Project Management Skills That Matter: 4 in Demand

The project management skills matter more than ever, because they sit where technology meets delivery. Project managers must stay abreast of shifting industry trends. They also need the skills to put new technology to work, so their organisations stay competitive and forward thinking. This article looks at four areas in IT project management that are in high demand right now.

Why these project management skills matter

Digital tools keep changing, and so do the demands placed on the people who lead the work. A manager who understands the platforms below can guide teams with far more confidence. Therefore each area here reflects real, current employer demand rather than passing hype. Moreover, these are skills you can build through study and hands-on practice. You can deepen them further through structured training, for example a PMP certification course or a CAPM certification course.

Salesforce and customer relationship management

A solid CRM strategy is key for any organisation that wants to stay competitive over the long run. As digitalisation empowers businesses and consumers alike, the right CRM solutions become essential. They lift staff productivity, and they also improve the overall customer experience.

Salesforce platforms are used by organisations around the world to build higher levels of trust with their clients. Teams track and analyse customer behaviour across a full range of communication channels. As a result, businesses improve customer retention, strengthen brand reputation, and ultimately drive sales.

Businesses face evolving technology and rising demand for tailored service. Therefore it is more vital than ever to future-proof a CRM strategy. Organisations use the cloud services of Salesforce for marketing, sales, and customer service, as well as customised AI systems.

Enterprise resource planning

With an ERP system, organisations consolidate core business processes onto one platform. Finance, HR, supply chain, and procurement are common examples. ERP is a key tool in any complex organisation. It raises productivity, speeds up insights and performance data, simplifies processes, and improves business agility.

SAP and Oracle are the popular ERP systems in the market. Both have been around for over 20 years, and both enjoy a dominant presence across many industries. In recent times, however, the trend is moving away from such monolithic systems. Instead, smaller micro-service ERP solutions that integrate readily with digital channels have become popular. Consequently ERP is no longer a domain held tightly by the global giants. Like many dominant technologies of the past, it has become a mainstream service that organisations can simply tap into on demand.

Digital technologies keep growing more complex. Thus project managers gain a real edge when they stay abreast of the full breadth of technological trends. Whichever technology niche you work in, the tools will keep updating, so staying on top of them keeps your skills in demand.

Leading digital transformation

Many companies, including non-IT organisations, must restructure their products and services. The goal, in the words of one industry view, is to become “more responsive to customer needs, more proactive in gathering client feedback, and more adaptive to changing market conditions” (Butkus, 2019). Project managers play a key role here. They lead organisations to adapt and make progress in a fast changing, increasingly diverse digital world.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to speed up digital transformation. In retail, for example, firms expanded their online presence. They leaned on ecommerce and social media to retain and grow their customer base. According to a 2020 global survey by KPMG, 63% of organisations said they increased their digital transformation budget in response to COVID-19.

Infrastructure transformation, from on-premise to the cloud

Long gone are the days when servers sat in large rooms on premise, managed by an extensive IT team. Now most organisations use a cloud based system, where data is stored together and available at any time to every team member. Therefore, as a project manager, understanding how cloud based systems work will greatly raise demand for your services.

Cloud services are used by organisations both small and large. For example, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) recently adopted Amazon Web Services (AWS). RMIT was one of the first Australian universities to do so, and it intends to use this cloud supercomputing facility to advance research in manufacturing, space, and digital health. As a result, researchers in Australia and worldwide gain wider access to shared research and data.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading platform that offers cloud computing services for a wide range of industries and needs, from data storage to machine learning. AWS also offers training and certification programs, so you can upskill on your way to leading organisations through transformational journeys. You can read more about the profession through PMI, the global body for project management. If agile delivery interests you, explore an agile certification course as a next step.