Project management trends in 2020

In a world full of digitization, project managers have their hands full to let their organizations innovate. The Netherlands has a strong project management culture - we have a lot of them and send employees for expensive training on a daily basis - so it is not surprising that a lot of developments in the field of project management are planned for 2020. We have collected the most important trends for you.

What is project management?

You know what project management is not exactly? Check out this short explanation video:

Here are the five project management trends of 2020.

1. More soft skills and more technical knowledge

The most important message in 2020 is short: the project manager is getting heavier. Due to the increasing digitization and technological developments, we require more and more technical knowledge from the project manager. Sitting back and having your team members update you easily once a week is no longer an option. Project managers by 2020 have substantive knowledge, a sharp eye for detail and the courage to make adjustments immediately if it seems necessary. At the same time, we expect a people-oriented approach during this adjustment: the project manager must communicate carefully and let the team work efficiently. So soft skills. Finding the balance is still the greatest art.

2. Automation and innovation

What does that technical knowledge actually consist of? In an increasing number of cases, the answer to the question posed by organizations is slightly different than that organization itself has in mind. The modern project manager has knowledge of automation possibilities, AI and VR - the most important digitization trends of the moment. If Henry Ford had answered the question, he would have bred faster horses, shall we say. The point is that the project manager is aware of these trends and knows how to apply them correctly in his projects and organization. That function will become a lot more important in 2020, because the risk of falling behind as a company will also increase.

Permanent teams of specialists

More and more project managers value a permanent team. Matter is becoming more complex and technology more advanced, so you don't want to see all kinds of new faces at the table every quarter. In order to be able to cooperate continuously as a permanent team, remote collaboration is increasingly taking place via online tools, so regardless of location or even time zone. In this way, a project group can also grow for a longer period of time and build a relationship of trust. Ultimately, this benefits the output because the specialist knowledge among the group members grows slowly but surely. The end of the project is less and less often the end of the project group.

4. Collaborations with non-employees

In line with this, more projects will take place beyond the borders of companies in 2020. In order to bring the ideal set of specialists to the table, external searches will be conducted more often skills which may or may not be temporarily required to successfully complete a project. They are often self-employed, but sometimes the solution is also a joint project with another company. The same applies here: this collaboration stops less and less often at the finish line of the project.

5. Agile will remain in 2020

Agile came, saw, conquered and will stay for a while. In view of the previous trend, it remains as important to work in a structured and clear manner. In this way, the project manager has the responsibility to check the status of the project agile continuously oversee the project and provide a voice-over to the outside in a correct, convincing manner. So storytelling in optima forma. Agile working is also a way to keep the increasing complexity of projects - especially if they are technological in nature - tangible and to enable the project manager to perform his tasks properly.

Are you missing a project management trend? Tell us below!