Smartsheet Future of Work Management Report 2023
Project management is only as successful as the processes that support it.
In this year’s annual report, we uncover the current state of project management: the top trends, pain points, and disconnects among various levels of the organization. We also provide actionable ways to reframe the way you approach project-based work within your organization, so you can maximize your success and the well-being of your employees.
Read the 2023 reportWhich of the following best represents your role at your company?
Executives
Directors & Managers
Project & Program Managers
Individual Contributors
You may think you’ve adequately invested in the right project management tools… but what do your teams really think?
of respondents say their company is not investing enough in the tools needed to address common project management challenges.
of people are overwhelmed by the pace of their projects and deadlines.
of people have access to formal project management software.
So, how can you better set up your employees and projects for success?
Identify the types of project support your employees need, and invest appropriately.
Ensure that all those working on project-based work have access to effective tools and resources.
Create ways for employees to regularly leave feedback so you can stay on top of the needs of your people.
Ready to dive into all the findings?
Visibility is crucial to creating streamlined, sustainable processes that scale – but the majority of workers don’t reliably have insight into past projects.
of people have to manually update their boss on what they’re doing.
of respondents say they aren’t getting regular updates on projects across the company.
of people say they face challenges accessing learning and processes from past projects.
So, how can you ensure everyone has access to the information they need, when they need it?
Create one place that houses all project and process-related details that everyone can access.
Leverage automation to save valuable time, eliminate process bottlenecks, and ensure the right people are looped in at the right time.
Conduct postmortems to discuss learnings from past projects and use that knowledge to build scalable, repeatable processes that people can use for future efforts.
Ready to dive into all the findings?
Deadlines are what they are – but the biggest source of project dysfunction is actually the “middle work.”
of people expect their company to ask project teams to accomplish even more with less in the near future.
project professionals expect deadlines to stay the same moving forward (i.e. things aren’t slowing down, regardless of if they have the resources or tools to be successful).
of respondents say their stress levels are lower when projects run smoothly from start to finish.
So, how can you ensure that the day-to-day work runs more smoothly — even with tight time and resources?
Eliminate repetitive, manual processes wherever possible so your team can focus on the most impactful work.
Create one place to house all project-related details so everyone has access to what they need – and they can be confident that it’s up-to-date.
Identify all necessary resources to get your project over the finish line. Plus, have a contingency plan in place if you need to reallocate resources or pull back on budget.
Regardless of your job title, it’s likely that you end up managing projects. But that doesn’t mean you have the proper support to do your work effectively.
of people say they step into the role of project manager out of necessity, even if it’s not part of their official job description.
of all project teams who report being understaffed on a regular basis.
of people say they are overwhelmed by the project pace and deadlines.
Since project-based work likely isn’t going away anytime soon, how can you work smarter — both to prevent burnout and create more sustainable, scalable processes?
Automate repeatable processes to avoid time spent on redundant tasks, workflow bottlenecks, and project delays.
Eliminate knowledge silos by advocating for visibility into project and program status and cross-functional learnings.
Ensure you have the proper support to plan, track, and manage your project from ideation to execution by encouraging leadership to invest in the right tools.
Ready to dive into all the findings?
Which of the following best represents your role at your company?
Executives
Directors & Managers
Project & Program Managers
Individual Contributors
You may think you’ve adequately invested in the right project management tools… but what do your teams really think?
of respondents say their company is not investing enough in the tools needed to address common project management challenges.
of people are overwhelmed by the pace of their projects and deadlines.
of people have access to formal project management software.
So, how can you better set up your employees and projects for success?
Identify the types of project support your employees need, and invest appropriately.
Ensure that all those working on project-based work have access to effective tools and resources.
Create ways for employees to regularly leave feedback so you can stay on top of the needs of your people.
Ready to dive into all the findings?
Visibility is crucial to creating streamlined, sustainable processes that scale – but the majority of workers don’t reliably have insight into past projects.
of people have to manually update their boss on what they’re doing.
of respondents say they aren’t getting regular updates on projects across the company.
of people say they face challenges accessing learning and processes from past projects.
So, how can you ensure everyone has access to the information they need, when they need it?
Create one place that houses all project and process-related details that everyone can access.
Leverage automation to save valuable time, eliminate process bottlenecks, and ensure the right people are looped in at the right time.
Conduct postmortems to discuss learnings from past projects and use that knowledge to build scalable, repeatable processes that people can use for future efforts.
Ready to dive into all the findings?
Deadlines are what they are – but the biggest source of project dysfunction is actually the “middle work.”
of people expect their company to ask project teams to accomplish even more with less in the near future.
project professionals expect deadlines to stay the same moving forward (i.e. things aren’t slowing down, regardless of if they have the resources or tools to be successful).
of respondents say their stress levels are lower when projects run smoothly from start to finish.
So, how can you ensure that the day-to-day work runs more smoothly — even with tight time and resources?
Eliminate repetitive, manual processes wherever possible so your team can focus on the most impactful work.
Create one place to house all project-related details so everyone has access to what they need – and they can be confident that it’s up-to-date.
Identify all necessary resources to get your project over the finish line. Plus, have a contingency plan in place if you need to reallocate resources or pull back on budget.
Regardless of your job title, it’s likely that you end up managing projects. But that doesn’t mean you have the proper support to do your work effectively.
of people say they step into the role of project manager out of necessity, even if it’s not part of their official job description.
of all project teams who report being understaffed on a regular basis.
of people say they are overwhelmed by the project pace and deadlines.
Since project-based work likely isn’t going away anytime soon, how can you work smarter — both to prevent burnout and create more sustainable, scalable processes?
Automate repeatable processes to avoid time spent on redundant tasks, workflow bottlenecks, and project delays.
Eliminate knowledge silos by advocating for visibility into project and program status and cross-functional learnings.
Ensure you have the proper support to plan, track, and manage your project from ideation to execution by encouraging leadership to invest in the right tools.
Ready to dive into all the findings?
