With every year that passes by, there are new trends that emerge in the world of project management. It is important to stay ahead of the game if you are to continue to manage projects efficiently and reap the results. With that in mind, read on to discover more about the key project management trends you are likely to see throughout the year.

1.    Resource planning

Resource planning is likely to take a greater prevalence. After all, there is no denying that people are the most important any business has. However, not enough companies are making the effort to manage and invest in their people. This is why resource planning will take on greater importance.

There are a number of ways you can engrain resource planning into your business’ culture. This includes creating a skills catalogue, ensuring the right resources are available when you require them, as well as providing stakeholders with KPI reports and real-time resource demand.

2.    The rise of Project Management Offices

Project Management Offices (PMO) appear to be on the rise again. Statistics from PMI’s Pulse of the Profession reveal that those that align their company strategy report with their Enterprise Project Management Office experience greater success rates. In fact, 38 per cent more projects reach their intent and goals. When you consider this, it is not hard to see why PMOs are on the increase.

3.    Growing investment in project managers

There is no denying that businesses are increasingly realising the importance of project managers to their organisation. This is why they are spending more and more on this area. You can expect a lot of business owners to invest more heavily in project management training as 2019 progresses.

We are already seeing more employers encouraging their workforces to take project management training courses as a way to better the entire team.

4.    Collaboration

Collaboration is not a new thing, but it is becoming increasingly critical to project success. In 2019, it is likely that this is going to be the key driver.

There needs to be continuous and constant communication and interaction between functional groups, the customer, subcontractors, executive management, and project personnel. A business cadence is a great way to promote collaboration. This is a set calendar of events whereby employees are able to interact. This will help to develop an overall culture of collaboration.

We will also see greater automation. This is not a new trend, but one that is progressing. From using an automation stack for Google Ads to automating what would usually be delivered in project meetings, there are many ways to do this.

5.    Success drove KPIs

Last but not least, success driven Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are vital for projects. These are designed so that you can measure how your project is performing. Businesses will be making a greater effort to ensure they create effective KPIs.

There are a number of ways this can be achieved, including ensuring that KPIs reflect overall corporate goals, assigning a person that is responsible for each KPI, making sure the underlying data quality is good, and avoiding KPI multiplying.

So there you have it; five of the key project management trends you can expect to make a massive impact throughout the coming year.

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