Author: bfadmin

In this insightful series, we delve into the big shifts facing project professionals and what you can do to stay ahead of the curve.

Shifts Reshaping Business Operations

Business is changing fast. New technologies and artificial intelligence, shifting expectations, business challenges — it can feel like everything is moving at once. For project professionals, this isn’t just background noise. It’s the context for every project, every decision, and every recommendation you make.

If you understand what’s changing, you can help your team make smarter choices, avoid costly mistakes, and spot opportunities others miss.

So, What’s Actually Changing? 

Let’s break it down into five big shifts that are reshaping how businesses operate — and what project professionals need to pay attention to.

1. Technology Is Moving Faster Than Ever 

• AI, automation, and machine learning are no longer buzzwords — they’re tools your business is probably already using (or thinking about).
• Cloud platforms, low-code tools, and data analytics are changing how teams work and make decisions.

Why it matters: You need to understand these tools enough to ask the right questions, spot risks, and help teams use them wisely.

2. Customers Expect More 

• People want faster service, more personalisation, and better digital experiences.
• They also care more about values — like sustainability, privacy, and fairness.

Why it matters: You help design processes and systems that meet customer needs. If those needs are changing, your analysis and planning needs to change too. 

3. Work Is More Flexible (and Complex) 

• Remote and hybrid work are here to stay.
• Teams are more distributed, and collaboration happens across time zones and tools.

Why it matters: Project professionals need to think about how work gets done — not just what gets done. That means mapping workflows, understanding pain points, and helping teams stay connected.

4. Data Is Everywhere 

• Businesses are collecting more data than ever — but not always using it well.
• The challenge is turning data into insights, and insights into action.

Why it matters: Project professionals, particularly business analysts, are key players in making data useful. You don’t need to be a data scientist, but you do need to know how to ask good questions and interpret results.

5. Change Is Constant 

• Change is our normal
• The only certainty is uncertainty.

Why it matters: Project leaders who can help teams adapt quickly — by spotting trends, testing ideas, and planning for different outcomes — are worth their weight in gold.

What You Can Do About It 

Here are three simple ways to stay ahead of the curve: 

✅ Stay Curious 

Read articles, listen to podcasts, join project communities. The more you know about what’s changing, the better your analysis will be.

✅ Ask “What’s Different Now?” 

In every project, ask: What’s changed since we last did this? What assumptions no longer hold? What new risks or opportunities are emerging?

✅ Connect the Dots 

Don’t just gather requirements and manage scope — help your team see the bigger picture. Show how a new process or system fits into the changing business landscape.

Final Thought 

Change can feel overwhelming. But for project professionals, it’s also an opportunity. You’re in a unique position to help your organisation understand change, respond to it, and even lead it.

The future isn’t something to fear — it’s something to shape. And that starts with knowing what’s changing, and why it matters.

LinkedIn tag/lead in line:  Project leaders who can help teams adapt quickly — by spotting trends, testing ideas, and planning for different outcomes — are worth their weight in gold.

After hundreds of coaching conversations with executives, we’ve noticed something fascinating: the insights that create the biggest shifts are rarely what people expect when they start.

People come into our coaching sessions thinking they need help with time management or difficult conversations. What they discover goes much deeper. Here are the top 4 real-world insights we’ve uncovered recently.

Insight 1 – “I’ve Been Solving the Wrong Problem”

A general manager came to coaching frustrated that her team wasn’t stepping up. Three sessions in, she had a realisation: “I’m not giving them room to step up. I solve problems before they even know there’s an issue.”

She’d been so focused on being responsive and capable that she’d accidentally created a team that waited for her to have all the answers. The problem wasn’t their capability—it was her leadership pattern.

Key takeaway: Sometimes this just requires a focus flip: try addressing the cause, not the symptom of an issue.

Insight 2 – “My Strength Has Become My Limitation”

This is where the very thing that got you to your current position is now holding you back.

• The detail-oriented leader who rose through the ranks by never missing anything now realises they’re micromanaging and losing strategic perspective.
• The decisive executive who built their reputation on quick action discovers they’re moving too fast and leaving people behind.
• The relationship-focused leader who everyone loves working with realises they’re avoiding necessary difficult conversations.

Key takeaway: Your superpower doesn’t stop being valuable—but at a certain level, if you can’t dial it back or balance it with something else, it becomes a constraint.

Insight 3 – “I’m Leading From Fear More Than I Imagined”

This one’s uncomfortable but incredibly common. In the confidential space of coaching, executives start noticing how much of their decision-making is driven by avoiding negative outcomes rather than pursuing possibilities.

“I’m not challenging that strategy because I don’t want to seem difficult.”
“I’m holding onto this underperformer because I’m worried about team morale.”
“I’m not speaking up in the executive meeting because I’m concerned about how it’ll land.”

Key takeaway: The insight isn’t that fear is bad—it’s recognising when it’s quietly running the show and making your decisions smaller than they need to be.

Insight 4 – “I’ve Been Waiting for Permission”

Perhaps the most powerful discovery is this: many capable leaders are waiting for someone to tell them they’re ready, it’s okay, they’re allowed.

Ready to have the difficult conversation. Ready to challenge the status quo. Ready to put forward the big idea. Ready to step into more senior leadership.

The coaching insight? No one’s going to give you that permission.

Key takeaway: You already have the capability—you’re just not using it.

Why These Insights Matter

These discoveries don’t happen because coaching provides magical wisdom. They happen because coaching creates the conditions for people to think more deeply than they normally give themselves time for —without judgment, with better questions, and with someone holding up a mirror.

The power isn’t in the insight alone. It’s in what becomes possible once you see clearly.

When you realise you’ve been solving the wrong problem, you can redirect your energy to what actually matters. When you understand your blind spots, you can lead more intentionally. When you’re honest about what you really want, you can make aligned choices.

That clarity? That’s what changes everything.

LinkedIn tag/lead in line: The most valuable insights aren’t the ones that make you feel good—they’re the ones that make you think differently.

You have assembled a highly skilled technical team. After a long search, you have hired an experienced project manager to ensure the project is tightly controlled. Through careful budgeting, you ensure that appropriate funding is available. Do you think you have mixed a recipe for a successful project? Think again – a primary factor that may determine the success or failure of your project is your corporate culture.

Can corporate culture really make that much difference? Think back to the last time you tried to request a special service from – or implement a change in – an organization that embraces processes it has used for years. Did you get very far? Project management professionals can face the same type of resistance to change if they are working with an organization that does not embrace change as part of its culture. As projects are intended to bring about some form of change – a new product or improvement to an existing product, new processes, or enhanced tools – projects are especially threatening to an organization whose culture won’t embrace the transformation brought about by the project’s product.

Should you find yourself in a position where you face these challenges, the following are a few tips to help guide the project manager through this labyrinth of cultural tradition and emotion.

Introducing New Ideas

Although organizations vary in their acceptance of new ideas, concepts and approaches, each culture usually has a means by which new ideas can be incorporated into the mainstream workings of the organization. The introduction of new ideas is usually accepted when they originate from specific trusted individuals or from senior management. The astute project manager will work with the project sponsor to understand what type of ideas or changes they have introduced into the environment, along with the challenges they had to overcome along the pathway to implementation. In addition, conversations with the project sponsor about others who have successfully introduced change to the environment can be beneficial. Creating processes as part of your communication plan to make allies of these individuals can help significantly as your projects move through requirements formulation to implementation.

Acceptance Process for Change

How does your customers’ corporate culture accept new ideas for development and implementation? Many organizations embrace new ideas and have standard processes by which new ideas are spawned and tested. Republic Financial Corporation CEO, Jim Possehl, stresses their process of “Team Storming” to foster and evaluate new ideas. “Managers take their stripes off. Anyone can be critical of anyone else – everyone is treated equally. It is all about the ideas we have to improve our business.” The Team Storming process is for real – employees at all levels of the company are encouraged to generate and support new concepts for improving Republic’s services and image in the marketplace. Possehl uses the process as a great “organizational equalizer”; line employees openly question ideas surfaced by senior management with the same vigor as the managers question new ideas from their employees. “It makes for a very dynamic and trusting workplace,” states Possehl.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some companies only consider ideas that have come through certain channels within the company such as marketing or other areas with a specific mission to drive change within the company. These organizations usually require screening processes to have been executed, such as market evaluations or comparative data analysis, before changes are considered.

As a project manager, researching what the acceptance process is for your customer’s organization can be instrumental to ensuring your project proceeds smoothly. In the first example stated here, no project would progress very far without the requirements and final solution having been through a “team storming” exercise involving a wide variety of employees and managers. Conversely, no project would be successful in the second scenario without obtaining the support of the organizational areas that normally sponsor change.

Acceptance of risks

Organizations vary widely in the degree of risk aversion that is inherent in their culture. This can be a product of the individuals at the top of the organizational pyramid, or could be a product of the industry itself. High-technology industries are more likely to engage in risk than a more traditional industry like insurance. In addition, aversion to risk can vary widely based on the type of risk being considered. In a very competitive area where major industry players are “leap-frogging” each other such as chip development, risk elements that prolong the time required to complete a project would be avoided at almost all cost. Conversely, a businessperson that is working in an area where price is the highest competitive factor will have difficulty accepting risks that affect project cost.

What is being discussed here is not only balancing the triple constraints (time, resources and scope), but also prioritizing them and understanding the magnitude of flexibility that exists within the triple constraints. Each organizational culture and the environment in which they operate will determine the flexibility allowed, and in turn will determine how much and what type of risk they will accept. Finding this through interviews, the examination of past projects and using carefully placed questions with key stakeholders can help the project manager navigate the areas where the organization will accept risk when planning and executing your projects.

Prioritization – Continuity in Implementing Change

Most all organizations have some form of prioritization scheme that determines what projects are funded through to implementation, which projects are candidates for cancellation during execution, and which may not even be funded in the first place. Many project managers benefit from working within an environment where the prioritization scheme is well defined, is accepted and followed by the management team. Others have to work their way through prioritization systems that aren’t as well defined – some to the degree that project prioritization is more or less a random set of decisions made by a single manager, or series of managers, each with their own budgets.

Understanding the prioritization scheme (or lack thereof) can be useful for the project manager. Does your sponsor have the authority to make project prioritization decisions? If so, what are the most important business goals to that sponsor? If your sponsor doesn’t directly make prioritization decisions, does he/she know what the current considerations are for making prioritization decisions?

Knowing this information can be vital to a project’s ongoing survival, and can be used to further the cause of the project. Project status reports, milestone items, and interim deliverables can be set (or potentially changed during the course of the project) to keep in alignment with the prioritization scheme at any given time. Keeping track of the prioritization and modifying your project management approach (within reason) to conform to important business considerations can mean the difference between a successful installation and a sudden search for a new project to tackle.

Understanding corporate culture can be a difficult but necessary part of a project manager’s daily business. As a project manager, if you’re able to understand how ideas are introduced to the business, how change is accommodated, what type of risks are tolerated and which aren’t, and how and by whom business initiatives are prioritized, you will be able to significantly increase your chances of delivering projects successfully.

The project manager’s ultimate responsibility is to protect and promote the business for whom he is working. Towards that end, the project manager works diligently to produce the best business results, meeting or exceeding the objectives of the “triple constraints” – scope, time and resources. However, there are a number of instances where the astute project manager will realize his business is on a pathway to failure. These situations need to be addressed and assessed against project objectives or corrected before the business suffers avoidable losses. The initial approach for the effective project manager is to remove the hurdles that impede her project. Sometimes however, that cannot be accomplished easily. In these cases, the project manager needs to take a profoundly opposite role – they need to become a hurdle – a hurdle to impending disaster. This role as a hurdle becomes vital when the organization is unlikely to “back off” the execution of a project even if there is little chance for project success. Some of the more common circumstances that lead to the demise of projects are addressed here. When these surface, it’s “hurdle time” for the courageous project manager!

Projects with pre-defined triple constraints

The trend is very disturbing – a large number of projects come with all of the triple constraints predefined. The project manager is told what will be produced, how long it will take and how much it will cost. Pre-defining the triple constraints is a short sighted sponsor’s approach to “being a strong leader” and it just doesn’t work. How often have you taken your car to the service center and told the mechanics what they will find when they peer under the hood, told them what time they will have your car available for you to pick up, and how much they will charge you for the service? Of course we don’t do this with our cars! Accepting a project of this nature without questioning the sponsor is irresponsible. Projects need to be examined for the credibility of the desired outcomes, imminent risks, and evaluated against the organization’s available skilled resources. Except in cases where there is a very well documented and understood history of analogous projects in the sponsoring organization that validate the predetermined triple constraints, projects will all three triple constraints pre-defined will not succeed.

With the ever increasing demands on senior leaders – be mindful that they too are trying to do more with reduced numbers of resources – the details and challenges that are everyday issues for the project manager don’t always enter the mind of the project sponsor. Tactful and tactical approaches – like asking to conduct a short investigation – can bring these potential issues to light, giving the project manager some “breathing room” to negotiate the expectations for the project. At the very least it provides a means to identify risks and potential response actions to increase the chances of meeting the expectations for the project.

This is an example of the project manager presenting an appropriate “hurdle” to what the organization is asking. There are many examples of these projects however – here are some additional cases.

Projects that change processes, without appropriate business analysis

Another common way to poorly conceive a project is when the deliverables for a project involve changing tools and business processes simultaneously and analysis of the “as-is” and “to-be” business environments are not considered as part of the project scope. Automating a process that is not well defined or implementing new or changed automation without the appropriate examination of the existing and new business processes results in disaster. Examples of this abound, as evidenced by the large number of failed projects in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) space, using extensive product suites such as PeopleSoft ®, SAP®, and J.D. Edwards®. These software suites are quite capable – but they are frequently installed in hopes they will facilitate the improved execution of existing business processes. It doesn’t take long for the users to report that the product doesn’t work. The reality of the situation is this – the software suites do “work,” just not to facilitate the precise business process the users are trying to execute. A significant mismatch exists between the processes the users are accustomed to executing and the processes that are inherent in or implied by the software.

Projects that seek to change both processing tools and the user’s business processes need to contain a number of required initiatives in order to succeed. These initiatives include an analysis of existing business processes – the “as-is” model. Only with a well defined set of current processes will the project manager and her team understand what processes are going to change, where current complexities exist, and areas for improvement – and therefore what needs to be communicated and taught to the user community.

The second major required initiative for these projects is the definition of the “to-be” model – the set of processes that will result from the project deliverables. ERP product suites have an implied set of processes inherent within them. The providers of these software tools seek to support and promote business processes that reflect common practices across a broad swath of industries, as well as focus on “best-practices” to achieve efficiencies across the organization. Inevitably however, the ERP product processes will differ from the processes that are part of your organization’s “as-is” profile. Conscious and well thought out management decisions need to be made to decide: a) if processes in the organization are to be altered to match the processes supported by the tool; b) if the processes inherent in the tool will be changed by customizing the tool to match the business environment or, c) both the tool and the businesses’ processes will be changed to “meet in the middle.”

In many situations, the process modeling work effort can be perceived as a waste of time and simply slowing the project down. In reality; performing effective process modeling will enable the project to run more smoothly by identifying problem areas up-front and ensures the overall success that the product that is ultimately delivered to the business will truly meet their needs.

Let’s examine one more project hazard that requires the project manager to be a hurdle…

Projects with unavailable project customers

When the definition and approach derived for a project isn’t the problem, it is often a lack of qualified, knowledgeable business personnel. This issue manifests itself with everything from the “you should know what I want” approach from project customers, to a blatant absence of project customers in project proceedings because they are “too busy.” This causes project managers to try to proceed with a significant handicap. A large portion of the project management community try to “press on” in this situation despite the lack of customer participation, surmising – inaccurately – that the organization will be better off if they at least create “something” for a project deliverable. The actual results are usually catastrophic; skeptical project team members that do not trust the product they are creating, a totally alienated customer that receives a product for which they feel no ownership, and a sponsor with a lack of confidence in the product and project management because of “poor” delivery.

Because these disastrous results are inevitable when knowledgeable business representatives are not part of the project, the only real way to respond in a situation like this is to become the ultimate hurdle and recommend the project be stopped until appropriate business personnel can be leveraged. This recommendation will bring a significant amount of attention to the situation which is exactly what you need to solve the problem!

When a project manager escalates due to lack of business resources, a business representative that doesn’t have the appropriate level of experience will sometimes be assigned to assist the project team. In short, they can’t successfully speak for their peers, or the process area they represent. Moving forward with these partially-knowledgeable individuals is just a nicer looking path to the same terrible conclusion. The project should be stopped until this situation can be rectified.

So, as project managers we are most often looked upon to eliminate hurdles, and drive projects to success. Sometimes however, it is most suitable that we become a “hurdle” instead, and ultimately help the project – and our sponsoring businesses – be successful in the end.

Change is the one constant element that must be faced by anyone with the responsibility to run or be part of a business. It is the most exciting and most terrifying item that a manager must handle. How one approaches this managerial challenge will determine the quality of the product produced, and the managers perception as a leader.

It must get produced with higher quality. It must be produced cheaply. It needs to require less resource. Oh, and by the way, one of your best people has just been wooed away by an Internet startup, promising vast riches with an upcoming IPO and the promise of wearing jeans and a t-shirt to work.

Just another day at the office, isn’t it? It seems that every day we must deal with change; some of this change is generated by business initiatives, some by the unexpected personnel, technology or swift market changes that are characteristic of the new economy.

Changing approaches, procedures, organisations, tactical and/or strategic directions are a pivotal part of the work of managers today. Whether or not you’re creating those transformations, or reacting to them, your success as a manager depends on your ability to process, communicate and handle the questions and doubts that come with change. Taking a structured approach to thinking through change will help you and your employees navigate swiftly.

The successful manager articulates understandable objectives and delineates them through clear, succinct and measurable goals. The astute manager also understands not only what the actual change itself implies, but the long term ramifications to the business you run, as well as all of the individuals within the business. The implications and feelings the change will create in the hearts and minds of employees must be understood if the manager is to successfully communicate, and be able to empathetically listen to the affected employees. Lastly, the manager who consistently navigates through change understands what will follow the current change in process; what does it enable, or restrict in future opportunities. We will explore the three elements of change management we have discussed thus far in greater detail. The key to all of these elements of change is to seek to make the unknown – the puzzlement and doubt that accompanies something new – known.

A Goal to Describe the Results

“Why?” is the first question each manager must answer for himself and his employees. “Why?” is a person’s ultimate expression that something is not known or understood. Without the answer or answers to this, any change will flounder and the scrutiny of employees and supervisors will inevitably follow. Your attitude about the change will show with your employees, your buy-in and ability to make the unknown known is fundamental. Fully understanding the motivations behind any change encountered, or creating and communicating the motivations behind the change you are sponsoring, in a supportive (and if appropriate collaborative) way, is paramount.

Closely tied to this is the ability to establish and communicate goals. Well-articulated goals will describe the direction and objectives of the organisation you are managing; change as part of a pathway to those goals will most likely not require extensive additional selling. Well-described goals will bring the action steps toward those goals into the “known” quickly and easily. Employees who understand that their actions and efforts to facilitate change will lead to a positive result will embrace them much more quickly. If the result is known, the actions proposed to get there will become known in the minds of your employees. The dreaded realm of the unknown will be avoided!

The Meaning of the Change

“What will I have to do?” will quickly follow “Why?” into the minds of employees. Understanding your employees strengths and weaknesses, both in actuality and in their self perception, is critical here. The question “What will I have to do?” is what is usually expressed verbally; the real question underneath that outward expression is “Will I be able to do this?” and/or “Will I enjoy doing this?” A manager that can lead their employees on the pathway out of this unknown quickly and directly will get buy-in and true action from their employees sooner, leading to a more sound and timely implementation. In fact, when dealing with the known in this way, employee enhancements to the change can surface, enhancing the overall result.

Managers need to be mindful of both the immediate and ongoing meaning of the proposed change from the employee’s point of view. What may be perceived as a simple change today – one that the manager brings into the realm of the known – may still contain unknown elements. “Does this mean that…?” questions are the key to an employee expression that there remain elements of the change that are “unknown”. These questions should also trigger a review of the organisations goals by the manager. Are they clear? Have they been described in sufficient detail to the employees? Does this particular employee understand the direction of the department? A manager needs to assess each affected employees ability to handle the change, both short and long term, and guide and support them into the realm of the known.

What’s Next?

When a manager starts hearing questions from his employees about what change is coming up next, this is an indication that the change is “catching on”. However, this can be the most difficult part of managing change. First and foremost, can you as a manager answer this question? If you cannot, then you need to be brought out from the dungeon of the unknown! Without this, you cannot guide and nurture the success of your employees. On the other hand, if you do know the answer to the “What’s next?” question, maybe this stage in the journey from the unknown to the known is best addressed with questions, rather than answers. Questions like, “What do you think we should do next?”, “Do you have any ideas as to how we can reach our goals more quickly?” or “Can you lead us through the next part of our change journey?” can have a profound effect. Soliciting this input from your employees can alter the nature of where change originates. Rare is the senior manager that fully understands the elements of what each employee does in performing his/her job. Having senior management set goals, and having employees – driven and guided by knowledgeable managers – implement changes in reaching those goals is the greatest pathway to success.

This type of situation is the greatest way to manage the journey from the unknown to the known. Employees with a detailed understanding of the goals at hand, empowered with the capability to think for themselves, working together in cohesive teams, can nearly assure a manager of success in implementing change. In this environment, the journey to the known is designed by the very folks that need to reach this promised land. In fact, they become “Creators of the known.”

#change #projectmanagers #leaders #unknown #mindavation

Perhaps one of our greatest personal and professional assets is our own narrative. Likely there are events and experiences in our lifetime that required us to use skills and qualities we didn’t realise we had. The potential and beauty of these experiences, particularly when it comes to leadership, is the inspiration that awaits the world when, or if, we retell our story.

We learn far more about leadership by experience than we do in a classroom. In short, leadership is a journey, not a destination. We all have a narrative and a story (if not more than one) and it is important to take inventory and discover what these stories are and how to articulate them. This is not about bragging or flattering your ego – in fact it’s far from it. This is about being realistic and understanding that you are a leader and have spent years demonstrating your leadership qualities and characteristics. However, you just might not have kept tabs on the documentation. So, it is now time to conduct your leadership audit—someone, an organisation, or perhaps even your country is looking for what you have.

So let’s start with you – because it’s time to start articulating your leadership narrative.

How can you start? Here are 5 steps that can help:

1. Make a list of people who you believe are leaders (you do not have to know them personally)
2. For each of the individuals you listed above, list the qualities they each possess that inspire you to see them as leaders
3. For each leadership quality you listed, describe at least one time in your life when you exhibited that same quality
4. Come up with at least 3 additional qualities that you believe leaders possess
5. Repeat step 3

You now have specific examples of when, where, and how you demonstrated your leadership. As you begin to build your narrative and articulate your story, think about what you learned from each of the experiences you identified in the 5 step process. What changed in you? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about leadership?

Your own experiences are a rich resource of knowledge, learning and insight. Knowing what your story is and how to tell it can not only make a difference for you, it might be exactly what someone else needs to hear. You are more capable than you know. In the workplace and in life this thing called “leadership”, that so often gets a reputation for being hard to measure, is in fact something we just are not that great at documenting.

Find out more about Mindavation’s LinkedIn Learning, , or perhaps your company is in need of upskilling a team.

Please contact me if I can be of assistance to you personally or your company.

Haydn Thomas – Chief Mindavator | LinkedIn Learning Facilitator | Fierce Conversation Starter

#mindavation #training #sponsor #projectmanagement #leadership