The days when project managers could deliver a project and walk away are over.
Tomorrow's project managers will be expected to take a more holistic approach and extend their focus from outputs to include outcomes.
That's because in a world in which the pace of business change continually increases, a project does not end when it is delivered, but only once the business benefits of the project have been realised.
This was one of the findings of a global survey of project, programme and portfolio professional conducted by Axelos, the joint venture company set up by the UK government to develop a portfolio of global best practice project management methodologies and qualifications. These methodologies include ITIL, PRINCE2 and MSP.
The findings are contained in a recently published report - "The Future Project Management Professional" - which, according to Axelos CEO Peter Hepworth, "provides a platform to look to the future, identify emerging trends and their impact on the profession and ensure that project, programme and portfolio managers have the skills, knowledge and abilities to support their organisations to remain competitive and successful."
Hepworth says the project manager of the future will need to broaden their range of competencies to include business and strategic skills such as business analysis, change management, risk management, organisational diplomacy, influencing and relationship building skills.
In effect, project management will no longer be about project management: it will be all about fast-paced change management.
While 76% of survey respondents believe that project management will become a basic business skill used widely by individuals across the whole organisation - what's become known as the "democratisation of project management" - there will still be a distinction between people whose primary role is project management and those who take a project-based approach to achieve their objectives.
That's because in contrast to just five years ago when project managers were not really involved in strategy, they will become more involved in the business at a strategic level in future.
In fact, 90%of project managers surveyed agree that they need a much stronger strategic vision that aligns with the goals of the business. Their future role will include being responsible for identifying which projects to progress and to ensure that they align with business goals. Projects without strategic importance will be dropped for projects that serve the organisation's objectives.
With greater demands on their ability to play a strategic role, project managers will have to develop a broader range of strategic skills including business awareness and people skills.
While almost 60% of survey respondents agreed that automation and artificial intelligence would take over routine project management tasks, the report noted that the importance of the "human factor" in project management could not be underestimated.
"Automation may make certain tasks easier but, ultimately, emotional intelligence and soft skills such as communication, diplomacy and relationship building will be vital for the delivery of successful projects. The ability to work with people will become as important as technical project management skills," the report concluded.
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