Kinley Consulting Managing Director Janet Parkin predicts that virtual teams, social technology, green projects, project value and PMOs will be the trending topics for project management in 2012.
WOKINGHAM, 10 January, 2012 – With the Olympics just around the corner, 2012 is going to be an exceptional year for project management professionals, predicts Janet Parkin, Managing Director of UK-based enterprise project management consulting firm Kinley Consulting Ltd. She shared her predictions for the project management industry this week.
1. More companies will make use of virtual teams
“After the issues we had with the cold weather last year, we’ve seen more companies embracing technology to enable people to work remotely as part of virtual teams,” said Parkin. “It saves travelling time and allows people to continue to work when they cannot get to the office.” Another benefit of enabling virtual teams is that they allow project managers to choose the right people for the project team, not just the people who happen to work locally. Virtual teams mean that companies can choose from a wider talent pool.
2. Enterprise project management tools will incorporate social technology
Social media is here to stay, and many project managers are already incorporating social media tools into the way they manage projects. “Enterprise project management tools are incredibly powerful and provide a suite of solutions for planning, scheduling and controlling projects,” said Parkin. “However, project managers are also collaborating outside these tools.” She predicts that we’ll see solution vendors and project managers working out ways to incorporate the collaborative benefits of social media into project management tools.
3. Green projects will rise in profile
“This year is the first that businesses will feel the impact of the UK’s CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme through buying allowances to cover carbon emissions,” said Parkin. Companies will be looking at projects to lower their carbon emissions, reduce the financial burden of paying the ‘carbon tax’ and improve their position on the league tables.
4. Project teams will begin to better define project ‘value’
It will take a while for Project Management Offices (PMOs) to fully embrace the concept of ‘project value’ but the days of managing by the triple constraint will soon be over. “I think we’ll see project managers starting to define project value on a project-by-project basis in conjunction with teams and project sponsors,” said Parkin. “The triple constraint of time, cost and quality will remain important, and the project tools on the market will have to adapt to incorporate alternative ways of measuring success.”
5. The PMO star will continue to rise
“Even in a recession, we’ve seen PMOs grow over the last 12 months, and I expect that to continue,” said Parkin. PMO positions remain a good choice with the career path extending from entry level jobs to PMO leaders. “The new challenge for PMOs is managing the multi-generational workplace, where we have potentially 5 generations working together on projects,” she added. “We’ve not seen that before, and PMOs will lead the way in ensuring that working practices suit all styles and ages.”
About Kinley Consulting Ltd
Kinley Consulting is dedicated to helping its clients implement effective project and programme management solutions. Kinley specializes in enterprise-wide programme and project management, including project performance management and technical solution implementations.
Website: www.kinleyconsulting.com
