Industry is constantly evolving. The practices that were successful at one time may quickly become outdated. That’s why it is essential to always keep an eye on the future, especially if you’re a leader such a project manager.
Project manager responsibilities could quickly become outdated with how fast technology is on the move.
What will those changes look like? How can project managers adapt?
If you’re interested in answering these questions, then you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn what a project manager’s responsibilities list might look like down the road.
Remote Work Will Be More Common
The prevalence of remote work has been increasing gradually for years. But it’s surged tremendously since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the boom in remote work started as a response to a specific event, it doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon. In fact, a recent survey of company leaders found that 80% had plans to allow their employees to work remotely at least part-time after the pandemic was over.
Another survey asked nearly 700 CEOs about the status of remote work. 78% of the group agreed that remote collaboration is here to stay for the long-term.
Stats like these indicate that remote work will become increasingly common in the years to come.
IT project managers will need to adapt their goals and processes to that. They will manage largely remote workforces without the benefit of in-person interaction.
You Will Need New Project Management Software
Most types of project management software on the market today do the same things. They provide useful collaboration tools and dashboards that make it easier for project managers to watch over their teams.
However, the project management tools of the future could be drastically different than the ones we have today.
We could see significant changes to project management software through integrations of rising technologies, such as:
- Blockchain
- AI
- Remote access
- Mobile
- Human/machine collaboration
It’s unclear exactly how these technologies will be integrated into project management software at this time. But the IT project manager of the future may need to understand them on a deeper level in order to get the most out of their project management software.
Hybrid Project Management Will Be Standard
Hybrid project management is the practice of mixing Agile and traditional project management elements to create a custom approach. We expect to see this model of project management become more prevalent in the future for a few key reasons:
- Projects are growing increasingly complex
- Teams are growing too large for traditional Scrum team groupings
- Most large companies aren’t structured in such a way as to make running their entire operation in an agile way possible
If this model does become more commonplace, then the project managers of the future will need to know how to utilize it to its maximum potential.
They will need to understand agile, waterfall, scrum, and other project management methodologies well so that they can blend them together into a hybrid model that aligns with their organization’s unique needs.
Digital and Soft Skills Will Matter More
A recent report by PMI found that digital skills will be absolutely essential to operating in the project management field of the future. This goes beyond simply being able to utilize different types of project management tools and web services.
Rather, the digital skills that the future’s project managers will need, include:
- Legal and regulatory compliance
- Data-driven decision-making capabilities
- Data protection and digital security
- Data analysis
- Digital knowledge management
Research points to the fact that the project manager’s role could be a more technical one in the future. However, as technology improves and becomes more commonplace, teams will also need to be led with a human’s touch more than ever. This could make it more important for project managers to possess soft skills.
Examples of the types of soft skills that a project manager in the future may need include:
- Empathy
- Creative and strategic thinking
- Listening skills
- The ability to motivate
- The ability to bring fun and joy to the team
Essentially, project managers in the future will need to be able to balance increasingly complex technology against strong soft skills that hold their teams together. This could be a delicate dance, especially as the workforce becomes more remote. It represents another way in which the project manager’s responsibilities list of the future could be different.
Global Teams Will Be the Norm
It’s never been easier to communicate with people across the globe. So why wouldn’t companies start taking advantage of the global workforce? If teams are going to be working on projects remotely anyway, then a company should hire the best workers they can find — regardless of where they’re located in the world.
If you’d like to start hiring from a highly-skilled international pool of applicants, then consider getting in touch with Newman’s International Associates (NIA). Our company makes it easy to find the workers that you need to turn your next project into a success. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help.
