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Organisational agility key to driving project success
Project management is a changing industry. What should project managers and businesses be aware of if they want to be successful?
What are the new trends in project management?
The world of project management is constantly on the move. Whether we are talking about new technology or changing responsibilities, it is vital for project managers to be aware of what is happening in this busy industry.
With this in mind, the Project Management Institute (PMI) has released its latest in-depth report titled "Capturing the Value of Project Management Through Organizational Agility". Reflecting the thoughts of close to 1,400 senior project leaders and management professionals, the document outlines the role of agility and how it can be used to ensure projects finish quicker and more efficiently.
How to create an agile culture?
Moving into an agile culture from the more traditional waterfall framework is relatively simple, but businesses must be committed to analysing their cultures and operations.
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Agility allows a company to react quickly to internal logistical changes and unforeseen shifts in the marketplace.
"Agility allows a company to react quickly to internal logistical changes and unforeseen shifts in the marketplace," PMI President and CEO Mark A. Langley explained in a September 15 media statement.
"It's a critical competency for any organisation whose core business is affected by the variability and volatility of evolving technologies and economies."
According to the report, agile organisations are better collaborators in the market, better communicators and more effective at managing risks and engagement levels.
PMI outlined six foundational practices that enable business leaders to establish agile cultures:
- Eliminate organisational silos
- Listen to the customer voice
- Reduce review cycles
- Adjust to opportunities
- Focus capabilities to create strategies
- Embrace change management possibilities
Growth of agile project management
There is no doubt that project managers must always be looking at the industry to adjust their skill sets and methodologies. With this in mind, a report released earlier this year by VersionOne has further confirmed the rise of agile.
Polling close to 4,000 agile practitioners, the main reason survey participants adopted agile practices was to expedite product delivery - cited by 59 per cent of respondents. Managing changing priorities also recorded a strong result, attracting 56 per cent of project managers.
However, for all the benefits of agile, many businesses are still struggling to adopt agile approaches. As PMI highlighted, issues such as experience, company culture and cultural transition are all playing a critical role in slowing the growth of agile.
Agile projects are more likely to succeed. As such, if your business is looking for a candidate with the skills and experience to take you to the next level, get in contact with Ethos today.
Ethos Corporation is an Australian-owned Executive Recruitment Consultancy specialising in the $120k - $400k candidate market.
By Matthew Bown