Image credits: InLoox GmbH, orignal image by djedj from Pixabay
Stringent controlling, agility, alignment and interface management should be on the project management agenda of companies and organizations in 2025. These are our top picks to help you solve your project management tasks more efficiently, flexibly, and strategically aligned.
I have interviewed our own project management specialists, Dr. Andreas Tremel and Dr. Tiziano Panico to get them to share their wisdom on what matters in project management in 2025. And of course, the co-founders of InLoox have delivered and identified 4 top trends in project management:
In their forecasts, the two experts also describe which metrics, skills or project management functions companies and project managers should use to stay successful.
The days of projects bumbling along are over. Companies must aim to monitor and evaluate projects even more intensively in real time in order to be able to make well-founded, data-based decisions more quickly. Project evaluation - both before execution and in retrospect - is also becoming increasingly important in order to ensure that scarce resources are allocated to the most important projects. The guiding principle will be to implement or continue only those projects that contribute to the company's objectives. Projects without concrete evaluations are a luxury that many companies will no longer be able to afford in the future.
Important metrics for this: project risk, project costs and project resources (people)
Important project management skills: data analysis, leadership, decisiveness, risk awareness
Important project management software functions: Scheduling (Gantt) with dependencies, effort estimation and effort tracking, resource utilization and planning, time tracking and budgeting, multi-project dashboards for controlling, notifications on changes in projects
Next year will show which companies are practising effective agility and who is just “babbling agility”. Because: agility shamanism in the form of philosophical feel-good phrases will be discontinued. Companies that fail to bring innovative products and services to market in short release cycles are not truly agile. More and more companies will come to this realization in 2025.
The following questions show how agility can be ensured: Why is it taking so long? Why is it not ready? How can we change this or what needs to be done so that we can shorten the cycles? Agility requires strong leadership with a clear goal - everything else is philosophy. Honest communication, clear goals and bold implementation are the basis for becoming faster and setting quality standards.
Important metrics: Time-to-market, project costs, project resources
Key project management skills: leadership, decisiveness, risk assessment + strategic alignment, communication skills
Important project management software functions: Depiction of dependencies between project schedules and phases, Notifications in the event of status changes/completion of tasks, project phases and projects as well as project changes and delays, Resource allocation at task level and project level, Assignment of tasks to projects/project phases
This current trend is also due to the economic framework conditions: a better structured organization of work in the teams and departments allows projects to be aligned more closely with the company's goals. The strategic alignment of projects with the company's objectives requires transparency at both levels, such as the clear definition of objectives and their broad communication within the company - just as transparency is needed in the project landscape. The basis for this is formed by very simple rules, such as those for initiating projects, maintaining project data, the structure of projects and the prerequisites a project manager must have. This may sound banal, but in many teams and companies the project management maturity level is very low. OKRs or goals set by top management can help, so that employees know what their actions are designed to achieve.
Important metrics: Objectives with metrics such as market share/costs/time-to-market, project status, project costs
Key project management skills: Project planning and monitoring, communication skills, strategic thinking, leadership skills
Important project management software functions: Project evaluation, project proposal - and approval process, multi-project evaluation, multi-project dashboards for controlling, project reports
Anyone who previously had reservations about the cloud will now finally realize that the cloud is a good and necessary step. Why now? Because of demographic change, which is contributing to an extensive loss of knowledge in companies, particularly with regard to IT administration and expertise in legacy technologies. Specialists who are familiar with outdated IT landscapes are retiring and the next generation is not familiar enough with them. Cloud technology is also freeing up important resources in internal IT departments so that they can focus on transformation projects that will secure the future development of companies. For project management, the cloud is synonymous with almost limitless possibilities. Thanks to the uncomplicated exchange of data between the systems, data can be analyzed with minimal personnel resources, thereby increasing the productivity and profitability of projects.
Important metrics: IT infrastructure costs and personnel costs of IT administrators, time spent on operating/maintaining the IT infrastructure
Key project management skills: Project planning and execution, risk analysis, communication skills, leadership skills
Important project management software functions: Gantt planning, resource utilization and planning, effort estimation and effort tracking at task level, project phase status and task status, multi-project dashboards and reports for controlling
Conclusion
As 2025 approaches, the future of project management is clear: success lies in precision, agility, alignment, and innovation. By embracing stringent controls, genuine agility, strategic alignment, and modernized IT infrastructures, you and your team can navigate the challenges ahead with confidence. Armed with these wisdoms, project managers have the tools to drive impactful decisions, optimize resources, and stay aligned with corporate goals—all while preparing their teams and processes for the ever-evolving demands of the modern business landscape. The future of project management isn't just about staying on track; it's about leading the way.