Foreword

Any analysis of the global forces significantly impacting society today can’t overlook the enduring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than two years since its outbreak in December 2019, the pandemic continues to overturn many aspects of our lives and conventional wisdom about how the world works. But while we continue to face this challenge in both our professional and personal lives, the world is learning the value of being more nimble — and reimagining a new path forward. We have a newfound appreciation of how communities must come together across boundaries to face our most urgent challenges.

But as society and industries find new solutions, it doesn’t mean there aren’t complexities to overcome. If anything, they are more pervasive than ever. Progress depends on changemakers — people who see opportunity and solutions in the midst of crisis.

Project professionals, of course, are born changemakers. Organizations have long turned to project managers and professionals with project skills to help them turn ideas into reality. What truly sets this community apart is their focus on implementation — figuring out how to make something concrete out of an audacious goal. This skill set will be more indispensable in the years ahead than ever before, as the world grapples with some of the challenges outlined in this year’s Megatrends report.

Today’s changemakers cannot operate in a vacuum removed from the world’s challenges. To be the most effective leaders possible, it’s imperative to develop an understanding of where the world is headed, what it means for organizations and where we can make a contribution. To meet the need for this broad global context, PMI offers its annual Megatrends report, evaluating long-term trends, research and industry data from around the world — and featuring firsthand perspectives from project professionals leading change now.

We see six Megatrends emerging for 2022, all with the potential of continued impact on both business and society — from digital disruption to movements for equality that are reshaping every corner of the globe.

However, understanding the trends affecting our world is only the first step to overcoming or embracing them. Our community has the greatest impact when we take big ideas and get to work on the grueling task of implementing them. Therefore, it’s not enough that we understand the implications of big challenges like the climate crisis or growing economic inequality — it will also be up to this community to help reimagine and drive solutions.

My hope is that this year’s Megatrends report educates and inspires changemakers and organizations worldwide to deliver impact — and we look forward to helping them as they continue forging paths forward.

Mike DePrisco

Chief Operating Officer, PMI