These Six Global Megatrends Will Reshape Project Professionals’ Path Forward in 2022

By: Michael DePrisco, Interim President & CEO | PMI

When John Naisbitt published his ground-breaking best-seller “Megatrends” in 1982,?The Washington Post?called it “a field guide to the future.” It helped people understand the forces that were shaping their world, but it also helped them think more clearly about how they could navigate those forces going forward.?

The same could be said for?Global Megatrends 2022, PMI’s latest analysis of the business, technological, economic and geopolitical trends affecting society and the project management profession. It too is a “field guide,” helping project professionals understand the trends shaping the world while empowering them, in turn, to influence those forces in the solutions they put forward. Project professionals, after all, will lead the projects and programs required to solve the world’s most complex problems.??

As in previous years, the 2022 report draws on the latest trend research–news reports, industry data and interviews with project professionals around the world. Here are the six trends we identified:?

Digital Disruption?

If there’s one constant in our world, it’s the relentless advancement of digital technology. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend—bringing about the widescale adoption of remote working and the introduction of more digital products and services. The challenge now for project professionals is to incorporate these innovations into our work, while managing issues such as?cybersecurity?and data ethics and ensuring that advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) truly reflect our human values. The organizations that develop mature digital transformation strategies will be best positioned to reap the benefits, including meeting or exceeding the business objectives of their projects.?

Climate Crisis?

The time for action is now. With catastrophic weather events occurring with increased frequency and in all corners of the globe, world leaders have finally recognized the realities of global climate change. Reversing the effects of climate change, however, will require focused effort—not only in cutting greenhouse gas emissions but in removing billions of metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Tackling such a complex challenge will involve all sectors of society—government, business, civil society and especially project professionals, who will need to prioritize incorporating sustainability into every project process. World leaders have made bold commitments to achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century; the challenge now will be in implementing the complex project plans to get us there and quickly scale up deployment of innovative clean energy technologies.?

Demographic Shifts?

The global economy is caught in a demographic vise: declining fertility rates on the one hand and employees aging out of the workforce on the other. These shifts are driving a range of policy and workplace changes—from raising the effective retirement age to redesigning work settings to accommodate older employees. But much more needs to be done, including rethinking work-life issues and revamping recruitment and retention policies to enhance hiring of young people and to support a more age-diverse workforce. Project teams can tap into the unique benefits of a multi-generational workforce, with professionals collaborating across five generations—if they commit to leveraging the unique strengths that come with each stage of life.?

Economic Shifts?

COVID-19 didn’t just create a healthcare crisis; it generated a series of economic disruptions as well. The most serious of these are the supply chain problems that have caused businesses to rethink sourcing and manufacturing policies and governments to reassess global and regional trade frameworks. For project professionals, these disruptions could lead to project waste and delayed timelines. In the meantime, businesses are working feverishly to develop short-term strategies to mitigate supply chain risks and facilitate greater cross-border collaborations. Project professionals will be key to these efforts. PMI?research?also suggests that we’ll see continued growth in project management-oriented employment in the global manufacturing and construction sectors, but training will take time—as will rebuilding domestic supply chains.?

Labor Shortages?

Exacerbating these demographic and economic issues is a significant shortage of labor. Some of these shortages stem from the Great Resignation—the pandemic-related phenomenon of millions of employees worldwide quitting their jobs and seeking new employment opportunities, including project management professionals. But some shortages are structural in nature—particularly the continuing economic marginalization of women, who carry a disproportionate share of?caregiving?responsibilities in society and who have yet to be fully integrated into the workforce. These shortages will only add to challenges in delivering projects that are not only on time and on budget, but also meeting rising government expectations. Governments and businesses need to rethink policies that allow greater employment participation, attract top minds in the global war for talent, and reset the employer-employee contract for the 2020s.?

Civil, Civic and Equality Movements?

Despite recent advances, racial, ethnic, sexual and economic inequality continues to exist around the world. Businesses have stepped up—with many organizations increasing their?diversity, equity and inclusion?(DE&I) programs and appointing chief diversity officers (CDOs). But more work is needed to turn good intentions into practical realities. This will require embedding?DE&I?into every project and function across an organization, creating a culture where diversity of experience and opinion is valued and rewarded and leveraging robust AI tools to recruit diverse talent to project teams.?

Project professionals will be charged with meeting the challenges presented by these global megatrends head on. That means investing not only in technical excellence, but also pursuing new ways of working, pushing the boundaries of?innovation?and exercising power skills like empathy, communication and collaboration. Our global community is in a unique position to set a new path forward—one that is greener, more equitable and with benefits more widely distributed.

This article was originally published on the Official PMI Blog.