Trends in Project Management to follow in 2018

Trends in Project Management:- The New Year has arrived. Like every month of January, it is time to take stock of the past year and learn the lessons needed to improve for this year. It is also the moment to discover what will be the new trends of the project management in 2018.

Project management is improving every year. New technologies and software are emerging, management techniques are evolving as well as the expectations of customers and the working methods of the teams. Your role as project leader? Keep up-to-date on the latest or future trends in project management to effectively manage your projects and teams.

3 – Emerging Trends in Project Management to Follow

So here are the three trends of the project management to follow for the year 2018.

Be Agile

Have you ever heard of the agile method?

Used in software development since the 1950’s, this method is becoming increasingly popular every year in project management. You will understand why.

More pragmatic than traditional methods, the agile method involves more the applicant / customer taking into account the evolution of his needs. It is a more flexible and effective approach that allows greater responsiveness to customer demands.

Project management typically uses traditional methods called cascade or waterfall. The project manager and his team rely on detailed specifications, precise and validated by the client. The project team then works tirelessly until delivery of the entire project.

The problem with this method? It leaves no room for unforeseen events and changes. The client is often disappointed with the end result because his expectations have changed, the context has changed, or the objectives have changed. In short, unforeseen events took place involving delays and additional costs.

It is an observation: it is useless to plan everything down to the smallest details because the unexpected happens anyway. Your planning then becomes obsolete. You’ve lost time planning everything and you’re frustrated that it did not work. Such a waste!

If you’ve ever experienced a similar situation, it’s time to move on to the agile method.

The Agile approach gives more visibility and transparency by involving the client from the beginning to the end of the project.

As you step through the steps, you check with the customer that you are moving in the right direction. So you can adjust the following goals and budget together. This flexibility is a real asset for the customer, and makes you more efficient and effective.

In addition, this trust-based collaboration can improve your relationship with the customer.

This year, do not hesitate and go to the agile method!

Adopt the Project Management Software

Do you tend to drive your projects on sight? Every day, you lose time classifying the emails of your collaborators and searching for information not found. Your working papers are out of date and errors occur.

In 2018, finished the bad project management! With collaborative project management software, you no longer have to apologize for being organized, performing and efficient.

Online, often free or inexpensive, the project management software promotes collaborative work and allows you to easily plan and follow the evolution of your projects.

By 2018, they are still gaining popularity and will continue to grow.

There are a multitude of collaborative project management software with many features and benefits.

Indeed, you can in particular:

• Create and plan the major phases of your projects
• Follow the progress of actions on a timetable
• Respect the expiry dates of your objectives
• Collaborate online
• Stay connected with your team everywhere, all the time
• Centralize all your work information on a single platform
• Easily find the information you need

Change your way of Managing

Completed the pyramidal management, this vertical hierarchy where a leader, fearful of all, imposes his directives and his mood. Today, the trend is towards horizontal management, also known as collaborative management.

Already in vogue in 2016, this new way of managing its team, even its company, continues to impose itself as a great managerial innovation for 2018.

Your role as project leader? He is evolving. You are no longer really a manager, but rather an attendant, a facilitator and an information manager. You gather and share information with your employees, you put yourself at the service of your team, and you encourage and facilitate initiatives and serve as referral. You become the inspiration and motivation of your team.

The benefits of horizontal management:

• More collaboration
• More flexible organization
• A more autonomous team
• Great adaptability.

This new management comes out of the context of project management to develop in small and large companies.

To conclude, the trend of 2018 is to collaborate: collaboration with the client, use of collaborative project management software for clear and effective communication and collaborative management of the project team.

As you will understand, to be efficient and to reach your objectives, avoiding as much as possible the losses of time and money, follow the trends and bet on the collaborative aspect. It’s your turn! So horizontal management is what? It favors an autonomous and flexible organization that facilitates initiatives. This involves directly involving the members of your project team in the decision-making process. A real revolution!

Thus involved, they will be more productive and their capacity to innovate will develop more. If you want your team members to be creative, overflowing with ideas and being props do not lock them in boxes and let them have some freedom.