9 Major Project Management Trends in 2024

Project management is a critical business operation. But new technology, shifts in work styles, and large-scale regulatory changes are transforming how many organizations conduct their business today, meaning that project management will have to change to ensure ongoing success.

In this article, we've compiled some of the major trends affecting project management in 2024. Afterward, if you're interested in developing foundational project management skills, consider enrolling in Google's Project Management Professional Certificate, where you'll learn strategic communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management through real-world scenarios. 

9 trends in project management in 2024

The work world is transforming faster than ever, and project management is evolving alongside it. Here are nine major trends that are set to shape the field this year: 

1. The influence of generative AI will grow. 

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, is quickly transforming how professionals across every kind of industry complete their work. And there's a good reason why both employers and employees are keen to use the novel technology in the workplace: research from MIT indicates that highly skilled workers who use generative AI within the bounds of its capabilities can actually improve their performance "by as much as 40% compared with workers who don't use it" [1].

These benefits have driven increased adoption of GenAI, especially in project management. Project managers looking to keep up with these transformations would be wise to build their GenAI skills. 

• Get started with DeepLearning.AI's Generative AI for Everyone, where you'll learn how to think through the lifecycle of a generative AI project, from conception to launch, including how to build effective prompts.

2. More project management tasks will be automated.

As AI technologies are increasingly integrated into existing platforms and workstreams, project managers can expect more of their daily tasks to become automated. According to a 2019 study by Gartner, 80 percent of all project management tasks are expected to be eliminated by 2030 thanks to advancements in machine learning, big data analytics, and natural language processing (NLP) [2].

Project managers shouldn't fear being replaced. Research found that 35 percent of current projects are considered successful, while a shocking 65 percent are plagued by "wasted resources and unrealized benefits" due partly to the outdated technology professionals rely on to manage them [3]. AI stands to improve project managers' efficiency, automating more mundane tasks so project management professionals have more time to focus on high-level concerns critical to a project's overall success. 

• Gain an immersive understanding of the practices and skills needed to succeed in an entry-level project management role with the Google Project Management Professional Certificate.

3. Remote and hybrid work will hold steady.

Remote and hybrid work have become common work styles—and that's unlikely to change as more employees come to expect them as the norm. This change means that organizations must pivot how they manage employees and projects. According to Barbara Larson, executive professor of management at Northeastern University, companies should spend less time focusing on how many days employees spend out of the office and more on how to manage them while they’re away. [4].

Project managers wanting to ensure their place in a shifting landscape should work to build the skills critical to maneuvering hybrid approaches and managing remote teams, such as , emotional intelligence, and mastering collaborative tools that make asynchronous work possible. 

• Learn to apply communication principles and techniques for in-person and virtual teams from the University of Toronto.

4. Tech skills will be more important than ever.

The that many organizations and workflows are undergoing as AI and hybrid work become normalized means that digital skills will be more important than ever. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023, for example, notes that more than 75 percent of surveyed companies said they're looking to adopt big data, cloud computing, and AI technology over the next five years, leading to increased demand for high-impact job skills like creative thinking, analytical thinking, and technological literacy [5]. 

Project managers hoping to achieve the project success that employers want to capture might consider building the technical skills required to manage these new, digital technologies. Top areas to consider include AI, cloud computing, and . 

• Discover how to create a basic infrastructure in Google Cloud with the Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure course.

5. Emotional intelligence will become much more important.

As companies invest in new technologies, the need for employees with excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence grows stronger. In a 2023 paper describing the role of "soft skills" in the modern labor market, a group of researchers analyzed five years of job postings and found there was a marked demand for employees with skills like "critical and analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication... and creativity with flexibility [6]." These findings align with what the World Economic Forum highlights in the Future of Jobs Report 2023, particularly the increased demand for creative and analytical thinking among employers [5]. 

Project professionals looking to prepare for this future might consider honing the in-demand interpersonal and social skills required to ensure positive project outcomes within technologically advanced remote and hybrid work environments. 

• Learn how to become more emotionally attuned and professional at work with the University of Michigan's Emotional Intelligence: Cultivating Immensely Human Interactions course.

6. The environmental and social impact of projects will be more important than ever.

Organizations' impact on the environment and society is something both consumers and regulators care more about these days. According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, sustainability promotes trust among consumers, particularly among the younger consumers who will be the power shoppers of tomorrow and can have a significant positive impact on an organization's market value [7]. 

Governments worldwide have also taken a similar interest in organizations' environmental and societal impacts. In the summer of 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined its 2024-2027 National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives, which focused on mitigating climate change and pollution by enforcing new standards on organizations to protect communities around the country [8]. These changes represent a movement toward environmental sustainability that will likely only get more strict in the coming years as nations seek to hit lofty carbon-neutrality goals—and fast. 

Project managers should expect to center sustainability practices in the coming years to help organizations tap into the coveted eco-conscious market and ensure they meet regulatory demands.

• Discover the importance of sustainability with the University of Illinois' Introduction to Sustainability course.

7. More focus will be paid to change management.

If there's one word that sums up what employers and employees can expect from 2024 and beyond, it's "change." New technology, work environments, and regulations mean changing to new systems, processes, and legal structures that organizations must effectively integrate into their day-to-day operations to thrive in the marketplace. 

Project managers should expect organizations to place greater emphasis on over the next year (and probably several more). According to research from Prosci, the top changes organizations expect in 2024 include [9]:  

• technology and digital transformation (37%),

• regulatory changes and compliance (9%),

• environmental sustainability and climate change (9%),

• talent retention and turnover (9%), and

• cultural and organizational change (9%).

Project and change managers should also consider these concerns as they think about their career trajectory. Building leadership skills for change management may set some professionals up for success later on. 

• Learn how to design successful change initiatives by adopting a balanced and reflective change mindset with Macquarie University's Leading transformation: Manage change course.

8. Organizations will prioritize resource management to stay efficient.

Many organizations may prioritize resource management to keep costs down and optimize profits. In fact, many organizations are poised to increase investment in resource management solutions in the near future. Research and Markets, for instance, projects that the market size for enterprise resource planning in North America will reach $31.98 billion by 2029, up from its 2024 valuation of $20.30 billion and representing a compound annual growth rate of 9.51 percent [10]. 

Inevitably, project and will play a central role in organizational-wide efforts to optimize resource efficiency. Professionals with an eye toward the future might consider enhancing their skills with generative AI for project planning, resource allocation, organizing project teams, and managing project costs. 

• Learn how to estimate the quantities and costs of resources needed for project activities with the University of California, Irvine's Budgeting and Scheduling Projects course.

9. Cybersecurity will be more vital than ever.

Cloud-based platforms enable teams to work collaboratively worldwide, effectively ensuring remote and hybrid project management is actually possible. That's a huge plus to organizations as they change their work style. But it also means they're potentially exposed to various cybersecurity threats, such as malware, phishing scams, and injection attacks, that put their data and finances at risk. Organizations will consider cybersecurity a top priority as they undergo this new wave of digital transformations. Project professionals interested in standing out from the crowd might consider deepening their knowledge of , protocols, and architecture.  

• Understand the importance of cybersecurity practices and their impact for organizations with the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate.

Build project management skills on Coursera

Develop your project management skills with the Google . In this six-course series, you'll gain an immersive understanding of the practices and skills needed to succeed in entry-level project management roles, learn the foundations of Agile project management, and practice strategic communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management.