Top 6 Project Management Trends In 2023

The project management trends landscape has evolved so much over the years. We went from fewer, less advanced tools managed by smaller teams to more sophisticated tools managed by huge teams in massive enterprises.

Needless to say, project management has taken a major turn for the best.

The demand for good project management has also increased tremendously since 2020. The pandemic plunged businesses into remote work, forcing teams to readjust, with project managers left to keep the ball rolling. These professionals had to employ new skill sets and stay ahead of the curve to bring their teams together to avoid missed deadlines and unnecessary shutdowns, even in such an uncertain situation.

As a result, businesses now understand the value of project management as a tool to boost productivity. They are investing heavily in hiring the best talent while staying ahead of exciting trends in the industry.

Understanding project management trends will help protect your business against major shifts in the industry. In this post, we will explore the top 5 project management trends in 2023 so you can stay informed.

Why Project Management Trends Matter

Project management trends matter because they depict where the industry is headed, what skills will be in demand, and how businesses will navigate the changes. No growing business wants to be left behind regarding project management. This tool is the lubrication that keeps the business going, ensuring employees perform optimally and tasks are done on time.

Project management has moved beyond tools like Asana, Trello, and other Jira alternatives; it now involves much more than getting employees to meet deadlines or scheduling tasks. It is a lot more purposeful; the technology is more advanced and requires experts to have high emotional intelligence.

Staying ahead of project management trends will help you decipher what your team needs before they realize it. It shows you prioritize your team by staying aware of industry changes and knowing which new strategies to implement and which ones to scrap for better employee productivity.

6 Project Management Trends You Should Know

Let’s dive deep into the top project management trends this year.

1. AI and Automation are Impacting Projects More Than Ever

The advancement of artificial intelligence and automation is seeping into various industries like healthcare, finance, etc., and project management is not left out. Many companies are already using AI to automate some of the mundane project management tasks like task monitoring, time tracking, resource planning, etc. This automation also provides helpful insights that help project managers make data-driven decisions.

Sometimes, poor estimates of time and costs around a project can lead to the failure of a project. However, AI and automation eliminate external factors when assessing a project and can provide more realistic estimates. If you want to create a successful project management strategy for your business, you need to collaborate with AI.

2. Emotional Intelligence is Playing a Major Role

Project management goes beyond assigning, tracking, and monitoring tasks and deadlines alongside budgets. It also involves managing employees and ensuring they’re putting in the work needed to take the project to completion, and this isn’t easy. When it comes to managing people, you need more than a couple of fancy tools. You must have high emotional intelligence to be able to communicate with people efficiently. This is why the demand for emotionally intelligent project managers is increasing.

When you don’t understand employees and their emotions, it could cause issues affecting the project completion time. Emotional intelligence has become a vital leadership skill for project managers. Learning to read emotions will help you interact with different personalities and determine what drives them to do a good job. Once you know this, you can navigate employee relationships better and still meet your deadlines.

3. Remote Working is Here to Stay

Remote working has grown and become more mainstream since the pandemic. However, more businesses have adopted this working condition in recent years, causing more software companies to adjust their solutions to cater to remote working conditions. Project management is not left out in this regard. Several project management tools are developing cloud-based solutions designed for remote and hybrid working conditions.

This solution can be distributed to global employees, allowing them to stay on top of their tasks without downtime. Project managers will also get all the necessary data they need in real time to make decisions about work processes and employee performance regardless of time zones or location.

4. More Focus on Data and Analytics

Project management involves a lot of data analysis and management. Project managers don’t make decisions based on sentiments. They take the time to analyze loads of data, create reports, and make insightful decisions. When done right, data analytics can transform a project manager’s business.

Experts can form, dissolve, and rearrange teams, determine which employee needs more monitoring, and figure out a formula that works best for everyone. If you don’t like dealing with a lot of numbers on a daily basis, you can find an effective data analytics management tool to automate this for you. The fact is that project managers cannot ignore data as it is the building block of any project strategy.

5. There Will be More Project Management Jobs Available

Project managers are a core part of business operations in different industries, from tech to healthcare, finance, etc. This report indicates that the project management workforce landscape will increase by 33% in 2027. This means there will be more jobs in industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, construction, publishing, etc., and an estimated 88 million professionals will be hired in the project management workforce.

Countries like China and India are already investing heavily in this skill set, and ignoring it could cost you a lot in the near future. Project management will play a major role in the growth of new business ventures, and as a business owner looking to expand, it is in your best interest to stay on top of this trend and hire the best talent before they’re all snatched up.

6. Cybersecurity is More Important than Ever

With remote and hybrid working conditions becoming mainstream, project managers must take cybersecurity more seriously and take the necessary steps to protect their businesses against malicious online attacks. In today’s working climate, strategies like air-tight encryption, access control, and data backups are super important. Also, since project managers don’t work in isolation, you must train your team on effective cybersecurity measures and how to identify risks for better protection.

Final Thoughts

As project management continues to evolve, project managers and businesses must also be willing to evolve. Our research shows that artificial intelligence technology will play a major role in the landscape moving forward and redefine how many processes are handled.

Emotional intelligence will also redefine how project managers approach and work with team members. These professionals must be willing to take on more leadership roles and learn how to communicate effectively to move projects along.

From more automation to easier data management, it is evident that project management will take on a more refined look in the near future. These changes promise a very exciting time for project managers and businesses.

So, if you’re interested in getting into project management, now is the time, and if you’re already in the industry, it’s time to upskill, stay ahead of the trends, and remain competitive.