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01 December 2022 - 3 min read
Project management has sky-rocketed during 2022. So much so, that many organisations have realised the impact that project managers have on the success of their development, and how crucial project management skills really are.
Of the trends we’ve seen in 2022, 2023 only brings more innovation and creativity. It’s true that change is the only constant and looking back over the last ten years has only shown the positive impact of project management.
While there will be overlaps, there will be new project management trends in 2023, and we’re discussing them, here, so that businesses and organisations know what to expect.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently being used by project managers and is something that we will see more of in 2023. It’s said that Artificial Intelligence cannot be applied to all projects, and that complexity plays it part as the simpler a project is, the less likely AI will be of use.
However, AI can and will start to be able to take over the administrative tasks that come with being a project manager such as:
AI is also extremely useful when it comes to predicting the success of a project, how much will be spent and what the outcome looks like. From homing in on the results from previous projects, AI will be extremely useful when it comes to the accuracy of future planning.
With the increase of automation and AI, it’s said that more of the technical parts of project managing can be completed by software now and into the future. This means the need for project managers with exceptional soft skills and emotional intelligence (EI) will increase greatly in 2023 and is said to be vital to the success of a variety of projects.
Soft skills are the personality traits, behaviours and interpersonal skills that human beings use to connect and interact with others. They are specifically important in workplaces as they determine how successfully leaders, managers and employees work together.
Some examples include creativity, communication and critical thinking. Emotional intelligence overlaps several different soft skills and is fundamentally how you control your emotions, and how well you can understand them in various situations.
No two days are the same as a project manager, and as qualities such as being able to reinvent are at the forefront, a project manager must be able to understand and control the way that they feel, think and act. Some proven ways to help increase your emotional intelligence include:
Practising empathy
Putting yourself in the shoes of who you are managing will support with judgement and stereotyping, helping you to recognise the needs of others.
Observing how you react to people
When someone approaches you in your workplace with an issue, do you respond before you are presented with all the facts? Do you judge people on their past behaviours and decisions? Do you actively listen to what they are saying? These are all questions that you can ask yourself when approached as a project manager that will help with your observations.
Taking responsibility for your actions
Simply being able to admit when you’re wrong is a sign of good EI as you’re showing that you’ve listened to those around you and taken everyone’s feelings into account. Good project managers will admit when they’ve made a mistake and then work with their team to correct it. By doing this, your team is much more likely to trust you as well as appreciating and standing by your decisions.
Between the great resignation, quiet quitting and general workplace stress, it’s become an ongoing trend to practice setting healthy boundaries so that project managers and their teams aren’t burning the candle at both ends. This means setting the right limits and expectations surrounding workplace projects.
While it’s expected that many projects need to be completed in time to meet a deadline and often coincide with multiple other projects, here are a few tips on how to set boundaries and remain resilient through hectic periods:
Trying to limit personalising
Remembering that it’s business and not personal will keep you in good stead, and what you may do in your personal life, might be different in terms of the company's priorities.
Avoiding limiting your beliefs
Keeping an open mind and being willing to learn will help detach from making decisions about yourself, or having yourself in mind as the top priority.
Prioritising
Knowing what business is critical and what can be completed later will ensure you are not trying to do everything at once.
Practising mindfulness
Remembering that work is only a part of your life and that taking care of your mind will only make you a better manager.
With project management tools and practices being mostly online, 2023 will see an increased need for online security.
Data breaches and cyber-attacks are extremely common these days, so much so, that over 237 security incidents were identified this year between April and June. These incidents also accounted for over 99,019,967 breached records.
To try and reduce these risks as much as possible, project managers can undertake cyber security training, covering a variety of topics including:
It’s no surprise that 2023 will bring further remote and hybrid working when looking at the way we have worked over the past two years. Project managers will almost certainly have members of their team working in different areas across the globe and working in different time zones.
Additional planning and oversight are needed to ensure all project members are working in sync, reducing barriers created by time, language and culture. Luckily, there’s several tools and best practises out there to support project managers who are managing remote or flexible teams such as:
Staying on top of these new and emerging project management trends in 2023 will equip you with everything you need to be a confident and forward-thinking project manager.
Enrol today and start your year with a new career in project management.
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