workplace

PMI’s 15th annual Pulse of the Profession report, titled Moving Past Office-Centric Models 15th Edition, details key findings of its annual survey of project professionals and project leaders around the world. 

It gathered responses from 2,246 project professionals and 342 senior leaders and found that 77 per cent of MENA organisations surveyed in MENA are expecting an increase in flexible and adaptive hybrid management practices over the next five years. 

Seventy-two per cent of organisations in MENA currently use the linear-run or traditional project management methodologies.

Further, the report, found that globally, since 2020, there has been a 57.5 per cent increase in survey respondents reportedly using hybrid management frameworks. 

The annual report also found that respondents from around the world “provide compelling evidence” that organisations can provide work location flexibility, agility, and empowerment without affecting project execution and performance.

Yet, the survey found that in MENA, the in-person model is the preferred way of working, with 23 per cent of organisations adopting the hybrid model and 3 per cent following the remote path. 

Data from the report found projects perform equally well, regardless of whether workers were in-person, hybrid, or remote.

At the industry level, different enablers show correlations to higher levels of project performance. 

The top three enablers associated with higher project performance within the construction industry include employee resource groups, which enhance project performance by 78.9 per cent, mental health resources by 77.2 per cent, and coaching and mentoring by 76.7 per cent.

The research found that enablers – specific supportive programming that helps individuals and teams learn new skills and competencies – play a much larger role in driving project performance than work location or project management approach. 

The three most common enablers organisations provide are coaching and mentoring, training on new ways of working, and communities of practice to share knowledge and expertise. 

It was found that organisations that offer employees at least three enablers reported significantly higher project performance rates. 

However, those that do not offer any enablers were more likely to experience scope creep challenges and increased budget losses on failed projects.

The report showed that in the UAE, 46 per cent of organisations are enabling project professionals to access professional development through coaching and mentoring; 43 per cent have strong communities of practice to enable knowledge-sharing; and 29 per cent of organisations offer training opportunities to project management professionals to adapt to new ways of working.

In Saudi Arabia, project performance was found to have been positively impacted, with 49 per cent of organisations offering training opportunities to adapt to new ways of working and helping project professionals plan and achieve professional development through coaching and mentoring. 

Thirty-nine per cent have dedicated communication channels for employees to ask questions regarding changes and 37 per cent are building a “competitive edge” through strong communities of practice to enable employees to collaborate, share knowledge and learn from each other.

As for project outcomes, 69 per cent of organisations in MENA met business goals, compared to 75 per cent in North America and 71 per cent in Europe.

Read the full report here.