Power of Project Tailoring:
Discover What Skills an IT Project Manager Needs in 2025

If you are an IT Project Manager, you must be aware about the factor that will shape project management in 2025. 

And my prediction for 2024 was correct:

  • Layoffs in the tech sector continued strong, with 149K people losing their jobs.
  • Performance was the top reason for the termination.
  • Project managers struggled to find the next project due to a lack of measurable achievements (read the right skills).

Do you want to know what 2025 will bring for IT Project Managers?

Let me share what I see happening in the IT industry right now.

Why will big companies continue layoffs in 2025?

That’s because here’s how a company works:

A company always plans for growth, even if it’s a slight growth of 1-2% of annual revenue. But usually, it’s much more than that. And there’s a long-term plan and a yearly plan for growth.

A growing company usually attracts investors. Investors provide money to support that growth.

As a result, this company increases the recruitment and talent acquisition departments to fulfill the needs of human resources. All these people go to new projects and initiatives to generate new income streams.

Likewise, the organization hires additional managers to onboard those new people and use them for new projects.

(Usually, if you aim for growth, you don’t overload your existing managers. That’s because it creates a risk to your core business.)

The fact is companies have to adjust year after year for slower growth. As a result, they had to cut down on all the non-essential projects aimed at development and innovation, but they kept people involved in the core business.

Usually, you can’t do anything about a layoff. A layoff occurs when a company must fire people due to unplanned external factors.

However, companies will also start firing people from core business projects this year. They want to increase the efficiency of their workforce. 

And you must safeguard your career as soon as possible.

3 Factors that Scream “Efficiency is the Key in 2025”

Unfortunately, an economic decline is creeping into 2025. And there’s a good chance of a recession.

Again, it means no exponential business growth in 2025. And here’s a critical part for project managers!

Most companies will play safe this year. They plan for minimal profit growth but no increase in headcount. How will they achieve that? The answer is optimization!

That’s why project managers who are:

  • Can’t guarantee project success.
  • Not efficient.
  • Can’t improve processes.
  • Can’t innovate. 

These project managers will likely be the first on the termination list.

Factor#1: Hybrid Project Teams and Inefficient Processes

Here’s the truth. Most project managers had failed to manage their work-from-home projects during COVID. 

As a result, 86% of companies reported having outdated project management processes in 2024. 

Following that, big companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon started the return-to-office strategy. The rest of the world will slowly follow their lead.

Nevertheless, roughly 60% of project professionals still work remotely. And about 38% of projects work with distributed teams around the world.

Here’s the catch:

We went to work-from-home with inefficient processes. In 2025, we’ll shift back to more mixed-in-office and co-located teams. As a result, project managers will face a mix of old and new unresolved challenges. 

That’s why tailoring new processes for these hybrid teams will be your #1 problem. Solving this problem will improve process and team productivity and efficiency.

This leads us to another trend in the project management world…

Factor #2: Hybrid Project Management Approaches and Tailoring

The next factor is all about agile frameworks in 2025. Even the top agile evangelists started to talk about how Scrum mutated over the last few years. Pure Scrum is not the goal this year.

I’ve always been preaching it: Scrum (Kanban) is not enough in the IT industry. 

Even if your title says “Scrum Master,” you must also wear the PM’s hat. 

The Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that about 50% of all projects use hybrid project management approaches. Hybrid means that they combine agile and plan-driven project management ideas. 

What does it mean for an IT project manager? 

Here’s another fact: there is no standard agile project management framework.

So, every organization will still develop a custom-made approach to combining PM and business processes, transitioning from a plan-driven to an agile phase, etc. 

There’s a challenge and opportunity here:

On the one hand, there are not that many project managers who know how to do it.

On the other hand, if you develop the right skills, you can lead this optimization. 

And if you combine it with the first factor, you can nail two challenges together. That’s because the required skill set is the same for both.

However, on top of that, you can expect the overall performance optimization.

Factor #3: The Most Straightforward Way for Optimization 

Can you guess it? What will any executive or PMO officer recommend to improve project delivery and productivity? 

I hope you guessed it correctly:

“We need to adopt AI tools.”

AI tools are currently at the top of everyone’s mind. 

Those who don’t adopt them will stay behind. 

AI tools can NOT replace a good project manager at this moment. However, they can remove the need for entry-level and assistant project managers. 

Why would you pay a full salary if you can get a subscription for 20-60 USD per month?

But again, there’s an opportunity as well!

AI tools will eventually enter your organization. Nevertheless, someone should properly integrate them into the existing project management approach. 

For example, one popular use case is generating an automatic status report or a stand-up meeting update. AI can save hundreds of hours over a year on these routine reports!

However, for this feature to work, your team needs to track their work correctly, and you need to structure the project in the PM tool properly.

Therefore, every such use case will require a skilled project manager to tailor a new process or workflow. Then, you’ll need to integrate AI outputs with other processes and tools. 

(Otherwise, you’ll pile up lots of disconnected things. And it will eliminate the benefits of AI productivity.)

And here is good news. You don’t need technical skills to use AI tools. Instead, you’ll have to double down on your project management knowledge and skills.

That’s because you’ll need to be a connection between PM concepts and AI technical capabilities.

Successful project managers know that leading such transformations requires more than basic management skills. You also need stakeholder management, organizational change management, and leadership skills.

So, let’s summarize it:

  • To stay relevant in 2025 and beyond, you need to improve your project management and leadership skills to drive process improvements related to hybrid team and hybrid project management approaches.
  • Focus your efforts on using AI tools to improve the efficiency of your teams, processes, and productivity. 

However, project efficiency is not a simple concept. You may think you are doing well, while your boss thinks you don’t have what it takes to stay in the company.

Below, we’ll explore 3 unobvious reasons why you may lose your job during the next wave of layoffs. 

Power of Project Tailoring

In This Online Workshop,
You'll Discover The Following!

The Top Reason Why Project Managers Will be Fired in 2025

Martha’s heart rate abruptly jumps up when she takes her phone in the morning. There’s an obscured meeting invite from HR titled “Important Update.”

Her boss has also been invited and has already accepted the invitation to the meeting. She starts to feel uneasy, and her gut tells her it’s not good.

Martha immediately logs in on her laptop. Is there a complaint from the customer? Have they found a critical defect? But there are no urgent emails or messages.

Typically, she spends the first 30 minutes of the morning planning her day and checking emails and messages. But today, she can’t seem to focus on anything. Her mind is racing with possibilities for this meeting.

As the clock approaches 9:15 AM, Martha’s anxiety reaches its peak. She takes a deep breath and clicks on the meeting link. 

Martha’s worst fears are confirmed as soon as the HR representative speaks. She is being fired, effective immediately.

The HR guy goes on to explain that her performance was good. It was just a hard decision that the company’s leadership made.

Martha hears his voice as if from far away. She is in shock. She has received no warning or negative feedback on her work. Her boss even praised her insights last week.

Her account is blocked, and she is left feeling lost and confused.

Unfortunately, there will be many “Marthas” in the next six months

Today, we’ll discuss why this happened to Martha and why it may also happen to many IT project managers.

But before we proceed, I need to remind you of what I shared in the previous email on Monday. If you missed it, find it in your inbox.

Or click here to review it quickly right now.

But in short:

One hundred forty-nine thousand seven hundred three people were fired in 2024 layoffs. We can expect another wave of layoffs at the start of 2025.

It’s clear that companies will also trim all the fat. This means they’ll redistribute projects to fewer managers and fire project managers who don’t perform.

How can you tell if you are on the termination list? Here are three indicators:

#1: Efficiency

Martha’s soft skills were over the roof. She could find an approach to any person. She spent a lot of time connecting with each and every team member. Everyone loved to work with Martha.

Unfortunately, Martha relied on her talents. She didn’t have a system. She liked to manage projects with to-do lists. Sometimes, they were simple kanban boards with “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.”

Every time Martha started a new project with a new team, it took her a while to get up to speed.

Again, she didn’t use any structured project management approach. Instead, she was trying to get things done. But it often felt like she pushed harder on the acceleration pedal while holding the other foot on the brakes.

As a result, you could often see several task lists with hundreds of items. Moreover, lots of them were always in the “In Progress.”

Working hard through a to-do list doesn’t equal project efficiency. In project management, efficiency also encompasses the predictability of the project, transparency of the progress, and continuous improvement of processes.

Moreover, you shouldn’t have to invent a wheel when starting a new project. You need a structured approach. My motto is: Projects are unique, but project management concepts are the same.

So ask yourself:

“Do I have a proven and practical project management approach that works in real-world organizations?”

“Do I provide project efficiency in all its aspects?”

This leads us to the second critical point…

#2: Connecting the Dots

Like most project managers, Martha learned project management on her own. She trained her skills by leading small teams, which usually consisted of 2-7 people.

She recently earned her PMP and Scrum Master certifications and learned about SAFe. She is also progressing through Google’s project management online course.

But here’s the problem:

Martha doesn’t use all this knowledge in her daily work!

Why? 

She works in a small company where nothing looks like project management from those courses.

So, Martha developed a (limiting) belief that “project management by the book doesn’t work.”

As a result, she never tried to understand how to apply all that project management theory in the real world. 

Unfortunately, that’s a hidden reason why Martha was fired. 

She got a slightly more complex project than usual. This project was somewhat more important for her boss.

Unfortunately, Martha led it one task at a time, solving problems on the go. She thought, “If we work hard, everyone will be happy.”

Martha couldn’t answer the burning questions three months into the project: When will it be finished? What are the main risks? 

This project required her to set goals and boundaries, work with uncertainty, and manage risks. She tried to do it. However, it all ended up as a bunch of spreadsheets that no one ever used or saw.

Stakeholder management came into play, but she didn’t have the skills to manage and correct expectations. She said “yes” to many things she didn’t know how to deliver. 

So ask yourself these questions:

“Do I have a big picture of project management in my head?”

“Do I understand the benefits of different processes and tools?”

“Can I combine it all to lead a more complex project with stakeholders, risks, and technical challenges?”

This gets us to the most critical part…

#3: Additional Value

Unfortunately, finishing projects on time is not enough.

Imagine you have two project managers who perform at about the same level. How would you decide which one to lay off?

If personality and performance are the same, you would assess the impact they have on the organization:

  1. Do they improve processes and tools?
  2. Do they share knowledge?
  3. Do they display the skills to lead complex projects?

Overall, you should ask yourself, “Do I help my company to make or save money?

If the answer is “I’m not sure” or “No,” it’s a red flag.

All successful project managers have one thing in common. They have an impact on ALL projects and stakeholders in the organization.

It boils down to having solid knowledge of how project management works and good leadership skills to drive process improvement. But it’s the topic of the next email, so stay tuned.

In the next email, which I’ll send on Tuesday, we’ll discuss exactly how to overcome these three imminent challenges:

  1. We’ll talk about how to improve the efficiency of your project management skills.
  2. Different ways you can generate more value for the organization. (literally how you can make or save money for them).
  3. How to develop the big picture of project management.

Power of Project Tailoring

In This Online Workshop,
You'll Discover The Following!

3 Tips to Become a Great Project Manager

First, we discussed an imminent problem many project managers will face in 2025. It was about upcoming layoffs and performance optimization.

Second, I explained the top three reasons project managers need to level up their project management efficiency as soon as possible.

Below, you’ll learn the following:

  1. How to dramatically increase your understanding of project management as a system.
  2. How to generate additional value for the company where you work so that impact is undeniable.
  3. How to ensure you can deliver projects on time, within budget, and with a high level of certainty.

The problem is that most project managers don’t have formal education. (Schools and colleges don’t teach the practical skills required in the real world.)

You learned everything related to IT project management from the Internet: articles, YouTube videos, and books.

Unfortunately, professional writers create these articles, not practicing PMs. They have zero hands-on experience in leading projects.

At the same time, PM certifications teach you overly theoretical knowledge. This knowledge creates lots of limiting beliefs. As a result, they do more harm than good.

You often may feel like you know the theory, but you can use it in practice. 

On the contrary, the three tips below come from practical experience. They have been tested and proven many times throughout my career, so they will help you with your real-world projects.

Tip #1

This one is critical to increase the efficiency of your project management knowledge in the real world.

Likewise, it’s the first step in developing the vision of the big picture of project management.

It might seem counterintuitive to you. But you need to start drawing!

First, draw a project life cycle in your current organization and industry. The image below provides an example.

But what do you see in the image?

Here’s what a great project manager must see:

  1. Phases of the project with work different in nature (e.g., coding, design, testing). They require different processes and techniques. These phases exist even in small projects.
  2. Multiple tangible deliverables that we create in one phase and continue using in the following ones. They should be tailored to the processes and other tools.
  3. Dozens of integration points that should be tailored together and with external processes and policies.

You see, just knowing these theoretical concepts is not enough. You need to understand that each element on this diagram requires tailoring effort from you.

Otherwise, you’ll end up with a disconnected project management approach. As a result, you’ll be wasting lots of time manually pushing things through this life cycle. 

This exercise will generate dozens of questions in your brain, and I’m confident you’ll find plenty of space for optimization.

And don’t be like Martha from the previous email. You should NOT manage all aspects of a project the same way. However, you must connect these different parts into a system.

Tip #2

If you want to deliver projects successfully every time, no matter what project you get, you must develop a proven practical project management approach.

Definition: The Practical Project Management Approach is your interpretation of how project management works based on your knowledge and experience.

You develop a practical PM approach through your experience or learning it from a mentor experienced in your industry. 

Again, I want you to draw a diagram of the project management approach in your environment. Here’s one piece of it as an example.

Understanding how information flows and transforms through processes and tools is critical. You need to understand why we need a specific tool and what to do if you don’t have that tool in your environment.

This exercise will help you identify inefficiencies in the existing project management approach. 

  • You’ll notice bottlenecks, such as places where you must copy-paste and edit information manually.
  • You’ll notice where you make risky assumptions or miss critical information.

Additionally, you’ll have to find a place and application for each tool or project management concept you know. This will help you select the right tools when you get a more complex project in the future.

Obviously, these are your opportunities to generate additional value for the organization. 

Tip #3

Nobody talks about this, but it’s crucial for delivering projects successfully.

Think about everything I covered in these emails. 

#1: You need to manage in-office and remote team members. There are no standard project management approaches, and existing processes are inefficient. You need to tailor something new.

#2: You need to manage projects using a hybrid approach because the IT industry is moving in that direction. But again, it will be a unique mix of frameworks and tools. You need to ensure they are tailoring into a streamlined system.

#3: Every organization will adopt AI tools to improve efficiency. Therefore, someone has to integrate them into the existing project management approach. Why shouldn’t that be you?

#4: Organizations will fight to optimize existing processes and tools. This means streamlining and adapting project management best practices. Again, it’s all about tailoring a better project management methodology.

#5: If you want to master project management and deliver projects successfully without stress and overwhelm, you need to develop a tailored baseline project management approach in your head. It will help you structure your future projects with a predictable plan. 

Have you noticed the pattern?

Tailoring, tailoring, tailoring…

Project tailoring will be the most critical skill for you in 2025 and beyond for the rest of your career. 

But it’s one of the most challenging skills to master. It requires lots of experience and analytical skills.

That’s exactly why I developed the Power of Project Tailoring Workshop. 

It’s totally free. The goal is to help you master project tailoring and start delivering your projects successfully so that you can become a great project manager.

By participating in this workshop, you’ll learn:

  • What is Project Tailoring, and how does it apply to real-world projects? 
  • 6 tailoring mistakes that you probably make that multiple problems they generate.
  • How to tailor any aspect of your project correctly using a 7-step framework.
  • How to master project management on an expert level and the support you need to finish your current projects successfully.

As you might already know, I don’t often conduct these in-depth workshops. So, don’t miss this opportunity to develop the right skills and finally become the PM you aspire to be.

Power of Project Tailoring

In This Online Workshop,
You'll Discover The Following!