Beyond the Gantt Chart: 3 Trends Redefining Project Management in 2025-2026
Beyond the Gantt Chart
3 Trends Redefining Project Management in 2025-2026
Happy Friday, folks. For my peers in and around the project management space, here are three trends that have come into focus in 2025, all of which are likely to persist through the coming years.
The expansion of remote work opportunities will shift the PM paradigm. According to the World Economic Forum, remote work will increase 25% globally by 2030, reaching an estimated 92 million roles. Remote and hybrid models have proven themselves to have staying power, and a growing number of employees have come to expect them as the norm. Project managers (PMs) hoping to stay on top of this evolving landscape should fine-tune fundamental skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and the use of collaborative tools that enable asynchronous work.
Soft skills will become increasingly paramount. As advances in technology further automate rote, repetitive tasks, successful PMs will need to shift their focus to strategic decision-making and people-oriented challenges. A report by Deloitte Access Economics predicts that soft-skill intensive occupations will encompass more than sixty percent of all jobs in Australia by 2023, a trend that will likely be mirrored throughout the world. Chief among these skills is emotional intelligence, which will prove crucial for trust-building and maintaining team cohesion in both virtual and in-person settings.
Marketing and project management will continue to integrate. The rapid evolution and splintering of the digital landscape creates heightened pressure on marketing teams to deliver results across multiple channels, campaigns, and initiatives simultaneously. To properly navigate this complexity, successful marketing teams will adopt project management frameworks to deliver the best results. According to a recent study, 58% of organizations fully understand the value of creating synergies between PMs and marketing directors, just one of many growth opportunities for those in the field.