Transforming Project Delivery Through Collaboration: The TfL Story

Discover how TfL unified its project professionals and raised delivery standards with the support of APM. 

Transport for London manages some of the UK's most complex infrastructure projects. Before joining APM as a corporate partner, TfL’s project managers operated in isolated pockets. Now, they're one unified team with shared standards, transferable skills, and a shared culture of professionalism. 

Elevating project delivery with APM:
The Heathrow story

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports - and delivering infrastructure in a live, 24/7 environment demands precision, consistency and a high-performing project workforce.

In this short case study, discover how APM’s corporate partnership is helping Heathrow bring clarity and structure to their project delivery. From onboarding new talent to setting shared standards, APM plays a vital role in developing the people behind the progress.

Transforming the future of retail:
The Ocado story

Ocado Technology is transforming the future of retail with game-changing innovations in AI, automation and logistics. But behind every breakthrough? A strong project management culture.

Through our Corporate Partnership Programme, we're supporting Ocado’s people — from apprentices to senior leaders — with the tools, qualifications and community to thrive in fast-moving, complex projects.

Engagement work 

We were instrumental in the creation of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Project Delivery in the UK. The APPG will champion project success, extol the value of the project profession, and outline the importance of project skills throughout Westminster and society. 

We have been directly working with C-suite members and business leaders to change the narrative around the project profession. We have undertaken several business leadership campaigns that addresses their commonly held misconceptions and helps them understand how the profession can help address the challenges facing businesses today.  

We launched two new Regional Networks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). These are in addition to APM’s current Regional Networks throughout the UK, Channel Islands and the Greater Bay Area of Hong Kong.  

We have also launched several new Interest Networks this year including Built Environment, International Space Sector, Sustainability and more recently AI & Data Analytics.  

Sales of APM books increased by 16% in 2024/25 compared to the same period in 2023/24. Total orders were up by 20%. The figures show two significant spikes in summer 2024 and spring 2025. This coincides with the launch of the PMQ Learner Study Pack in July and APM Body of Knowledge 8th edition in April. Other notable titles Project Controls in the 21st Century and PRAM 3rd edition have contributed to the uptick in orders.  

APM Conference 

APM Conference 

Our APM Conference was held in CBS Arena, Coventry and it was the first time the conference was held two days to great success, reaching a total of 732 attendees.  

APM Women in Project Management (WiPM) Conference 

The 2024 WiPM conference was another sell out event, with the largest number of attendees ever attending this conference. The theme for this year was ‘Leadership Unpacked’ and there were three streams of sessions dedicated to this.  

APM Project Management Awards 2024 

Held on 18 November, project professionals across the world came to the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge for our APM Project Management Awards. We were proud to award Overall Project of the Year to the Core Valley Lines project – Transport for Wales.  

 

Research 

APM has continued to be at the forefront of ongoing conversations and debates that are shaping the future of project management. Research we published between April 2024 and March 2025 included: 

Projecting for the Future Harmonising Energy and Environment This piece was conducted to provide insights into what the profession sees as the most important future trends that are likely to impact the way project managers practise their profession, to identify what might need to change in our professional practice as we progress.

Improving the early-career experiences of racially diverse project professionals This research explores the early-career experiences of racially and ethnically diverse project professionals in the UK and Australia within the business and construction sectors. It examines the comparative experiences of diverse early-career project professionals, including both women and men from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, when searching for work in both countries.

Caring for employee wellbeing in the rise of modern methods of construction This research examines wellbeing management in project work environments from the perspective of care, focusing on the construction sector and exploring how Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) impact employee wellbeing. While MMC offers opportunities for improved work environments and productivity, it also introduces challenges like fragmentation and job insecurities.

Are we ready for net zero in project management? This piece investigates the preparedness of the project profession for achieving net zero by 2050 through identifying challenges faced by project professionals when planning and delivering current major projects and programmes in the UK.

APM The Golden Thread - A Study of the Contribution of the Project Profession to the Uk's Economy This study provides insights into trends, growth sectors and challenges the profession faces. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the profession's future, reflecting its enduring importance to the UK economy.

 

 

Recognition for the profession 

Dhruv Patel, founder and CEO of Nisai Group, was the latest recipient of our Honorary Fellowship. Dhruv’s work to provide education for children who couldn’t attend traditional schools due medical issues, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), or behavioural issues earned him this award. 

We were also pleased to see that our former Vice President, Dr Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow in Operations Management at Saïd Business School, was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours list. This Honour was awarded to Paul in recognition for services to the project delivery profession. 

 

The profession's impacts 

Our The Golden Thread 2024 research found that the number of people working in Full Time Equivalent (FTE) roles in the project profession across the UK has grown to an estimated 2.32 million, compared with 2.13 million in 2019. The Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy has risen to £186.8bn, increasing by more than £30bn since 2019. 

These figures account for 8.5% of the total UK FTEs and 9.2% of the total UK GVA. Reflecting on the 2019 Golden Thread study, these numbers represent an 8% growth in project management FTEs and a 19% increase in annual project management GVA. 

Our Future Lives and Landscapes campaign was created to bring attention to the social good that projects bring and highlight that their impact goes further than the financial bottom line. Once the campaign had concluded, our research found that, of the 1,000 project professionals we surveyed, 70% said they had heard of Future Lives and Landscapes. Of those, 82% said they are more aware of the social value of projects as a result of the campaign than they were previously and 84% said the campaign has made a difference to the way their organisation approaches projects.