Project Management in 2025
What is the future of project management? What changes can we expect
and how should we plan for growth? Editors David I. Cleland (PhD, PMI Fellow), Bopaya Bidanda (PhD) and 39 experts from around the world share their insights in a new book entitled Project Management Circa 2025.
For decades, humans have pushed the boundaries of space exploration. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has sent more than 120 missions into space. Twelve astronauts have walked on the moon. And Voyager 1, launched three decades ago, continues to explore deeper and deeper into space.
And project management helped make all that happen.
“What we do is very complex and if we didn’t have methodical ways to control the work, we would not achieve objectives,” says Dorothy Tiffany, PMP, a 30-year aerospace industry veteran and program executive for NASA, as well as a facilitator at Boston University.
A space exploration project might have more than 1,000 activities going on. Making sure they’re all completed on time and on budget takes the right order, the right time and the right resources.
Project management is the only way you can do that, says Tiffany, who also authored the chapter “New Frontiers in Space Exploration Project Management” in the new book Project Management Circa 2025. But the processes and tools used must continue to evolve. And that , Tiffany says, will advance the way we explore the “final frontier.”
Here are a few of her predictions for future of the space industry:
More Virtual Project Management: Advanced communication technology will continue to drive the rise of virtual teams. Virtual teams offer greater flexibility. And they allow organizations to hire based on who’s best for the job, not who lives in the area.
Better Risk Management: Cutting-edge tools will help team members simulate outcomes for problematic situations. And they’ll be able to consider cost, schedule and risk impact at the same time. What will these tools look like? Tiffany points to the current software technology like the Wii Fit. In the book, she writes that the genius behind such games consoles will be adapted into project management simulation development tools. These tools will help project managers become more agile. When a problem arises, a technological solution will be able to interpret a project team’s actions and then offer tips on how to resolve the problem. “Instead of the project manager needing to go find help, the help will come to them,” she says.
More Customer Involvement: The customer—government agencies, educational institutions, etc.—won’t be just providing funding. Instead, customers will provide input on decisions like product design and problem resolution. It may take time, however, for the project manager and customer to get used to working closely together. “Project managers are not going to want to give up control,” she says. “But it will be a more efficient way of handling things.” Tiffany has seen the payoff of listening to the customer’s unique perspective.
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