While you’ll find tried, tested, and true aspects of project management, 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 solution provider, said understanding how to use millennials is key since “digital natives now rule, and definately will boost in power and influence over the next a few years.”
“Just like any immigrant and native within a society, you’ll find differences, and people differences will change businesses,” said Shootman. “Differences bring that digital natives observe the workplace as egalitarian vs. hierarchical, they like telecommuting and versatile hours as well as the possibility to make up work remotely, (i.e., from a cafe over a weekend or while you’re on vacation).”
“Natives like multitasking or task switching and prefer to understand ‘just-in-time’ in support of what’s minimally necessary.” Shootman said millennials “interact and network simultaneously with many different, even countless others. Egalitarian, flexible, task switching, just-in-time skills and highly networked. This isn’t the actual work environment.”
SEE: Millennials are doubly as bored at the job as seniors, report says
Why the main objective on the role of millennials in projects?
“By 2020, millennials could make up half the world labor force, by 2030, they’ll take into account 75%. Millennials’ aversion to hidden agendas, rigid corporate structures and knowledge silos as well as a willingness to understand more about new opportunities will fundamentally change the nature of work or severely cost businesses,” said Eric Bergman, v . p . of Project Management Books at Changepoint, an experienced services automation company. “Gallup estimates millennial turnover costs the US economy $30.5 billion annually.” Bergman believes organizations will focus more extensively on employees as well as their needs to be able to address the negative impact of churn on productivity, quality, and repair.
Exactly what does this imply for project activities that support business goals?
Bergman said that a year ago, businesses realized their survival hinged on embracing digital transformation. Now, transitioning to shifting expectations means delivering IT capabilities that complement business priorities. Even the most agile, tech-forward companies are rewriting their playbook in the face of evolving expectations.”
Marianne Crann, director, hours at Changepoint adds “Millennials are disrupting traditional business models. We have seen this in HR for years. However, everyday processes must be updated to support new generations of talent. They work differently and have different expectations. Businesses that realize that sweet spot-the one that attracts talent without detracting from your success with the business-will gain happier staff and happier stakeholders, regardless of generation.” Changepoint has even gone into greater detail on millennials and project management of their new 2017 trends report.
At GlassSKY, a firm dedicated to the empowerment and continuing development of women, founder Robyn Tingley believes millennials differ of their approach to timelines, collaboration, and communication. “Millennials possess a much better feeling of work/life balance than Gen Xers,” she said. “This doesn’t suggest which they won’t place in extra time when the situation demands it, or respond to correspondence after hours, but they will most certainly expect that is the exception.” Tingley said that in addition than other generations, millennials are drawing boundaries more clearly and that this new way of thinking reaches odds with the old ‘all nighter’ mentality of project management deadlines. “It’s making project leaders rethink deadlines, how to schedule work and wins, key milestones what is truly realistic and achievable as soon as your key players clock out prior to the best choice, and prior to anyone inside the older generations expect,” said Tingley. “It also means decision making should be wear steroids…in case your team members shall be productive for just 8 hours, you can not ask them to spending 2-3 of people on a daily basis in meetings presenting powerpoints and flow charts to have consensus around change requests and scope adjustments.”
As it pertains down to collaboration Tingley said millennials excel: “They are true team players and want to solicit inputs and views and they are natural connectors.” And they also expect tools to keep pace. “Static whiteboards that can’t be seen unless you require a snapshot, SharePoint sites, Excel spreadsheets, and firms that do not have adequate video conference solutions are dinosaurs to them,” said Tingley. “Project managers should embrace and support modernized software that could handle collaborative brainstorming, real-time updates, multiples readers and users, integrated video, voice plus more.”
Regarding communication, Tingley said millennials are “the true tech generation; gadget-friendly, always on, highly responsive tech connoisseurs, and they also communicate in a nutshell bursts of emojis and splintered spelling. Email just will not work to align teams, manage inputs, and drive performance.” With the rise of virtual workers and geographically-distanced teams, Tingley predicted that project management apps can be the newest norm. “The future just may entail millennials working on the local coffeehouse, uploading a visible chart they merely drew or possibly a photo they snapped of something inspirational, as well as the entire team can easily see it and build about it, click to vote yes/no, drag it to another two-quarters out for the future phase, etc,” she said.
How do millennials see their role in projects and impact on business goals?
“The millennial generation has been dubbed the ‘selfie generation,'” said Daniel Malak, who works for Motionloft, a supplier of hyperlocal pedestrian and automobile traffic sensors. “I want to think it’s more the ‘self-starter’ generation. Young professionals know that in reducing student education loans, advancing of their career, and establishing relevant experiences for growth takes a decisive attitude towards accepting and leading new projects.”
Malack, a millennial, believes his generation is interested in not just meeting expectations of a project, but exceeding them also. “Millennials are nimble and can adapt faster to changes better than others,” he explained. “Younger associates can oftentimes become more going to deliver, and that presents a unique situation through which projects become opportunities rather than hurdles…deadlines are managed with the implementation of recent communication methods, that may both expedite the project and boost the main point here as well.”
What should companies take away because of this?
Millennials are the future, bringing newer perspectives plus more innovative approaches. Companies should harness their contributions and recognize the potential they possess.
Technologies are almost wired to the DNA on this tech savvy group with techniques the previous generations might not grasp and appreciate. This will make millennials a hybrid solution by themselves and a powerful resource for projects.
Millennials shouldn’t be automatically mistaken as ‘not as experienced’, or unaware. They’ve appear by way of a business climate that is more diverse, complex, dynamic, e-mail, 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 full combined potential of previous generations and millennials, the results can provide a much more sustainable solution than relying on only one or the other.
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