
Here are those 10 trends that ESI International forecasts for 2011, complete with a quick-hit summary from ESI on each focused trend. All content below (edited by Arras for space) is ESI’s own, based from their press release.
- Leadership Skills Will Be the PM’s Critical Success Factor
In 2011′s project management landscape – featuring more complex projects and greater use of virtual teams – being on time and on budget will require not just a laser-like focus on the triple constraints, but on the requisite leadership skills necessary for an individual PM’s success. The challenge for organizations will be to clearly define what “leadership” means in the project and program management context.
- No Industry Will Be Spared from the War for PM Talent
PMs with the greatest mobility and experience will have the best opportunities for career growth through “overseas” assignments. In particular, India and China will continue to be plagued by a dearth of competent and experienced PMs to manage large and complex infrastructure and IT projects. Additionally, as mega-projects at the King Abdullah Economic City north of Jidda and King Abdullah Financial District on the outskirts of Riyadh kick into high gear, more opportunities for work in the Middle East will become a reality.
- Agile Will Be Seen for What It Is…and Isn’t
Project management organizations embracing Agile software and product development approaches will continue to grow while being faced with the challenge of demonstrating ROI through Agile adoption. In addition, they will need to disabuse their stakeholders and executives of the expectations set by IT consultants, the media and the vendor community that Agile is the next “silver bullet.”
- Competency Models Will Be Core to Managing Professional Development and Promotions for PMs
As project management gains greater acceptance as a discipline, the hiring, assignment, promotion and professional development of PMs will be based on comprehensive competency models. In order for these models to be effective, they must be company-specific.
- Experiential Learning Will Be More the Norm than the Exception
The professional development of PMs will increasingly focus on reality-based learning and on-the-job training, an approach certain organizations in Asia have taken for many years. Learning providers will be required to send PMs back to the job from such sessions with the ability to immediately apply what they learned to their current projects.
- Informal Learning for PMs Will Gain Momentum
With millenials joining the workforce in greater numbers, we will witness more effective use of social learning technologies and approaches, such as wikis, blogs, videos, podcasts and other methods of communication.
- Project Sponsorship Will Become an Area of Focus in South Asia
The roles and responsibilities of the project sponsor will be a key focus in South Asia, especially in India and Bangladesh, as organizations try to accelerate their structured approach to project management.
- Outsourcing Will Remain a Risky Business
The continued growth of outsourcing will force organizations to pay more heed to its associated risks and conduct better due diligence…organizations will strengthen their risk management cultures and recognize the value of best practices in contract management.
- PMs Will Team with “Change Partners” and Use Structured Methods to Facilitate Adoption
(W)e will see more organizations developing and assigning “change partners,” also known as change management experts, to projects to assist in (change) adoption. Project teams will slowly, but steadily, increase their use of change management methods, which will be packaged as methodologies.
- The PMP® Will Continue its “World Domination,” but Will No Longer Be Enough
With 400,000+ holders, the PMP® will continue to be the most popular project management credential in the world, outpacing every one of its rivals as the “credential of choice” among practitioners.
“Project management continues to play a critical role in driving operational efficiencies,” said J. LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP, Executive Vice President, ESI. “Savvy business leaders are putting more stead in project management to fine tune their competitive advantage. Alongside technical savvy, other skills such as negotiation, communication, critical thinking, change management and leadership are taking on new importance for project managers. Influence and organizational agility will be key factors for performance improvement going forward.”
About ESI International
ESI International is a project and programme management and business analysis learning company. Their courses are accredited by the PMI and IIBA and they work with Fortune 500 companies across all industries. ESI provide classroom, online, virtual and corporate training, and consulting solutions ranging from individual and corporate assessments and health checks to workshops and seminars. To date, ESI’s programs have benefited more than one million professionals worldwide. For more information visit www.esi-intl.com.
Image © Bitterjug and used with permission.
Very useful post!
Two points are most important to me:
Leadership Skills Will Be the PM’s Critical Success Factor – this means that today’s project need more focus on soft skills, unlike on technical ones as in the past.
Agile has its place in software development and innovative projects but should not be perceived as a silver bullet for all kind of projects.