The Project Economy

The future of the world will be driven by change. Brace yourself to broaden the skills and capabilities of your organization to be a leader in this new project economy

Economic Evolution over the last century

Requirements for the Modern Project Manager

Increasing risk to deliver more value

The new project economy
The new project economy

The Project Economy

The future of the world will be driven by change. Brace yourself to broaden the skills and capabilities of your organization to be a leader in this new project economy

Economic Evolution over the last century

Requirements for the Modern Project Manager

Increasing risk to deliver more value

The new project economy

The last century was driven by creating efficiencies, reducing redundant work steps, and increasing control and visibility into operations. Major milestones include mass production, taylorism, the invention of the personal computer as well as gathering structured data for accounting in ERP systems.

Over time the competitive advantage started vanishing, as we are hitting the efficient frontier of optimizing operations. When the utmost control over the primary revenue streams is not enough the market will punish those who do not adapt quickly to innovation. Globalization emphasizes this trend:

  1. The average life of a product has shrunk from 10 years to 1 year.

  2. The average life of a strategy has reduced from 7 years to 2 years.

The last century was driven by creating efficiencies, reducing redundant work steps, and increasing control and visibility into operations. Major milestones include mass production, taylorism, the invention of the personal computer as well as gathering structured data for accounting in ERP systems.

Over time the competitive advantage started vanishing, as we are hitting the efficient frontier of optimizing operations. When the utmost control over the primary revenue streams is not enough the market will punish those who do not adapt quickly to innovation. Globalization emphasizes this trend:

  1. The average life of a product has shrunk from 10 years to 1 year.

  2. The average life of a strategy has reduced from 7 years to 2 years.

The new project economy
The new project economy
The new project economy

Innovation needs a system and structure to filter the best ideas for feasibility, yes. But what is most important is employing talent to uncover and scope initiatives that disrupt the industry. Execution is more succinct and better predictable, so that the organization can focus to find people with the vision AND skills to innovate.
Flexibility pays off uncovering talent as it does not rely on titles, but instead rewards content, outcomes, motivation, and leadership. Flexibility leads to natural occurring change and starts with the appetite to add value to the field of expertise.
Intrinsic motivation outlasts and outperforms the desire to please superiors, a brand, or a specific organization.Making the shift requires motivation and confidence in the organizations' abilities, as most projects these days rely on creating efficiencies or keeping the lights on:

Innovation needs a system and structure to filter the best ideas for feasibility, yes. But what is most important is employing talent to uncover and scope initiatives that disrupt the industry. Execution is more succinct and better predictable, so that the organization can focus to find people with the vision AND skills to innovate.
Flexibility pays off uncovering talent as it does not rely on titles, but instead rewards content, outcomes, motivation, and leadership. Flexibility leads to natural occurring change and starts with the appetite to add value to the field of expertise.
Intrinsic motivation outlasts and outperforms the desire to please superiors, a brand, or a specific organization.Making the shift requires motivation and confidence in the organizations' abilities, as most projects these days rely on creating efficiencies or keeping the lights on:

capital by project type and complexity: efficiency, sustaining, transformative
capital by project type and complexity: efficiency, sustaining, transformative

The Modern Project Manager

The Modern Project Manager

Most running projects are efficiency-related; a smaller amount is trying to sustain value; eventually, a minimal amount of transformative projects are bringing the organization forward. The future will be driven by controlling the risk of projects that add the most value. Earned value and benefit realization will take precedence over business as usual. Business models can change quickly and leaders need to be prepared for disruptive world events. In the project economy the rules are rewritten favoring the bold:

  1. Project Managers need to generate value faster.

  2. Deep generalists are sought after - people that connect profound technology and business knowledge.

  3. Organizations will need to restructure to have full visibility over continuous transformation and major capital initiatives.

  4. Ongoing operations will eventually be automated - automation is the new operations.

  5. Less is more. Budgets will shift to be more business case-based and less strict on long-range planning.

Most running projects are efficiency-related; a smaller amount is trying to sustain value; eventually, a minimal amount of transformative projects are bringing the organization forward. The future will be driven by controlling the risk of projects that add the most value. Earned value and benefit realization will take precedence over business as usual. Business models can change quickly and leaders need to be prepared for disruptive world events. In the project economy the rules are rewritten favoring the bold:

  1. Project Managers need to generate value faster.

  2. Deep generalists are sought after - people that connect profound technology and business knowledge.

  3. Organizations will need to restructure to have full visibility over continuous transformation and major capital initiatives.

  4. Ongoing operations will eventually be automated - automation is the new operations.

  5. Less is more. Budgets will shift to be more business case-based and less strict on long-range planning.

The Need for Value

The Need for Value

Sustainable organizations prefer to scope by tangible value. The professional to carry out these projects should have strong financial and accounting skills - especially when managing mega projects. Those individuals are strategy implementation professionals with more than one deep area of expertise.

Executive committees or other bodies of governance are balancing the need for automation and the need for innovation. They do not solely rely on absolute value, but can put it in relation to the organizations overall strategy. Going forward, appointing the leaders fit for this task will become more prominent and crucial for success.

I welcome you to help putting your organization on the leading edge of your industries by applying the technological transformations that impact the very fabric of your vision and how to execute for value delivery.

Sustainable organizations prefer to scope by tangible value. The professional to carry out these projects should have strong financial and accounting skills - especially when managing mega projects. Those individuals are strategy implementation professionals with more than one deep area of expertise.

Executive committees or other bodies of governance are balancing the need for automation and the need for innovation. They do not solely rely on absolute value, but can put it in relation to the organizations overall strategy. Going forward, appointing the leaders fit for this task will become more prominent and crucial for success.

I welcome you to help putting your organization on the leading edge of your industries by applying the technological transformations that impact the very fabric of your vision and how to execute for value delivery.