I was a project manager when Bill Gates was still studying Basic at Harvard University.  I watched the birth of Agile and the adoption of Hybrid.   I’ve managed multi-million dollar projects and also founded a project management software company; yes the one you are reading its blog post.  In other words, I know a thing or two about project management. Has project management role changed?   

In the obvious ways: we have more technologies and methodologies than ever before.   This article explores how the actual role of the project manager is evolving and how project managers can adapt to this new environment.

Let’s start with the structure of the workforce.   Today, as many as 45% of US employees work from home, a significant increase from a decade earlier.   Driven by the ubiquity of the uninterrupted high-speed internet and online collaboration tools, telecommuting is the new normal.   

Changes in the project management role:

How does this affect the project management role and the role of the project manager? Today a project team can be distributed across multiple time zones and geographies. Managing a virtual team comprised of individuals from different cultural backgrounds presents a unique challenge.   

Deadlines in one culture are strictly enforced, in another, they are simply nice-to-haves.  Today’s project manager requires the Emotional Intelligence and the experience to influence, empower and mentor team member without the benefit of face-to-face meetings.   

Project management role has become more strategic in nature.   To some extent, the proliferation of online project management software has reduced some of the more mundane task associated with project management and tracking project’s progress.   

With transparent workflows, individual team members can update the status of their tasks, identify potential risks and collaborate directly with team members.  

This causes the team members to assume more responsibility. This, in turn, causes the role of the Project Manager and the Product Manager to morph into one job.   The project manager is expected to have more knowledge of the technology used in the project than ever before.

Perhaps the biggest change is the types of responsibilities that fall under the umbrella of project management.   Today’s project manager is often expected to have financial responsibility for a project and to own the P&L.   

At the same time, his or her skill set is expected to be more technical.   What is more important – PMI certification, MBA or real-world project experience?   

At this point, it seems that MBA’s are less in demand for project management roles even though strong management skills and financial acumen are more important than ever.

Now let’s look at how Project Managers need to adapt to the evolving nature of the field.  

First, project managers need to embrace technology that democratizes project teams. Project oversight is still important, but some of the day to day project management roles are now in the hands of the team.   Ultimately, that’s a good thing.   

Agile is no longer a project management methodology.  Today Agile is a mindset of how to bring products to market in a more flexible and cost-effective way.  Agile is also permanent.     

At the same time, the Waterfall methodology still has its place and should not be overlooked.   Perhaps one of the most significant trends that I have seen is the emergence of the Hybrid methodology that combines both Agile and WBS. Hybrid brings together the thoroughness of WBS with fast response and reaction time of Agile.

How do you see the Project Management role changing? Do you think today’s project managers have more or less responsibility managing projects?

Do project managers need technical expertise on the field they are working on?  I love to hear from our readers. Please feel free to leave us a comment below.