The Changing DNA Of Project Teams In The Project Led Economy

Twenty years ago projects had more time, a dedicated team with members possessing specialist skills, and expectations were set in the beginning of the projects. Projects were designed at their onset and followed a predetermined path to their conclusion. Technology and shifting consumer demands have upended the business world, project requirements now change midway and its progress unravels new possibilities which demand innovative and agile approaches to bring it to its best shape and result.

In the current business environment of fast paced technological change, shifting customer demands and socioeconomic volatility, sticking to status quo can be a risk. Organizations need to understand that changes can happen as the project progresses. In the project economy projects are the driving force behind how work is done. Complex projects involve a large team and project life cycles are shorter now, according to Project Management Institute’s (PMI) report, 6.1 is the average number of teams project professionals have worked on in the prior 12 months.

Multidisciplinary team members

This necessitates a change in how teams function, project members need to be adept in multiple disciplines, busting down the boundaries and sharing the responsibilities. “Ten or 20 years ago, products had more time. Now, we need to deliver projects in months, not years, and we have to deliver more quickly and more efficiently,” says Susana Molina, PMP, CIO, Veolia Ecuador. “We work in small squads made up of integrated, multidisciplinary team members to provide solutions.” These multidisciplinary team members can pivot when requirements are revised midway.

In complex projects half of all project professionals are involved in cross-functional project-based work, PMI research reveals.

Shifting of roles

Technological changes and the change in nature and scope of projects have created a shortage of talent, 15 percent of 2020 Pulse respondents say lack of talent with the right skill sets was the single most important factor responsible for project failure at their organization. This talent shortage requires a shifting of roles and titles.

“Redefining descriptions for titles like project manager, assistant project manager and project leader may help some people move around the organization and help us manage talent by plugging resource gaps,” says David Marsh, PhD, director, UK Ministry of Defence, London, England.

As per the PMI report, less than a third of project team members have traditional project manager titles. 1 in 3 team members are considered to be subject matter experts, regardless of the project complexity level

Collaborative leadership

Leadership skills are far more important than the traditional ones, every manager or leader is required to have a coach’s attitude and skills. Empathy, communication and emotional intelligence are also frequently mentioned by project professionals as essential team skills, according to PMI research. In a virtual team scattered over different locations misunderstandings or miscommunication between team members can fester into resentment or anger if left unaddressed, this is when the power skills play important roles.

Agile, Collaborative, and Customer Oriented Team

Agility here not only refers to project methodology but also the agility of the teams to pivot related skill sets and stay flexible and collaborative, ready for any change. Emotional intelligence and strong communication are key to remain collaborative and inspire each other. The idea of an all-knowing, top-down leadership is fading fast. The onus is on project leaders to build team trust and forge a collaborative pact.

Teams need to keep the user’s needs in mind from the very start. Making consumer feedback the backbone of planning and execution will help teams stay on track to deliver meaningful value.

The paradigm shift is real: Projects are now primary to how organizations solve problems. And teams must be strategically structured to respond to that change.

The nature of a project team in a disruptive economy needs to forge a new structure and internal dynamics. The traditional design of teamwork has success limitations to only certain requirements. Projects are growing in complexity and requirements are constantly changing, the project methodology and team needs a restructuring for success and retain the competitive edge in the constantly evolving tech-driven economy of today.

Upskilling for the new age techniques and work methodology – continuous education

In the last few years, technologies and project success mantras have seen drastic changes, shifting roles and redefining responsibilities may cover a tiny skill gap, but it’s not sufficient or even significant to overcome the enormous shortage. This calls for a massive upskilling and continuous education within the teams, particularly driven by agile mindset. Training and certification programs like PMI-PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, and PMI-PBA are based on continuously evolving curricula and tools, these trainings empower professionals and leaders in solving a wide range of problems, inherent or unprecedented in a project.

Cambridge Education has been a part of the professional training and continuous education since 1987. As a ‘Recognized Education Provider’ of PMI courses and an end-to-end certification solutions provider, we understand the value of continuous learning and how it can change the face of a business, and how vital it is for an individual to upskill to remain competitive.

Cambridge Education provides online training in the form of instructor-led live classes and self-paced video courses in all of the PMI certifications. Our world class training with state-of-the-art learning methodology helps learners succeed in their first attempt and retain the gained knowledge and skill sets for lifetime. We have trained over 40,000 professionals and earned the trust of the world’s finest project managers.