2009 was a year of wait and hold as many organizations tried to determine which strategic initiatives to undertake and how much risk to assume with so much uncertainty. As we neared the end of 2009 we began to see a certain level of pent up demand - many companies had completed any necessary downsizing, finished key projects and programs which still needed to get done and looked for other ways to survive the effects of the recession with minimal downside risk.
Companies can no longer wait on the side lines at the risk of losing out on great opportunities to become a leader as we started to early signs of a move into recovery. At SPM we have likened this pent up demand to race cars at a start line - everyone is revving their engines, waiting for the flag to drop. There is an edge as to whether to go over the start line early and risk a yellow flag, no one is quite sure if the flag has indeed been dropped and may be wondering who has the starting flag anyway.
Complex Project Management (CPM) is the "next new thing" in our quest to achieve stronger project performance. Successful projects not only deliver on time, on budget, and with the full scope of features and functions. In addition, they deliver the expected benefits in terms of contributions to the bottom line of businesses. And projects today are complex, very complex. Our conventional project management tools and techniques alone are not adequate to successfully manage highly complex projects.
2010 brings with it multiple trends for project management. It is not surprising that many of these trends will help mature the world of project management as we know it today. Just as businesses must be flexible with market conditions, project management professionals and organizations must also adapt accordingly.
