How millennials are changing project management

While you will find tried, tested, and true areas of project management software, millennials are bringing fresh perspectives – leveraging technological advancements and placing additional concentrate areas like economic, ecological, and social factors.


Alex Shootman, CEO at Workfront, a cloud-based enterprise work and project management software solution provider, said learning how to work with millennials is key since “digital natives now rule, and definately will surge in power and influence on the next several years.”

“Just like every immigrant and native inside a society, you will find differences, and people differences changes the workplace,” said Shootman. “Differences bring that digital natives see the workplace as egalitarian vs. hierarchical, they prefer telecommuting and versatile hours and the possibility to make up work remotely, (i.e., from your cafe on the weekend or throughout vacation).”

“Natives like multitasking or task switching and prefer to find out ‘just-in-time’ and just what’s minimally necessary.” Shootman said millennials “interact and network simultaneously with many, even countless others. Egalitarian, flexible, task switching, just-in-time skills and highly networked. This is not the current office.”

SEE: Millennials are doubly bored in the office as middle-agers, report says

Why the target about the role of millennials in projects?

“By 2020, millennials will make up half the global labourforce, through 2030, they’ll be the cause of 75%. Millennials’ aversion to hidden agendas, rigid corporate structures and information silos in conjunction with a willingness to understand more about new opportunities will fundamentally customize the nature of labor or severely cost businesses,” said Eric Bergman, second in command of Project Management Books Online at Changepoint, an expert services automation company. “Gallup estimates millennial turnover costs the US economy $30.5 billion annually.” Bergman believes organizations will focus more extensively on employees and their needs so that you can address the negative impact of churn on productivity, quality, fix.

Simply what does this implies for project activities that support business goals?
Bergman declared that a year ago, businesses realized their survival hinged on embracing digital transformation. Now, adjusting to shifting expectations means delivering IT capabilities that complement business priorities. Perhaps the most agile, tech-forward companies are rewriting their playbook facing evolving expectations.”
Marianne Crann, director, recruiting at Changepoint adds “Millennials are disrupting traditional business models. We’ve seen this in HR for many years. These days, everyday processes must be updated to accommodate new generations of talent. They work differently and possess different expectations. Firms that realize that sweet spot-the the one which attracts talent without detracting from your success from the business-will gain happier staff and happier stakeholders, no matter the generation.” Changepoint has even gone into greater detail on millennials and project management software in their new 2017 trends report.

At GlassSKY, an organization committed to the empowerment and development of women, founder Robyn Tingley believes millennials differ in their method of timelines, collaboration, and communication. “Millennials use a greater a feeling of work/life balance than Gen Xers,” she said. “This doesn’t suggest which they won’t put in an extension cord in the event the situation demands it, or respond to correspondence after hours, nevertheless they will definitely expect that is the exception.” Tingley declared that much more than other generations, millennials are drawing boundaries more clearly which this new thought process is a odds with the old ‘all nighter’ mentality of project management software deadlines. “It’s making project leaders rethink deadlines, the best way to schedule work and wins, key milestones and what is truly realistic and achievable when your key players clock out prior to when the leader, and prior to when anyone from the older generations expect,” said Tingley. “It includes decision making has to be placed on steroids…in case your affiliates will probably be productive just for 8 hours, you can’t ask them to spending 2-3 of those on a daily basis in meetings presenting powerpoints and flow charts to get consensus around change requests and scope adjustments.”

In regards as a result of collaboration Tingley said millennials excel: “They are true team players and love to solicit inputs and views and they are natural connectors.” Plus they expect tools to help keep pace. “Static whiteboards that can’t be seen if you don’t please take a snapshot, SharePoint sites, Excel spreadsheets, and companies that don’t have adequate video conference solutions are dinosaurs for many years,” said Tingley. “Project managers have to embrace and support modernized software that can handle collaborative brainstorming, real-time updates, multiples readers and users, integrated video, voice and more.”

Regarding communication, Tingley said millennials are “the true tech generation; gadget-friendly, always on, highly responsive tech connoisseurs, and they also communicate simply speaking bursts of emojis and splintered spelling. Email just will not work to align teams, manage inputs, and drive performance.” Together with the rise of virtual workers and geographically-distanced teams, Tingley predicted that project management software apps can become the modern norm. “The future just could entail millennials working on the local coffee shop, uploading a visible chart they only drew or a photo they snapped of something inspirational, and the entire team are able to see it and make about it, click to vote yes/no, drag it to another two-quarters out for any future phase, etc,” she said.
How can millennials see their role in projects and effect on business goals?

“The millennial generation has been dubbed the ‘selfie generation,'” said Daniel Malak, who works well with Motionloft, a company of hyperlocal pedestrian and vehicle traffic sensors. “I love to think it’s more the ‘self-starter’ generation. Young professionals know that in paying down school loans, advancing in their career, and establishing relevant experiences for growth takes a decisive attitude towards signing up for and leading new projects.”

Malack, a millennial, believes his generation has an interest in not only meeting expectations of the project, but exceeding them as well. “Millennials are nimble and will adapt faster to changes a lot better than others,” he was quoted saying. “Younger associates can oftentimes be a little more going to deliver, which presents a fascinating situation by which projects become opportunities rather than hurdles…deadlines are managed over the implementation of new communication methods, that may both expedite the work and increase the main point here as well.”

What should companies detract out of this?

Millennials include the future, bringing newer perspectives and more innovative approaches. Companies have to harness their contributions and recognize the potential they possess.
Technologies are almost wired into the DNA on this tech savvy group with techniques the first sort generations may well not understand fully and appreciate. This will make millennials a hybrid solution by themselves and a powerful source of projects.
Millennials must not be automatically mistaken as ‘not as experienced’, or unaware. They’ve surface through a business climate which is more diverse, complex, dynamic, you will find, more stressful than other generations. This will make their experiences and contributions highly valuable. Project teams should leverage their varied insights for improved outcomes.
When companies can harness the complete combined potential of previous generations and millennials, the result can offer a sustainable solution than relying on only one or the other.
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