project management jobs

project management jobs

The Evolution of Project Management Jobs: Trends and Future Perspectives

1. Introduction to Project Management

Today, some organizations, such as many large civil engineering contracting companies and aerospace companies, are still project-oriented. However, many organizations in the Western world are moving away from a mass production and assembly line mode of operation towards delivering unique products and services. These projects could be change projects where a new product or service is delivered (e.g. Research and Development (R&D) projects in a commercial or other R&D organization) or they could be replacement projects (e.g. major maintenance or overhaul on a train, plane, or ship). The projects largely involve design, make, and deliver tasks with professional inputs such as architectural, civil or structural engineering, mechanical or electrical engineering. In R&D projects, the organization attempts to make and deliver the expected business benefit within an agreed resource and time constraint. These project organizations historically employed a small number of people to handle the administrative tasks of multiple projects.

Project management has been the fastest growing occupation in the United States, according to the United States Department of Labor. In more and more organizations, projects gain strategic importance. They can achieve strategic objectives and carry business impact, either negatively or positively. However, few researchers have focused on the trend and evolution of project management jobs and the skills that will be needed in the future. Therefore, we will focus on investigating project management job trends and discuss the evolution of project management discipline and its jobs. Then, we will explore the different categories of project management jobs and their evolution and propose a general project manager job hierarchy. Finally, we will give practical guidelines for practitioners and propose future study directions concerning project management job trends.

2. Current Trends in Project Management Jobs

The way of working has not only changed due to technology, it has also been impacted by workforce trends. Several trends are emerging in the global project environment and the project management job roles carried out within this environment. The Global Workforce Index that was carried out amongst 2000 project management professionals across America, EMEA, and APAC during 2014 reported that the importance of project management as a professional discipline in the business environment is growing rapidly due to the need for professionals being able to drive complex work efforts. The study found that the rising demand for project management professionals highlights the increasing importance of the overall profession. The growth of project management is going to continue. This was seconded by PMI in their 2015 study where they discovered that it “seems there is no shortage of opportunities for professionals who are skilled in the science of organizing complex work efforts.” Some of the key global findings from both of these studies have been explained further in the next section, followed by some qualitative results on what is happening currently in the project management job role and why this profession is gaining further prominence.

The project environment of today is vastly different from the traditional model from a few years back. Several changes in the ways of working have been reported as a result of, for example, the fast-changing technology landscape, globalization, and increasing urbanization, which have all played parts in altering the way of conducting business. The direct result of this is that various new ways of working, or indeed roles, have been created to deal with the social, economic, or political shifts, and project management is no different in this.

3. Skills and Qualifications for Project Management Roles

In today’s management, the project management work offers diverse opportunities across all sectors, industries, services, and organizations. As a result, many routes of work and development have been raised. The hierarchical growth model, still a rule in large matrix organizations, is named but one, following the military ranks’ career analogy. The consultant body, on the other hand, satisfies, at certain fixed time-points, a preference for intellectual know-how development. However, both of these career prospects are now blurring into new multifaceted and sophisticated shapes. This paper is focused on the nature of professional jobs in the project management field.

In this professional space, project management is presented as a unique field providing a valuable opportunity for fulfilling challenging roles. At its very roots, modern megaprojects management has its beginnings in the “engineering approach”, offering a unique environment for managers in different areas. However, over the years, response to demand in complex projects, mainly, has led to an extension of boundaries and scope, reflecting the management and organization exigencies.

4. Emerging Technologies Impacting Project Management Jobs

One of the major concerns in recent years for project managers is the fear of losing their jobs due to technology and business model change, and in some cases, many of their day-to-day activities being automated out of existence. However, rather than pessimism, the potential technological change also presents new opportunities for project managers who are familiar with how these technologies work and often come with positive employment growth potential. Organizations and project managers that recognize the potential for applications and positive impacts of these emerging technologies—beyond automation alone—will be best placed to realize this growth.

Next, we examine the major technologies that are expected to further impact project management jobs, including: automation and robotics, artificial intelligence, AI and machine learning, big data and analytics, connected (and smart) project technologies and sensors, the sharing and freelance economy, quantum computing, next generation biotechnology and nanotechnology, digital security, and blockchain and encrypted platforms.

5. Future Outlook and Opportunities in Project Management Careers

In addition to the need for general project management knowledge, PMI’s leadership of the academic, business and professional community supporting project management has developed a well-regarded Project Management Professional certification program, which includes a four-hour examination containing multiple-choice questions and a professional practice validation in which candidates demonstrate their understanding and application of rational project management knowledge, skills, and tasks on real-world workplace projects. Articles on project management often emphasize the importance of project management skills and knowledge to many business functions, among which are information technology functions. Using the National Skill Standards Board’s definition of occupational parameters, the direct hiring requirements and process enabled defining the occupational requirements of project managers in the strategically focused industry sectors of banking and finance, healthcare, information technology, and construction. These requirements were used to review and modify, as deemed needed, a standard existing set of project management standards created by a project which involved several states, PMI and its southern Nevada chapter, and Skills USA-VICA/Future Business Leaders of America. Development of task-related outcome performances fulfilled requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Results showed that the functions of project managers in the four chosen industries consisted of 94 common performance tasks for following the successful project management process group integration. Findings supported previous research results that have been used at the national and international levels.

Projects can generate a high demand either for project manager skills or for project teams, especially in developed economies. The Project Management Institute’s survey of top industries for project management adaptation of skills shows that “industries that already demand significant project management skills and exhibit strong projected employment growth, combined with strong pipelines of potential talent, are well-positioned for continued project management market adaptation.” The same report notes, “project management requirements for workforce talent are not following typical job market trends.” A shortage of project managers already exists in many industry sectors, particularly in certain geographic regions. The increased use of project management in industries such as information technology, construction, oil, mining, pharmaceuticals, financial services, aerospace, biotech and others is well-documented. In addition, the rates of job expansion in all of these field representative occupations (for which project management skills are important or should be important) are projected to be greater than the average rate of growth for the respective sectors.