A Fresh Take: A New Generation Is Remaking Project Management

  Governance   PM Network  

Ah, youth, a time of optimism and hope for the future—unless you’re one of the current crop of up-and-comers forced to contend with the most brutal economic environment in recent history.

But many young project managers have geared up to face this brand-new world. In a chaotic climate full of new demands, they’re arming themselves with an upgraded skill set, willing to tackle an array of multifaceted roles.

“The next generation will face a scenario of huge competitiveness, big speed changes, new technologies and fewer barriers,” says Ernani Marques da Silva, PMP, PgMP, who works in the project management office at Citibank, São Paulo, Brazil.

Not all of them followed the typical track into the profession, but younger project managers are learning to leverage their diverse backgrounds in surprising ways.

Once an aspiring writer and journalist, Annabelle Osgood studied literature in England before jetting off to Turkey and Spain to teach. But it was her first permanent position at a publishing house back in London that took her down a different path.

“I quickly realized that a routine job in publishing was not for me,” says Ms. Osgood, 34. “I thrived on new challenges, fast-paced decisionmaking, variety and change.”

For her, that meant shifting gears and going into project management— …

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