Project Me: Biggest challenges of 2023

Do I love what I do?

Ewelina Kruk, Associate Director, Incendium Consulting

There are many aspects to consider when planning your next career step, but for me the most important question I ask is: do I love what I do? The beauty of being a project professional is that there are opportunities to change focus and pivot. Continued development gets me out of the echo chamber of what I think I know, often inspiring me for the future. I manage my career as a set of sprints allowing myself to be curious and shift gear, ready to effectively respond to the professional landscape.

What’s next?

Charlotte Bethell, Sub Project Manager, Sellafield

Having recently completed a well-structured four-year apprenticeship with a clear end goal, the biggest challenge for me is to now balance the requirements of a new career path while embedding myself within my project team, and to gain the necessary experience to achieve my own development and progression goals. The key is to make a conscious effort to think, ‘What’s next?’ I am creating a SMART development plan for the short, medium and long‑term goals for my career, but with an understanding that this development plan may change as opportunities present themselves, and to not close myself off to things that may stretch or challenge me.

Making the most of resources

Muhammad Naeem, Project Director, UMDS

The biggest challenge would be the optimisation and utilisation of project resources. Due to many complex and sudden changes in scenarios, e.g. COVID-19, Brexit, Ukraine and the climate emergency, there has been a real gap in the available resources and competencies as per the project need. My focus will remain on team‑building, integration, skills and capacity‑building of the team members, and creating a level field to enhance their competencies and skill set on a varied scale. I will also tackle this challenge using servant leadership.

Making sense of hybrid

Chris Haigh, Head of PMO, Digital Services (Interim), University of Wolverhampton

One of the biggest challenges will be the differing approaches to hybrid working. With a return to ‘normality’ to some extent, I’m seeing increasing pressures on my team to be physically present for meetings – and I need to balance that against a workforce that is seeing so many benefits of working remotely, where being asked to come into the office is seen as an inconvenience. Culturally, we need to take hold of those assumptions and norms; if we don’t get that balance right, then our teams will take advantage of the growing number of remote opportunities elsewhere.

Why do so many projects fail?

Greg Krawczyk, Senior PMO Consultant, i3Works

My biggest challenge is to focus on the question of why so many projects, programme and portfolios fail to deliver against their success measures. Data‑enabled planning is held by many as a solution, but the question of how we ensure data is not misrepresented is key. I have recognised that effective governance and accountability will be a big part of the solution. So, I recently joined the APM Governance SIG where, with others, I am planning blogs and events to generate insights on this topic.

Mentoring a graduate team

Spencer Hobbs, Senior Project Manager, Turner & Townsend

My biggest challenge is mentoring a Turner & Townsend graduate team entering APM’s SWWE Branch PM Challenge. It’s new territory presenting personal challenges, including the need to curb my natural tendency to get too involved in the team’s efforts. They need to drive the project (and even learn from mistakes), so I need to step back and provide advice, guiding them down the best path. My preparation has been supported by joining APM’s mentoring scheme (as a mentor and mentee). If you haven’t yet, I would recommend joining.

 

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE WINTER 2022 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.