By Jessica Kane
Many articles are publishedat the beginning of every year covering a variety of trends that will impact the business sector. This article will look at it from the perspective of how the trends in 2019 will impact project management.
The Adoption of Agile
One of the most significant trends is the rise of “business agile.” Starting in 2016, a number of business sectors or industries commenced adopting the Agile development framework impacting various business operational, management, and strategic operations, including project management.
Still many individuals are not yet well versed in business agile. Indeed, in some ways, the concepts and practices underpinning business agile are in various states of maturity. With that said, the essential definition of business agile, is an “amalgam of different business & IT methods that work synergistically to create an agile and competitive business model,” according to the Business Technology Management Institute.
The business agile model incorporates a variety of disciplines into its overall functionality. These include, but are not limited to: business technology management, IT portfolio management, business process management, enterprise architecture, information technology, and project management.
Project management is impacted positively in that Agile help to improve employee communication, allowing the teams to inspect and adapt to changes faster and easier, often with quicker time to market and an earlier value realization for customers.
Increasing Interaction between the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence
During 2017, there was a great deal of discussion about the internet of things as well as artificial intelligence. Admittedly, a good deal of the conversations and presentations on these matters were speculative. However, in 2019 we see an increasing interaction between the internet of things and artificial intelligence, as the two impact or pertain to project management.
The essential definition of the Internet of Things (IoT)is that it is a network consisting of physical devices of different types that are embedded with software, sensors, electronics, actuators, and network connectivity. These objects are enabled to connect and exchange data. Each thing in the network is uniquely identifiable, but able to inter-operate in a network utilizing existing infrastructure supplied by the internet itself.
Artificial intelligence (AI)is defined basically as intelligence exhibited by certain machines or software applications. The term is also applied to the field involved in the creation of computers and computer software that are capable of so-called intelligent behavior.
The ongoing convergence between the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, which is expected to reach a new plateau in 2019, will impact project management. Project management is already heavily reliant on technology in many sectors. Thus, imagine AI machine learning focused on PM domains, like ROI models, common risks and estimation omissions. It can be used as a safeguard from making basic technical project management errors or omissions.
The First Wave of Millennial Project Managers will Appear
Another trend in 2019 is the first real wave of Millennial project managers appearing on the scene. Although there has been a sprinkling of Millennial project managers at work already, they have been few and far between.
The primary reason why Millennials really haven’t been heavily involved in project management to this point really has been a function of age. The generational cohort simply hadn’t reached the stage where they had the experience and background necessary to occupy many project management positions.
By 2019 a larger group of Millennials will have gleaned the experience necessary to take on project management roles. More Millennials will be found in project management positions, particularly in those industries that more heavily rely on technology.
Although the Millennial generational cohort has a number of distinguishing features, the group is perhaps best identified by its use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies. Their familiarity with and reliance on these technologies is more profound than their generational predecessors, including Gen X and certainly Baby Boomers.
Refer to this video article: “How to manage different generations at work” to help you understand the Millennials better. It’s wise to acknowledge that Millennials will have an impact on project management in many different ways. The number of Millennials assuming project management positions in 2019 will determine how significant the impact on project management practices will be. Expect some alteration in the manner in which project management is approached because of Millennials reliance and even addition to social media and digital technologies.
About the author:
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who focuses on personal finance and other money matters. She currently writes for Checkworks.com, where you can get personal checks and business checks