By Cynthia Snyder Dionisio
August 23, 2023
Blended Remote/In-Person Teams
More than ever, project managers are leading blended remote and in-person teams. According to WFH Research, of the overall workforce, 13% of employees work from home full-time, and another 28% work from home part-time. By 2025, the percentage of people working from home full-time is expected to climb to 22%. But that is for the workforce in general. According to FlexJobs, project management is the fourth most common profession for remote work, so those numbers are much higher for us as project managers.
This makes a lot of sense because many of us lead teams that are globally distributed, so the need to be in an office is less pressing when your team members are geographically dispersed. Pew Research did a study and found when asked, more than two-thirds of people prefer to work from home full-time, while 98% want to work from home at least some of the time.
But working from home has challenges, whether it is feeling less connected, burning out from too many video calls, or feeling like you are ‘always at work.’ At this year’s 19th Annual International Project Management Day, I will be talking about working with blended in-person and remote teams. There are things we can do for our teams to reduce burn out, increase productivity, and foster connection. I hope you will join me for some pointers because working from home is here to stay!
Hybrid Approaches to Managing Projects
The second topic I will be covering is Hybrid Approaches to managing projects. When project management was a new profession, we practiced plan-driven project management. We learned methodologies that necessitated in-depth, up-front planning, and rigorous management and control. For the past 20 years, there has been a big sector of our profession that has moved away from this prescriptive approach and embraced Agility where scope evolves, and we deliver value incrementally. Planning is spread throughout the project, and we worry less about control and more about stakeholder satisfaction.
Currently we are at a point in our profession where we are moving away from strict project management methodologies. Both of these ways of practicing are based on following a set of rules and guidelines. Rules and guidelines have their place, but they don’t necessarily fit every project. As we mature as a profession, and as we mature in our individual practice, we find that the rules are binding and don’t always lead to the best outcomes. Using our critical thinking skills and finding ways to embrace both ways of working is often the best approach to delivering value.
Mark your calendars for November 2nd as I will be sharing some ways that you can break free of the methodological bonds to embrace a more hybrid way of working!
AI and Project Management
Last but certainly not least, I’ll be discussing AI’s impact on the future of project management, and what it would look like to have a hybrid team with people and AI. Wouldn’t it be great if you had someone on your team who could schedule meetings, translate notes into multiple languages, optimize resource allocation, and develop forecasts based on historical data, risks, and trends? And what if this team member could do this in a matter of minutes? Wouldn’t that be a game changer!
Believe it or not, that time is here. Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work. Not everyone has started to integrate AI into their project management practices, but according to research conducted by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez and Ricardo Vargas, of the people who have integrated AI, 75% say that AI enhances project execution, decision-making, and alignment with strategic goals. 65% view AI as a key factor in stimulating innovation and implementing advanced project management strategies. That speaks volumes for the future of AI on projects.
This is an exciting time in project management. I hope you’ll join me for this year’s IPM Day Online Conference, as we explore some of the ways AI can be incorporated into our projects, and some of the challenges associated with it as well.
Cynthia Snyder Dionisio
Cynthia Snyder Dionisio is the Practice Lead for IIL’s Project, Program, and Portfolio Management (PPPM) Practice. Cyndi has over 20 years of experience leading international project teams, consulting, developing courses, and facilitating training. She has received several awards, including the PMI Fellow Award in 2018 and PMI’s Distinguished Contribution Award in 2009. Cyndi is passionate about turning chaos in order, engaging with awesome teams, solving problems, and facilitating achievement.
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Cynthia is presenting at this year’s International Project Management Day! Register today.
Disclaimer: The ideas, views, and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of International Institute for Learning or any entities they represent.
