The pandemic has accelerated many trends and created a landscape that is likely to continue looking new and different in the coming years. For instance, post-COVID-19 workplace returns are likely to include:
So if this landscape is where we're headed, how can project management evolve to address these challenges? The modern trends in project management mean that every company will be evolving, bringing each manager along with them.
Given the many changes ahead for professional service businesses, making project managers feel empowered and capable is a huge part of being able to deliver the excellent results that clients now expect.
In many cases, remote workers have discovered that remote work is actually better for their productivity and their work-life balance. Therefore companies that want to retain workers will most likely choose to keep this option open.
At the same time, in-person office work is the preference for a variety of workers depending on their job description. Project managers need to accommodate both preferences and practice working through these challenges, including:
By acknowledging that this situation is likely part of the new landscape, rather than trying to get an all-remote or all in-person workforce, teams can more effectively address the needs of the future.
This can be great for team members but may prompt project managers to pull out their hair, as they attempt to track who is coming to the office on which days and how best to reach everyone.
Developing best practices for these new scheduling types is going to be key to staying up-to-date on the modern trends in project management.
Everything from creating a signature that mentions your in-person days in an email to updating your schedule in your scheduling portal so that the project manager has up-to-date info will be key.
In the past, project managers may have been focused on only, for instance, email communication. It may be time for those project managers to explore other options.
Now that so many people have become proficient in instant messaging platforms, client portal sites, project management task boards, and more, your project managers should be the top resource on thriving on these platforms, not just surviving on them.
If, during the pandemic, project managers have been playing catch-up on how to use the tech solutions that made remote work possible, now is the time to get them the formal training they need so that they can be the go-to resource on using those platforms.
With so many companies experiencing accelerated growth during the pandemic despite all the year's challenges, it feels like the competitive landscape for fast delivery and excellent results is more intense than ever.
Project managers now have a variety of tools other than an in-person, all-hands meeting to handle challenges and address concerns. In some industries, clients are going to be more reluctant to pay for all the billable hours of a major meeting when a couple more strategic video or phone calls could have done the job.
With any given project, project managers will benefit from figuring out whether a lot of face-time will benefit the project versus a lean endeavor where emails and approval messages could get the job done without a lot of synchronous communication.
As project managers start working in this hybrid, post-COVID-lockdown world, they will be drawing on best practices that emerged out of the far-from-perfect efforts to go remote quickly in 2020.
While there have clearly been communication issues in some companies in the past 18 months, there have also been companies who managed to innovate further because they turned to reliable software that helped them manage remote workers.
The same high-quality project management software solutions — such as Accelo's Client Work Management Platform — can keep your team on track as you split time between home and office.
Your project managers can rely on the platform to save them time while giving them a solid record of where everyone is, how projects are progressing, and what kinds of pivots and changes are needed.
Accelo's platform saves you time by automating the most rote tasks that project managers do, all while giving them and your clients more information than ever before.
With fewer small admin tasks on their plates, your project managers can focus on adapting to the ever-changing needs of the workplace.
Ready to help your project managers to systematize all they've learned from one of the strangest years of work in recent memory? Try a free trial of Accelo and see how its helpful data and interfaces can keep everyone on the same page.
