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  • Report

Power Skills: Redefining Project Success

Human-Centered Capabilities for Enhanced Project Outcomes

PMI’s Pulse of the Profession 2023 highlights the growing importance of power skills—communication, leadership, and strategic thinking—in redefining project success and driving organizational agility.

Summary

The "Power Skills: Redefining Project Success" Pulse report presents compelling evidence that interpersonal and adaptive capabilities increasingly differentiate successful project professionals and delivery organizations in today's complex business environment.

This research-driven resource challenges traditional skill prioritization models focused primarily on technical expertise, presenting data demonstrating that power skills—including collaborative leadership, emotional intelligence, communication effectiveness, and strategic thinking—have become critical determinants of project outcomes across industries and methodologies.

The report identifies key power skill dimensions that drive enhanced performance, from improved stakeholder alignment and team effectiveness to more adaptive responses to change and uncertainty. It explores how organizations are evolving their talent development approaches to systematically build these capabilities, moving beyond ad-hoc learning to create structured pathways that integrate experiential practice, feedback, and reflection. Particular attention is given to the changing expectations of executives and stakeholders, with evidence showing that perception of project success increasingly depends on experience quality and business alignment rather.

91%

of executives rank power skills as critical success factors

5.2x

higher team performance with power skills mastery

63%

fewer project failures with power skills emphasis

What's Inside
Leadership Enhancement Models
Developing influential and emotionally intelligent leadership
Communication Mastery Frameworks
Enhancing communication effectiveness in project teams
Collaboration Optimization Approaches
Maximizing collaboration and stakeholder engagement