Member Article

New study reveals how UK businesses can improve project delivery

Findings from the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Pulse of the Profession 2021 report reveal that less than half of all projects (48%) in the UK completed on time in the previous year.

The finding show there are numerous ways to improve performance, such as further adopting technologies. Britain currently has relatively low adoption of technologies that could accelerate project delivery such as Artificial Intelligence (21%), Internet of Things (24%), 5G (13%), robotics (14%), and voice-driven software (12%).

The report also indicates a strong priority from leadership to further accelerate project delivery. Business strategy (64%) and digital transformation (63%) were identified as the most significant changes within organisations in the UK over the past 12 months.

The UK also places a significant premium on creating an organisational culture that delivers customer value (79%) and supporting flexible working options (71%).

“These findings reveal the opportunity for British businesses to develop the next generation skills and competencies needed to better handle project complexities and deliver results,” said Ashwini Bakshi, Managing Director, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa at PMI. “Other economies are already realising the benefits of adopting these ‘hyper-agile’ technologies and ways of working within the project management profession, along with the increased efficiencies they deliver. The UK’s gap is being recognised by project management leaders and, most importantly, action is being taken to improve the efficiency of projects.”

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of projects that were completed successfully, met the original project aims and business objectives, the survey of professional project managers found. Just over half (58%) of UK organisations feel their productivity increased over the past 12 months, however, 39% of projects experienced “scope creep” or other setbacks, according to the research.

The data indicates that gymnastic businesses – defined as organisations that are able to thrive from focusing on outcomes rather than process – have been able to better adjust to the difficulties of the pandemic and see strong improvements in productivity levels overall.

Bakshi added: “By recognising the need for agility and digital transformation – the survey results indicate organisations in the UK have the opportunity to improve overall productivity and meet business objectives while avoiding scope creep and delivering more projects on time.”

A total of 332 project professionals make up UK respondents for this survey, and a total of 3,950 project professionals representing a range of industries and regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East/North Africa, and China were surveyed for the report.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Project Management Institute .