How does PRINCE2® 7 meet 2024’s project management demands?

One of the most exciting aspects of being a project manager is that it’s a continually evolving role. As trends change, new technologies appear, and society evolves, so do the priorities of project managers.

To meet these project management demands, professional bodies must ensure they’re offering training and qualifications that meet the needs of the current time while also preparing project managers for future trends.

Consequently, in September 2023, PRINCE2® (Projects IN Controlled Environments) released its new iteration, PRINCE2 7, to further refine and align its project management practices to remain best practice.

So, how does PRINCE2 7 meet the project management demands and trends of 2024?

2024 project management trends

At the end of 2023, our team predicted what 2024 would bring for project managers, which you can read here.

We then followed this up with our 2024 research report, which unveiled some key insights for the project management industry. With this, we can explore how PRINCE2 7 is meeting the needs of project managers in 2024.

Hybrid project management

Our research report found that 45% of businesses have either already adopted or plan to adopt a hybrid approach to project management this year.

This hybrid approach requires flexibility, adaptability and agility.

One of the seven principles in PRINCE2 7 is ‘tailor to suit the project environment’, placing the emphasis on tailoring the methodology to suit the unique needs of each project, organisation, and industry. This adaptability means that PRINCE2 can be applied more effectively to projects of any size, complexity, or context, making it a universally applicable methodology.

Similarly, PRINCE2 7 provides clearer guidance on integrating Agile practices. This information is not covered in as much depth as in the PRINCE2 Agile® certification, but it does further acknowledge the importance of agility in project management.

The guidance on using PRINCE2 alongside agile in a hybrid approach gives project managers the flexibility to adopt and adapt the framework to their project's specific requirements rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. This hybrid approach ensures that PRINCE2 remains flexible and relevant, regardless of a project's specific challenges or requirements.

Find out more about hybrid project management.

Streamlining and automation

A significant project management trend for 2024 is speed, automation and streamlining where possible. Research from Gartner suggests that by 2030, up to 80% of today’s project management tasks will be eliminated.

PRINCE2 7 is particularly focused on supporting project managers with streamlining and automating. Its flexible framework helps organisations structure projects to their specific digital goals, ensuring that new systems and software integrations are deployed efficiently and effectively.

By enabling a closer alignment with streamlined and agile practices, PRINCE2 7 supports iterative development that can help roll out digital transformations, including automation in processes. PRINCE2 7’s structure helps organisations define clear project outputs and outcomes, which is vital when implementing automated systems that require precise specifications.

In addition to streamlining processes for organisations, PRINCE2 7 itself has had its own streamlining. The guidance is much more concise, with clearer terminology and simplified approaches to make PRINCE2 7 easier to understand and adopt.

Sustainability and responsibility

Another big trend for project management in 2024 is to focus on social responsibility and sustainability. Research from the Association for Project Management (APM) found that 69% of project management professionals consider sustainability an important factor in their projects.

With sustainability high on the agenda for many organisations, the addition of a ‘sustainability management approach’ in PRINCE2 7 helps align projects with these values. The new framework incorporates considerations for environmental impacts and community relations, encouraging project managers to plan and execute projects that are not only economically viable but also environmentally and socially responsible.

This approach is particularly appealing to organisations seeking to meet the 2024 corporate social responsibility (CSR) expectations.

Learn more about the sustainability management approach.

Diversity and context

As the scope of project management expands, more industries are utilising project management practices. The applications for project management are endless. As a result, there is a growing trend in 2024 for welcoming diverse projects and focusing on the broader context and its impact on projects.

PRINCE2 7 includes enhanced guidance on considering the project environment and external context in the planning and execution phases. This guidance covers managing and adapting to the external context in which a project takes place, including organisational culture, regulatory requirements, and market conditions, ensuring that project managers can better anticipate and mitigate external risks and align projects with organisational culture and goals, as well as the situation and context.

By accounting for the project environment, PRINCE2 7 helps ensure that projects are managed efficiently on an internal level and successfully achieve their broader objectives within their specific context.

Communication and engagement

One of the biggest trends that has dominated the project management industry over the last few years is the focus on professional (soft) skills. In our project management insights report, we found that 78% of businesses were prioritising professional skills for 2024.

PRINCE2 7 also focuses on professional skills, especially communication, engagement, and change management, as part of its ‘people’ integrated element.

The people element of PRINCE2 7 highlights the importance of collaboration and effective communication to actively manage stakeholder and project team relationships. PRINCE2 7 also recognises the impact people have in driving change management and focuses on the role people play when embedding change in an organisation.

Training in PRINCE2 7

Addressing some of the biggest project management demands and trends for 2024 in this update, PRINCE2 ensures that it remains a leading framework for effective project management across various sectors and project types.

If you’re looking to realise the benefits that PRINCE2 7 can provide, there are several training courses available. If you’ve already achieved a PRINCE2 6th Edition qualification, we offer a bridging course to seamlessly transition between the 6th Edition and PRINCE2 7.  Alternatively, if you’re looking to qualify in PRINCE2, we offer PRINCE2 7 Foundation and Practitioner courses available as e-learning, virtual, classroom or blended training.