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How millennials are changing project management

While there are 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 finding out how to work with millennials is essential since “digital natives now rule, and will boost in power and influence on the next many years.”

“Just as with any immigrant and native inside a society, there are differences, and people differences will alter the workplace,” said Shootman. “Differences include that digital natives observe the workplace as egalitarian vs. hierarchical, they prefer telecommuting and flexible hours and the chance to comprise work remotely, (i.e., from a cafe on a weekend or while you’re on vacation).”

“Natives like multitasking or task switching and like to learn ‘just-in-time’ and just what’s minimally necessary.” Shootman said millennials “interact and network simultaneously with a lot of, even hundreds of others. Egalitarian, flexible, task switching, just-in-time skills and highly networked. This is not the current work environment.”

SEE: Millennials are doubly as bored in the office as seniors, report says

Why the focus around the role of millennials in projects?

“By 2020, millennials is likely to make up half the international labourforce, and by 2030, they’ll account for 75%. Millennials’ aversion to hidden agendas, rigid corporate structures and details silos coupled with a willingness to discover new opportunities will fundamentally customize the nature of labor or severely cost businesses,” said Eric Bergman, vp of Kogan Page Project Management Books 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 as a way to address the negative impact of churn on productivity, quality, restore.

Exactly what does this mean for project activities that support business goals?
Bergman said that this past year, businesses realized their survival hinged on embracing digital transformation. Now, changing to shifting expectations means delivering IT capabilities that complement business priorities. The most agile, tech-forward businesses are rewriting their playbook when confronted with evolving expectations.”
Marianne Crann, director, hr at Changepoint adds “Millennials are disrupting traditional business models. We’ve seen this in HR for years. But now, everyday processes must be updated to match new generations of talent. They work differently and possess different expectations. Firms 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 the generation.” Changepoint has even gone into greater detail on millennials and project management software inside their new 2017 trends report.

At GlassSKY, a business dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of women, founder Robyn Tingley believes millennials differ inside their way of timelines, collaboration, and communication. “Millennials possess a far better a feeling of work/life balance than Gen Xers,” she said. “This doesn’t mean that they won’t put in additional time when the situation demands it, or answer correspondence after hours, however they will most definitely expect that to be the exception.” Tingley said that way more than other generations, millennials are drawing boundaries more clearly and that this new state of mind is at odds with all the old ‘all nighter’ mentality of project management software deadlines. “It’s making project leaders rethink deadlines, how you can schedule work and wins, key milestones what is truly realistic and achievable when your key players clock out prior to the first choice, and prior to anyone from the older generations expect,” said Tingley. “It entails decisions has to be put on steroids…in case your affiliates will probably be productive for only 8 hours, you can’t keep these things spending 2-3 of the daily in meetings presenting powerpoints and flow charts to get consensus around change requests and scope adjustments.”

When considering right down to collaboration Tingley said millennials excel: “They are true team players and like to solicit inputs and views and they are natural connectors.” And they also expect tools to hold pace. “Static whiteboards that can not be seen until you have a snapshot, SharePoint sites, Excel spreadsheets, and companies that do not have adequate video conference solutions are dinosaurs for many years,” said Tingley. “Project managers have to embrace and support modernized software that may 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 in a nutshell 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 be the brand new norm. “The future just may entail millennials working at the local cafe, uploading a visible chart they merely drew or a photo they snapped of something inspirational, and the entire team can easily see it and create onto it, click to vote yes/no, drag it to another two-quarters out for the future phase, etc,” she said.
How can millennials see their role in projects and influence on business goals?

“The millennial generation has been dubbed the ‘selfie generation,'” said Daniel Malak, who works best for Motionloft, a service provider of hyperlocal pedestrian and automobile traffic sensors. “I like to think it’s more the ‘self-starter’ generation. Young professionals understand that in paying off education loans, advancing inside their career, and establishing relevant experiences for growth requires a decisive attitude towards dealing with and leading new projects.”

Malack, a millennial, believes his generation is interested in not merely 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 stated. “Younger associates can oftentimes be a little more going to deliver, and that presents a unique situation where projects become opportunities as an alternative to hurdles…deadlines are managed over the implementation of new communication methods, that may both expedite the job and improve the important thing simultaneously.”

What should companies take away because of this?

Millennials will be the future, bringing newer perspectives and more innovative approaches. Companies have to harness their contributions and recognize the true potential they possess.
Technology is almost wired to the DNA of this tech savvy group in manners the last generations may well not completely understand and appreciate. This may cause millennials a hybrid solution by themselves and a powerful source of projects.
Millennials really should not be automatically mistaken as ‘not as experienced’, or unaware. They’ve appear by way of a business climate that is certainly more diverse, complex, dynamic, company, more stressful than other generations. This may cause 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 results will offer a much more sustainable solution than depending upon merely one or another.
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