Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Prepare for the Rise of the Versatilists

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Prepare for the Rise of the Versatilists As the data age marches on, IT and business become even further intertwined. Where do project managers fit in the radically new IT ecosystem that will be a reality by 2020? On his recent Project Management in 2020 webinar, Gartner research VP Michael Hanford, discussed what we can expect in the profession in the years to come. Here are eight of his most pertinent observations. Decentralized IT Spend Approximately 37 percent of IT-related spending now takes place outside the IT organization. As more projects leave IT to reside with line of business managers, the percentage breakdown will increase to 50/50 (50 percent IT, 50 percent line of business) within the next few years. Disappearing Professions As machine capabilities continue to advance and automation becomes more sophisticated, more jobs based on pattern recognition will go to robots instead of humans. By 2050, about one-third of current white collar jobs will be gone. Alliance Building Enterprise IT has evolved in three stages. The first was IT craftsmanship with a focus on technology, operating systems, and hardware. The second was IT industrialization with a focus on repeatable processes, standards, and certifications. We are on the cusp of the third stage, platformization, which will focus on business models, markets, and alliances. The desired outcome during this stage is innovation and frenemy collaborations will be everywhere. Movement from Software Delivery to Business Change Once upon a time, project management was solely about planning and coordination. Many artifacts of this era, including PM-specific skills, linear thinking, and “best” practices, haven’t survived. Today, the name of the game is driving change and cutting complexity. “I got new software” is not a solution. Meaningful change is. Rise of the Versatilists Specialists with a deep bench of specific knowledge will not be able to learn and change quickly enough to address business requirements. Increasingly, PM success will be about versatility, or possessing good leadership skills, strong relationships, and the right contacts. For more of Gartners tips, check out Intuits Fast Track blog.