The Future of Project Management: Globalize, Commoditize, Professionalize

Rob Saxon is a Project Management Professional, Certified Information Systems Auditor and a trained Six Sigma Specialist. Rob is currently developing methods to integrate project management into previously unexplored areas of business.

  Career Development   Communications Management   Strategy  

As we settle into the new year, it’s a great time to reflect on our successes. As project managers, we have helped organizations and individuals achieve their goals. We should be proud of our achievements, and we should celebrate with our colleagues and clients.

The new year is also a good time to look ahead, and try to understand what the future holds for our profession. What will project management look like this year? Five years from now? A decade? No one can know with certainty where our profession is headed. Like a project schedule, the future of project management is subject to change and contingency. There are trends, however, that we can look to and get a better understanding of the future.

Our profession is rapidly expanding beyond the borders of the United States and Europe. The economies of countries like India and China are growing at a breakneck pace, and we can expect that project management job opportunities in those countries will grow as well. Companies are investing in standardizing processes and reducing costs. As a result, we are continuing to see aspects of project management become the target of cost rationalization and cost reduction.

I also expect we will see further advancements and promising developments in the science and art of project management. In short, I expect the trends of globalization, commoditization and …

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