Discuss the recent business trends that have increased the attention and interest in project management skills

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Industry trends have also pushed project management to the forefront. Two trends of particular interest are: a) the faster pace of strategic change and b) the changing role of middle management.
With regards to the pace of strategic change, new product lines must be introduced more often to fight off hungry competitors. Information technology solutions that used to last 10 years are now out of date after five, and customer and supplier networks quickly change, requiring new supply chain solutions. The result of all this is that companies find themselves involved in many more projects with strategic ramifications than they were involved in just a few years ago. As the number of projects increases, the case for improved project management becomes even stronger for a firm.
Project management has also received more attention as the traditional role of middle management has shrunk. Advanced information systems now handle many of the data analysis tasks that middle managers used to perform. At the same time, many companies have taken the authority and responsibility for work outcomes away from middle managers and pushed them down to direct supervisors and workers.