While there are tried, tested, and true elements of project management, millennials are bringing fresh perspectives – leveraging technological advancements and placing additional focus in areas like economic, ecological, and social factors.
Alex Shootman, CEO at Workfront, a cloud-based enterprise work and project management solution provider, said learning to use millennials is key since “digital natives now rule, and can rise in power and influence within the next several years.”
“Just like all immigrant and native within a society, there are differences, the ones differences can change businesses,” said Shootman. “Differences include that digital natives view the workplace as egalitarian vs. hierarchical, they like telecommuting and flexible hours as well as the chance to make up work remotely, (i.e., from your cafe on a weekend or during vacation).”
“Natives like multitasking or task switching and prefer to understand ‘just-in-time’ and just what is minimally necessary.” Shootman said millennials “interact and network simultaneously with many different, even numerous others. Egalitarian, flexible, task switching, just-in-time skills and highly networked. This is simply not the actual workplace.”
SEE: Millennials are doubly bored in the office as baby boomers, report says
Why the focus on the role of millennials in projects?
“By 2020, millennials will make up half the international labor force, and also by 2030, they’ll are the cause of 75%. Millennials’ aversion to hidden agendas, rigid corporate structures and knowledge silos as well as a willingness to educate yourself regarding new opportunities will fundamentally alter the nature at work or severely cost businesses,” said Eric Bergman, vice president of Cheap Project Management Books at Changepoint, an experienced services automation company. “Gallup estimates millennial turnover costs the united states economy $30.5 billion annually.” Bergman believes organizations will focus more extensively on employees as well as their needs in order to address the negative impact of churn on productivity, quality, restore.
Exactly what does this implies for project activities that support business goals?
Bergman said that a year ago, businesses realized their survival hinged on embracing digital transformation. Now, adapting to shifting expectations means delivering IT capabilities that complement business priorities. The most agile, tech-forward organizations are rewriting their playbook when confronted with evolving expectations.”
Marianne Crann, director, human resources at Changepoint adds “Millennials are disrupting traditional business models. We have seen this in HR for a long time. These days, everyday processes have to be updated to match new generations of talent. They work differently and still have different expectations. Companies that discover that sweet spot-the the one which attracts talent without detracting from the success with the business-will gain happier staff and happier stakeholders, regardless of generation.” Changepoint has gone into greater detail on millennials and project management within their new 2017 trends report.
At GlassSKY, a business specialized in the empowerment and development of women, founder Robyn Tingley believes millennials differ within their approach to timelines, collaboration, and communication. “Millennials have a much better a sense work/life balance than Gen Xers,” she said. “This does not mean that they won’t place in extra time if the situation demands it, or respond to correspondence after hours, but they will most definitely expect that is the exception.” Tingley said that in addition than other generations, millennials are drawing boundaries more clearly and that this new thought process reaches odds together with the old ‘all nighter’ mentality of project management deadlines. “It’s making project leaders rethink deadlines, the way to schedule work and wins, key milestones what is actually truly realistic and achievable as soon as your key players clock out earlier than the first choice, and earlier than anyone inside the older generations expect,” said Tingley. “It entails selection must be wear steroids…if the downline will be productive for 8 hours, you can not have them spending 2-3 of these every day in meetings presenting powerpoints and flow charts to have consensus around change requests and scope adjustments.”
When it comes right down to collaboration Tingley said millennials excel: “They are true team players and like to solicit inputs and views and therefore are natural connectors.” And so they expect tools to help keep pace. “Static whiteboards that can not be seen until you please take a snapshot, SharePoint sites, Excel spreadsheets, and companies that don’t have adequate video conference solutions are dinosaurs to them,” said Tingley. “Project managers must embrace and support modernized software that may 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 so they communicate in a nutshell bursts of emojis and splintered spelling. Email just won’t 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 will end up the modern norm. “The future just may entail millennials working with the local coffeehouse, uploading a visible chart they only drew or a photo they snapped of something inspirational, as well as the entire team are able to see it and build about it, click to vote yes/no, drag it to another location two-quarters out for any future phase, etc,” she said.
Just how do 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 best for Motionloft, a service provider of hyperlocal pedestrian and vehicle traffic sensors. “I like to think it’s more the ‘self-starter’ generation. Young professionals realize that in settling education loans, advancing within their career, and establishing relevant experiences for growth requires a decisive attitude towards accepting and leading new projects.”
Malack, a millennial, believes his generation has an interest in not simply meeting expectations of a project, but exceeding them as well. “Millennials are nimble and can adapt faster to changes superior to others,” he said. “Younger associates can oftentimes become more determined to deliver, and that presents an interesting situation in which projects become opportunities rather than hurdles…deadlines are managed over the implementation of latest communication methods, which could both expedite the job and boost the bottom line at the same time.”
What should companies remove from this?
Millennials would be the future, bringing newer perspectives plus more innovative approaches. Companies must harness their contributions and recognize the potential they possess.
Technologies are almost wired into the DNA of the tech savvy group in ways the prior generations might not understand fully and appreciate. This will make millennials a hybrid solution by themselves and a strong source of projects.
Millennials really should not be automatically mistaken as ‘not as experienced’, or unaware. They’ve come up via a business climate that’s 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 complete combined potential of previous generations and millennials, the results can provide a much more sustainable solution than relying on just one or the other.
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