Top Trends In Project Management To Follow In 2022

We’ve seen many project management trends come to life this year.

2022 is the year when technology has started to revolutionize project management with innovative software. According to G2, now:

• 77% of high-performing projects use project management software, and
• 88% of high-performing companies use project management software

Apart from project management software, another trend we’ve seen launch in 2018 and thrive in 2019 is a growing emphasis on soft skills for all project management team members. This trend enabled project management teams all around the world to perform tasks with equal capacity, as a result, delivering consistent results.

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As 2019 is coming to an end, what is ahead for project management in 2022?

Will we see the trends that are already familiar to us develop and thrive next year as well?

Or will they be disrupted by something entirely different?

Let’s take a look.

1. The Growing Impact of AI

Agile project management is among the top trends today and will remain that way in 2022.

The biggest tendency that impact and will continue to influence project management is Artificial Intelligence.

The impact of AI on project management is already very distinct. Among the current applications of AI, the most notable are:

• Knowledge-based expert systems (KBES) — this is a feature that exists thanks to machine learning and enables computers to solve complex problems by using a knowledge base. Project managers can edit these systems, adding their experiential knowledge to solve more problems.
• ANNs (Artificial Neural Networks) — systems, inspired by biological neural networks, and serve to perform tasks by learning from examples. Together with KBES, ANNs help automate project management.
• Fuzzy Logic — based on true or false logic, this AI-powered feature helps shape project management by prioritizing and structuring tasks.

All three features are aimed at estimating and reducing risks in project management, which will be a growing trend in 2022. Companies are expected to invest more in AI-based project management software to identify and capture risks and estimate their impact on the KPIs.

Another trend shaped by AI for 2022 is resource management. Artificial Intelligence is expected not only to automate the use of resources in project management but also automate many tasks, which will cut the workforce.

According to the report by Gartner, 80% of today’s project management tasks will be automated, as AI will take over the basic project management tasks, such as:

• data collection
• tracking
• delivering reports on the achieved KPIs

This all will be possible due to the technological advancements in project management software, which will seamlessly automate the basic tasks and deliver precise results.

2. Increased Interest in Cybersecurity

Cyberattacks are not an elusive threat anymore. Over the past few years, we’ve seen many companies and organizations, both governmental and nongovernmental, lose precious data and millions of dollars because of cyberattacks.

Thus, more attention to cybersecurity has already become one of the most important trends, and project management is not an exception.

When discussing project management trends in 2022, we’ve talked about the measures that are taken in project management to enhance security, mainly, the Internet of Things. This trend has already changed the project management role itself and how project management software functions.

While the Internet of Things is expected to ensure security, this system is still very weak. The Internet of Things has raised many security concerns, which, in their turn, have shaped one of the main trends in general and in project management in particular — increasing IoT security.

Today, we can already see the measures that have already been taken to enhance IoT security in project management, in particular, strong authentication, better encryption protocols, and better security updates.

Next year, however, we expect to see the impact of cryptosystems and the rise of blockchain to increase cybersecurity in project management. These exciting changes are expected to shape cybersecurity in project management for the years to come.

3. Growing Attention to Method Melding

Artificial Intelligence and the rising impact of blockchain aren’t the only methodologies that are expected to define project management in the upcoming year.

Over the past year, we’ve seen the rising impact of Kanban, the lean methodology originating from Toyota, aimed at managing projects by balancing the demands with available capacity.

Inspired by Kanban, we at ProofHub created our Kanban board to help project managers:

• assign tasks to managers according to their list of responsibilities
• break tasks into smaller assignments to match the skills of each manager working on the task
• set track time to eliminate the most widespread issues according to Kanban methodology (i.e. wastes), which are waiting and over-processing

Combining the AI, IoT, and using Kanban methodology to keep everything going is called method melding.

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What’s in store for you next year?

As more and more methodologies get introduced to project management, you, as a manager should seek opportunities to gain new knowledge to learn how to tackle these methodologies.

Apart from learning about the rise and the impact of new methodologies, you should always pay attention to new scheduling and workflow tools.

Method melding is all about switching between approaches to ensure flexibility in project management. Because technology develops so fast and the demands of the clients are growing, you should be able to incorporate proper methods to balance these demands with your capacity.

4. UX Becomes Integral

Today, we’re witnessing the growing impact of UX on many spheres, including project management. It seems like every business out there is hooked on delivering the best user experience in the fight or customer loyalty.

Nevertheless, Design Advisor reports that only 55% of companies are currently devoted to conducting proper user experience testing and creating user-friendly designs.

UX is not just a part of product development. To deliver a seamless user experience, UX should become integral for every team working on developing a product, including project management.

That’s why UX will remain one of the defining trends in project management in 2022, with the main emphasis on the following activities:

• stakeholder reviews — interviews with people who invest in the project to better understand their demands and expectations that later will be implemented in project management
• usability reviews — aimed at determining the issues that negatively impact user experience
• identifying buyer personas — to make better decisions in favor of the needs and demands of the target audience

Attention to UX in project management also increases because more and more companies see its great potential to reduce risks. “Our recent UX research shows that usability testing — one of the influencing factors to improve user experience — can be used in project management to identify preliminary risks,’’ says Claire Johnson, a researcher at GrabMyEssay. Prototyping and Wireframing also have the same goal.

Together, these UX-related activities present more methods for project managers to identify and tackle risks, and estimate their impact on project KPIs.

5. Increased Impact of Gig Economy

The future of project management is in the hands of remote teams. Project management teams are expected to become more and more diverse, but the main emphasis next year will be made on hiring more and more freelancers.

Today, we already can see a significant impact of freelancing on the U.S. workforce. Currently, about 36% of U.S. workers are involved in the gig economy, and in 2018 American freelancers contributed over $1 trillion to the U.S. economy.

How does this trend impact project management?

In 2018 McKinsey found 162 million freelancers from Europe, who were engaged in some kinds of independent work. Out of this number, 72 million were engaged with different remote project management jobs, either working as part-time freelancers or free agents.

The number of freelancers working in project management across the globe is expected to grow in the upcoming years. Thus, in 2022, we expect to see the growing demand for outsourcing jobs to freelancers.

Why companies will get more interested in remote project management teams?

• More room for flexibility. In-house project managers have time constraints and can only do their job while in the office. Remote project management teams can more easily adjust to bottlenecks and urgent issues, as they have a flexible schedule.
• Fewer expenses. By hiring a remote project management team, you get rid of the expenses on equipment. And, in general, the rates of freelance project managers are significantly lower. You can find an experienced freelance project manager on Upwork with an hourly wage of $40, while the median hourly wage for an in-office project manager is at least $65.
• Better productivity. Because freelance project managers have a more flexible schedule, they perform their tasks more efficiently since they are working at their own pace.

A great argument for hiring the team of remote project managers is that they bring a new and fresh perspective to your company. You bring together a diverse team, who will bring multiple solutions to one issue.

As outsourcing becomes more and more popular in project management, it will remain a strong trend in 2022 and years to come since companies look for more diversity and flexibility.

Looking Forward to 2022!

This year we’ve already seen the changes brought to project management by AI and UX. More and more companies have started using project management software, although it remains an emerging trend.

Next year we’re looking forward to the existing trends gaining even more momentum, as we’re introduced to new technologies and methodologists that start shaping the future of project management.

Our demands for these trends remain the same: more opportunities for automation, client orientation, and flexibility — everything that can make project management more innovative.

What are your expectations for project management in 2022?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Author Bio: Angela Baker is a self-driven specialist, currently working as a freelance writer and content contributor at Studicus. She’s passionate about technology and innovation and is always excited to share her exciting findings with her readers.