Driving innovation through project management: How PMs can foster creativity

In today’s fast paced corporate landscape, innovation is key to ensuring your business remains competitive. The project management function within your organisation can play a vital role in driving this creativity and generating new ideas to keep you ahead of the curve.

Why is innovation crucial for business success?

Innovation helps drive growth, enhance competitiveness and improve customer satisfaction. With new technologies and ways of working emerging every day, organisations need to constantly adapt and evolve. But without creative thinking and innovative ideas this wouldn’t be possible.

How can project managers drive innovation?

There are many ways that project managers can help enhance creativity within their own teams and across the wider organisation.

Create a culture of psychological safety

Create an environment where team members feel safe to express ideas without fear of criticism or rejection. Encourage inclusivity and diverse perspectives, recognising the value that comes for having varied viewpoints within your team.

Encourage collaboration and cross-functional input

Foster collaboration among teams and functions by bringing together individuals with different expertise and backgrounds. Use team building activities or communication tools to break down silos and encourage shared problem solving.

Provide time and space for creativity

Dedicate specific time within project schedules for brainstorm, workshop or ideation sessions, where team members are encouraged to bring new ideas and discuss these openly. Adopting Agile methodologies can also help to drive innovation, integrating iterative, exploratory phases into your projects will give your teams time to experiment and refine ideas.

Leverage tools and technology

Collaborative tools, such as Miro, Slack or Trello, can be used to document and refine ideas. Online communication tools, including Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, can provide an opportunity for idea generation between teams in different locations, and data analytics and project management software can be used to identify trends, assess feasibility, and prioritise innovative solutions. Together they provide a wealth of opportunities to encourage creativity amongst your team.

Balance structure with flexibility

When using structured methodologies such as PRINCE2® ensure you leave room for experimentation and adaptability within the project plan. Make use of the Agile principle of iterative development to test ideas, gather feedback, and make improvements.

Reward creativity and recognise contributions

Celebrate team members’ innovative efforts, whether or not they lead to immediate success. Implement recognition programmes to motivate and encourage creative thinking through positive reinforcement.

Lead by example

Show your openness to new ideas by actively listening to your team and demonstrate curiosity by asking thought-provoking questions encouraging them to think about things in a different way. Demonstrate a willingness to take calculated risks and support innovative proposals.

Encourage continuous learning

Provide access to training, workshops, and resources that inspire creative thinking and promote ongoing professional development. Encourage team members to learn new skills and explore trends in their fields which they can then bring back to the team.

Measure and learn from innovation efforts

Develop KPIs to track the outcomes of innovative initiatives. Use successes and failures as learning opportunities, giving you the chance to refine processes and better support creative projects in the future.

Using PRINCE2 to enhance creativity

The structured approach of PRINCE2 forms a great stepping stone for innovation. By ensuring your day-to-day project management practices are strong, you can allow more time for creative thinking and idea exploration. Combining this structure with the additional flexibility offered by Agile using PRINCE2 Agile® your team will be the best position to enhance innovation in your organisation.

Learn more about our PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile training courses.