Preparing projects for the future
Most project professionals say the UK’s economic challenges have directly impacted the project they’re currently working on, according to survey data from Association for Project Management (APM).
In partnership with APM, 1,000 project professionals in the UK were surveyed by research company Censuswide. The survey revealed that 62% of project professionals nationwide say economic issues such as energy prices and inflation are impacting their projects.
Commenting on these findings Professor Eddie Obeng HonFAPM, said: “Project managers have been doing a better and better job of delivering projects over time. But at the same time, the nature of the challenges, the context and complexities of stakeholders involved has become more challenging.
“In an unstable economy, it becomes difficult to understand, predict and decide how best to deliver success.”
Prof Obeng is the keynote speaker at APM’s upcoming Thames Valley Branch conference, which will examine how the combined issues of increasing project complexity in a volatile economic environment will impact how people deliver projects and programmes, and what that means for project professionals now and in the future.
Economic impacts have been particularly profound in the Thames Valley region. In South East England, 72% of project professionals say their work has been affected. In Greater London, 52% say their work has been affected.
The most commonly cited impacts for respondents in Greater London have been around supply chain/procurement issues and funding for projects. In the South East, the most commonly cited impacts have been around changes to planning and projects being accelerated.
With combined economic, social and environmental pressures, it is important to ensure the ongoing delivery of projects and programmes.
Eddie added: “Change is needed as a response to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities. But it is not enough to just to change or deliver. The change we must carve out must be of a specific type, specifically 'improvement' change. Improvement is where projects they ensure that the solutions lead to a better outcome for all stakeholders. Projects must ensure that the process of change itself is appropriate and enjoyable as seen by the stakeholders who participate in it.”
The APM Thames Valley Branch conference takes place on Tuesday 25 April.
Book your place at the conference.
You can read more about APM Thames Valley Branch.
*All figures rounded to the nearest 1 per cent
1 comments
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I think that not all "improvements" are the same and that Eddie's short article misses this point, probably for the sake of brevity. For example, there is improvement in the solution (this is where it is not pre-determined by sponsors, who simply want their solution delivered) and where a focus on benefits management comes in. Then there are improvements in how the project is delivered, chosing the right method for the nature of the task and the skills of the team. And finally, there are improvements in benefits realisation, where we plan for the changes with stakeholders, identify leading indicators of succes and measure these as learning and refinement tools. Improvement is not a single thing and benefits don't just hapen if we only "improve" one aspect.