While a tug of war has emerged between remote and hybrid working and a return to the office, workers are caught between a rock and a hard place. New research, however, indicates that remote and hybrid working boosts project success rates.
More than half (56%) of project management professionals believe remote or hybrid working positively impacts project success rates.
That’s according to new research from the Ireland Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI).
“Project management professionals need to be able to navigate this next wave of innovation. That means adopting workstyles and deploying technologies that enable the sector to drive success”
The survey of more than 100 project management professionals also revealed that the average cost of failed projects has decreased by 11% over the past year, from €710,000 to approximately €653,000.
Sustainability and flexible working
Remote or hybrid working ranked as one of the leading sustainability practices within the sector, alongside choosing sustainable suppliers and partners (20%), implementing waste management practices (18%), establishing sustainability KPIs (12%), and measuring carbon emissions during projects (11%).
More than half (55%) of respondents indicated that sustainability is a key factor when outlining project delivery models, with 76% noting increased company interest in sustainability compared to a year ago. Over a third (35%) view sustainability as very important in terms of managing projects.
Despite these findings, 47% of project managers reported increased expectations to work from the office compared to a year ago, suggesting a potential disconnect between perceived benefits and workplace policies.
Challenges of remote teams
“Project management across Ireland is fast evolving with the ambition, scale and complexity of projects ever increasing,” explained Peter Glynne, President of the Ireland Chapter of PMI.
“Project management professionals need to be able to navigate this next wave of innovation. That means adopting workstyles and deploying technologies that enable the sector to drive success, manage costs, and support sustainability. It also means addressing any barriers and upskilling for the future, otherwise the potential to drive real impact for Ireland through ambitious projects will be lost.”
Communication issues emerged as the biggest challenge when managing remote or hybrid teams, cited by almost half (48%) of respondents. Other significant challenges included lack of collaboration, scheduling conflicts, diminished team culture, and reduced visibility.
The research highlighted that power skills – including communication, problem-solving, collaborative leadership, and strategic thinking – were deemed most crucial for project managers going forward.
These findings were announced following the Ireland Chapter of PMI’s annual national conference, “Navigating The Next Wave,” held in association with EY. The event explored upcoming innovations in project management and featured keynote speaker Dr Lolly Mancey, Anthropologist, Futurist, and Innovation Advocate.
Jennifer Ryan, EY Ireland Transformation Delivery Business Consulting Partner, added: “At EY, we understand that project management is on the cusp of transformational change with the introduction of technological change and new work practices.
“As such, we’re delighted that this year’s conference highlighted the transformative potential of AI, the importance of sustainability, and the future of work. At EY, we recognise that organisations and Transformation Management Offices (TMOs) are already adapting in response to these three themes, particularly as they realign the capabilities that they require to maximise the efficiency of the delivery of transformation.”
Main image at top: Peter Glynne, President of the Ireland Chapter of PMI
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