The Future of Project Management xxx Michael Young
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1976 sport
So where are we now?
Where are we now? 7.39 Bn people worldwide 7.37 Bn mobile phones 63.5m refugees 86% live in developing countries 15 wars worldwide
THESE PROBLEMS WILL BE FELT THE GREATEST
Resource Usage According to the Global Footprint Network s calculations, our (global) demand for renewable ecological resources and the services they provide is now equivalent to that of more than 1.6 Earths. http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/gfn/page/earth_overshoot_day/ and we don t have 1.6 Planets! The data further shows us on track to require the resources of TWO planets well BEFORE MID-CENTURY.
Where are we now? CURRENT: Output o Many PMs are locked onto focusing on the traditional Time / Cost / Scope paradigm iron triangle (if lucky they take into account quality) PROGRESSIVE: Benefits o Successful PM practitioners focus on time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risk PROFESSIONAL: Sustainability o Exceptional project managers also take into account the other triple constraints Time (Taylorism) RISKS VALUE Quality Cost (Fordism) Scope (Deming) BENEFITS
Where are we now? The Growing Demand for Project Managers It has been well documented that there is an ongoing and growing need for project managers to respond to the growing transition of organizations from an operational focus to a change focus
APM Charter Status Professionalisation agenda
Projects and GDP Dr. Mladen Vukomanovic, Dr. Mladen Radujkovic, Ivaca Savrski et al., Developing a project management methodology for major public infrastructure projects, 11 The 2 nd IPMA Research Conference 2014 Tianjin
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Society
Population Source: UN DESA 2015 Between now and 2050 the global population is expected to increase from 7.3 to 9.7 billion, which is a 32,4% increase within 35 years.
Technology
Environment
Transport
Employment Top 10 jobs in 2050 Nano medic Memory augmentation surgeon Body part maker Transhumanist engineer Gene programmer Brain augmenter Spaceport Traffic Control Weather controller Ethics lawyer Domestic robot programmer Source: Morris Mikelowski www.businessfuturust.com
Professions A transformation and decline of demand for many of today s professions based on: changing needs, relationships and expectations, and new systems driven by the internet society Society will neither need nor want access to professionals in the same way. The following professions are already being impacted: Doctors Teachers Accountants Architects Clergy Consultants Lawyers Applying expertise and stakeholder interactions are areas that predominate project management activities that are considered least susceptible to the technical feasibility of automation
Unique PM Competenc Creativity Social perceptiveness Negotiation and persuasion Political and entrepreneurial ability Empathy or providing personal assistance
My Predictions
The PM and Practice Each project will have its own unique set of rules and guidelines, making singular approaches un-scalable for all initiatives Industry-specific tools and methods will lead to industry PM specialisation Shift from one way of managing projects fits all, to an adaptive mash-up of conventional and agile practices Model of distributed accountability and governance PMs will be known for their unique systems, like chefs with signature dishes
The Workplace No more reporting! Everything will be automated, real-time and adaptive AI tools will predict risks and the optimum schedule Project management will be less task-based and more about people, collaboration and relationships Project teams will be global, virtual and distributed PMs will be freelancers
What skills do we need to manage projects of the future?
Bill Duncan One thing that I am absolutely certain of is this: project management will continue to be easy to understand and hard to do.