PSA PPM and Work Management news from the week beginning 23rd January 2023

This week there was not much in the way of press releases, but Forecast and Easyproject both decided to publish their predictions for Project Management in 2023. Their predictions were similar. Kantata has published a whitepaper by Enterprise Times that looks at the gap between professional services firms’ front and back offices.

Smartsheet published the first annual Future of Work Management 2023 report. It examines how work is managed and notes the rise of the citizen project manager.

Forecast

Predictions are back. Despite being in late January, the Forecast team made 7 project manager predictions for the coming year. The seven are:

1. The continued rise of AI and automation
2. Shift to hybrid project methodologies approaches
3. PSA tools will be used for optimized resource management
4. Growing focus on data and analytics
5. The rise in remote, flexible and digital-only teams
6. Putting people front and centre with an emphasis on empathy, trust, and other soft skills, such as emotional intelligence
7. Shifting roles for PMs and PMOs towards business strategy advice

Easyproject

Adéla Sýkorová, Project & Marketing Manager Easy Software, wrote a blog sharing seven project management predictions. Her seven were:

1. Managing Fully Remote Teams
2. Hybrid Approach to Project Management methodology
3. Advanced Project Management Solutions
4. Optimization and Productivity, introducing smaller, more effective teams
5. Introducing more Artificial Intelligence and Automation
6. Project Management Office Changes towards strategic planning
7. An increasing emphasis on soft skills and EQ

Talking about the methodology, Jan Pavera, Product Owner, Easy Software, commented, “In Easy Software, we combine methods, for example, in the development of our website. Since we work with an external software agency that works agile and has the characteristics of a scrum team, but is also constrained by a monthly budget and SLA contract, we have found a way to work with milestones and a schedule, but still respond in an agile way.

“We set a list of requests every month that have an estimation of working hours, and then at the weekly review, we adjust the plan and priorities based on the deliverables. So ultimately we deliver the most valuable improvements for that month while sticking to the resources.”