The demand for project management in companies continues to grow. This is the result of the current pma member survey. But how do companies react to it? Which PM topics and trends do the surveyed industry experts* and pma members consider to be particularly relevant for the future?

Potentials of virtual and intercultural teams
More than 60% of the respondents considered the growing complexity of projects, the availability and use of resources (keyword “appropriate payment”) as the greatest challenge. Around half of the respondents also felt that digitization will further change the job profile of project managers* and increase the number of jobs in PM.
When asked which topics and trends will influence the project management business in the future, the participants mainly mentioned “application of agile methods in addition to classic PM methods”, “artificial intelligence”, “digitalization”, “permanent change”, “even higher speed” as well as “cost pressure” and “globalization”. With regard to cooperation in teams, new potentials are seen in virtual or intercultural teams. The influence of New Work on the project management business was also defined as a future trend.

Project Management Career Path

More than half of the respondents stated that special career paths for project managers* already existed in their company. The topic “resources” was generally cited as the reason for a lack of a career path. However, “ignorance and lack of awareness of PM on the part of management” and a small company size would also play a role, whether companies have established their own career path for project management or want to introduce one in the future. Furthermore, the necessity for this – according to the assumption of the interviewed pma members – would not be seen at present in companies with very flat hierarchies or those that focus on product management.
Overall, the need for project management in one’s own company would increase in the future – more than 50% of the survey participants* expect this development. In order to further promote PM professionalization – according to the feedback – companies would therefore increasingly use training courses in this area or – if necessary – employ certified, external project managers.

pma/IPMA® Certification as a chance
More than 60% of the corporate pma members stated that certification is taken into account when hiring project managers. A pma/IPMA® certification was mentioned as an opportunity in a personal and professional context, which was also associated with “positive, personal experience”. If the company’s internal PM-Guideline is based on the pma/IPMA ® standard, the proof of qualification and competence in this field is a further incentive for certification, as the survey showed.
As advantages of the internationally recognized pma/IPMA® certification, the participants of the pma member survey saw, in particular, the “proof of a broad understanding of the methods and their applications”, the factors “high-quality standard”, “practical relevance”, “focus on social competences compared to other standards” as well as the “high level of awareness of the pma/IPMA® certification in the D-A-CH region.
Finally, another positive outlook: Altogether, about 40% of the interviewed pma members (personal and corporate/subsidizing members) stated that they feel very well prepared for the professional challenges of the next ten years. pma sees itself as a lobbying organization and thus sees its commitment confirmed.

About the pma member survey
The survey was addressed to pma members and employees of pma member companies who had the opportunity to anonymously – in the period from July to the end of September – communicate important trends and concerns of the industry to pma.

written by: Natascha Batic

At pma Natascha Batic is responsible for Communication & Special Projects. After studying communication sciences in Vienna and in the USA, she also worked as a freelance author for the editorial staff of the UNESCO Courier in Paris. As a guest lecturer at the FH-St. Pölten Natascha Batic gave intercultural trainings for students of media management. She has many years of corporate experience in the field of stakeholder relations and works in the field of communication psychology (Friedemann Schulz von Thun).