Project management is entering a period of significant change. Artificial intelligence, digitalization, sustainability and new expectations from project professionals are reshaping the way projects are planned, managed and delivered – and the skills needed to lead them successfully.

These changes were at the center of the panel “New Trends in Project Management” at the IPMA World Congress in Hiroshima, bringing together perspectives from industry, education and the next generation of project professionals.

The discussion was moderated by Prof. Dr. Vladimir Obradović, Vice President Finance and Operations, IPMA (Serbia), and featured Dr. Waleed Al-Ali, Secretary-General, The Digital School (UAE); Volker Hild, Vice President Project Excellence, Siemens Energy (Germany); Dr. Kristijan Prebanić, IPMA Young Crew (Croatia); and Anastasia Kotoudi, Shell (Netherlands).

Coming from different professional backgrounds, the speakers explored one central question: what will project management look like in the next five to ten years?

From plan-centric to AI-enabled project management

The traditional foundations of project management – scope, time, quality and budget – remain essential, but the environment in which they are applied is changing rapidly.

Volker Hild pointed to a shift from plan-centric project management towards digitally and AI-enabled decision-making. AI can already support analysis, process large amounts of information and take over some routine activities, giving project professionals more space to focus on judgment, stakeholder alignment, communication and decision-making.

Technology can accelerate processes and provide better access to information, but professional experience remains essential for understanding context and taking responsibility for decisions.

Dr. Waleed Al-Ali approached the same transformation from the perspective of education and access to knowledge. Digital platforms and AI make it possible to bring project management skills to people across different languages and geographies at a scale that would previously have been difficult to achieve.

At the same time, wider access to AI makes AI literacy increasingly important. Knowing how to use an AI tool is not enough. Project professionals need to understand its capabilities and limitations, evaluate the quality of its output and recognize when human judgment must take precedence.

As Al-Ali emphasized, the rise of artificial intelligence needs to be accompanied by continued investment in human intelligence. Accountability ultimately remains with people.

What happens to the next generation of project professionals?

The growing role of AI also creates a challenge for the traditional path from junior to senior professional.

Dr. Kristijan Prebanić brought the perspective of younger project professionals, who are entering organizations with expectations to understand digital tools, sustainability and new ways of working while simultaneously developing practical experience.

Many of the activities traditionally assigned to junior employees – research, preparation, initial analysis and administrative tasks – are also among those increasingly supported or automated by AI.

This raises an important question for organizations: if fewer junior professionals are needed for these tasks, how will future senior professionals gain the experience required to develop sound professional judgment?

On-the-job learning has always been a major part of professional development. AI therefore changes more than individual tasks – it may also change how organizations need to approach mentoring, training and career development.

There is another challenge. Experienced professionals can assess AI-generated information against years of accumulated knowledge. Someone at the beginning of a career may not yet have the same ability to recognize inaccurate information, weak assumptions or fabricated results.

AI literacy therefore needs to develop alongside professional expertise, rather than replace it.

New tools, strong fundamentals

Anastasia Kotoudi brought another important dimension to the conversation: in an environment dominated by rapidly changing trends, project professionals still need to distinguish between useful new tools and the fundamentals that remain relevant over time.

This is particularly visible in sectors such as energy, construction and infrastructure. Digital tools can improve planning and decision-making, but physical realities, safety requirements, permitting processes and proper preparation cannot simply be accelerated or skipped.

The same principle applies to project management knowledge.

As AI becomes capable of generating schedules, analyzing data and supporting decisions, understanding planning, critical paths and project structures remains essential. Project professionals need this knowledge precisely because they must be able to assess whether an AI-generated recommendation makes sense in a real project environment.

AI can provide an answer. Professional competence determines whether that answer should be trusted, challenged or adapted.

At the same time, project environments are becoming less predictable. Long-term strategic direction increasingly needs to coexist with shorter and more flexible implementation cycles, allowing organizations to adjust as conditions change without losing sight of their broader objectives.

Rethinking project management education

These changes have direct implications for education and professional development.

Young professionals are expected to enter the workplace with an increasingly broad set of competencies. Alongside established project management knowledge, they need to understand AI, digitalization and sustainability, while also developing critical thinking, systems thinking and the ability to work effectively with people.

For younger generations, AI may soon become less of a separate competence and more of a normal part of the professional environment. The real differentiator will be knowing how to use it critically and responsibly.

Universities, professional associations and companies will therefore need to create stronger connections between knowledge and practice. Practical experience, mentoring and continuous professional development will become increasingly important as both technology and workplace expectations evolve.

The future of project management will not be defined by technology alone. AI will change how many tasks are performed, but projects will continue to depend on people who can understand context, manage complexity, work with stakeholders and take responsibility for decisions.

The challenge ahead is to combine the speed and capabilities of artificial intelligence with the experience, critical thinking and judgment of human intelligence.