Organizations are shifting their operations towards project-based working and the recent pandemic years have advanced this transformation. This project-based approach enables the agile way of fulfilling the needs of businesses and customers and the utilization of resources (Lau 2021). With agile projects, the organization can react to changes in the markets and variations of demand and supply. The purpose of project management is to ensure that the planning and organizing of the project work happens fluently. To maintain the competitive advantage and the ability to answer to evolving customer needs, organizations must choose an efficient project management methodology (Myers 2023).
Modern project management methodologies
As the pace of technological progress accelerates and the amount of data created daily increases rapidly, the project objectives cannot be fully met by utilizing traditional project management.
Suitable project management style is above all capable of meeting all the requirements of a modern project and in the best possible scenario, exceeding the expectations of the customers. Choosing the approach should also be case-sensitive; the project driver and the available resources need to be taken into consideration when deciding on the best project management method (Williams 2023).
Agile project management intends to look beyond budget and schedule factors and aims to deliver value for both the customers and the organization itself. It is a good choice for projects that require responsiveness and incremental development. In addition to the popular agile methodology, adaptive project management can be useful in projects that have multiple risks or other uncertainty factors. The adaptive methodology requires systematic communication between all the stakeholders as it relies on shared information. (Williams 2023.) Adaptive project management allows enhancement and improvement of the project processes in all stages. It creates space for learning and embraces the culture of accepting the changes. (Miller 2023.)
Future of project management
Project-based work makes it possible for teams to be more agile, innovative, and one step ahead of business competitors (Lau 2021). Whatever the approach is, modern project management and genuinely flexible methodologies are always characterized by project outcomes and customer or end-user satisfaction (Huttunen 2023, 25). Those are the real measures of a successfully chosen project management methodology and that needs to be the starting point for all projects. The field of project management will continue to thrive in the future as the amount of projectized work keeps growing. Project Management Institute (2017, 4) emphasizes the same fact that project management-related occupations are facing increasing demand, and this probable talent gap is something that all organizations need to be aware of.
Authors
Alina Huttunen has studied Business Information Technology (BBA) degree and has recently graduated from LAB University of Applied Sciences. She has a previous degree in design and her goal is to achieve a career that offers the possibility to combine both her visual and technical skills.
Minna Ulmala is a senior lecturer of computer science in the Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management at LAB University of Applied Sciences.
References
Huttunen, A. 2023. Post-Evaluation of IT Project Outcomes. Thesis. Lahti: LAB University of Applied Sciences. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023120735057
Lau, Y. 2021. How Organization Can Become Project-Based In The Future Of Work. Forbes. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/06/02/how-organizations-can-become-project-based-in-the-future-of-work/?sh=282b3f5729e4
Miller, D. 2023. The Adaptive Project Framework: Beginner’s Guide. ProProfs. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.proprofsproject.com/blog/adaptive-project-framework/
Mohamed_hassan. 2018. Tiimityö, Yhteistyötä, Aivoriihi. Pixabay. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://pixabay.com/fi/photos/tiimity%C3%B6-yhteisty%C3%B6t%C3%A4-aivoriihi-3213924/
Myers. 2023. Modern Project Management: An Overview of the 7th Edition. Corporate Training Materials. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://corporatetrainingmaterials.com/blogs/using-our-materials/modern-project-management-an-overview-of-the-7th-edition
Project Management Institute. 2017. Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap 2017‒2027. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers/job-growth
Williams, C. 2023. How to Choose a Project Management Methodology. Accelo. Cited 6 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.accelo.com/resources/blog/how-to-choose-a-project-management-methodology/#five
