Author: ITCL

By Steve McBroom, Traxidy.com

Think of your project as a path through a forest with unknown challenges that lie ahead. Similar to Dorothy in the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz, walking through a dark forest and nervously chanting about possible trouble with “Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!” As project managers, you need to manage the unknowns along with the dynamics of your project team members. Understanding the people on your project team and learning how to manage the way they work will lead to a more successful project.

Apply your new insights and knowledge to deliver project success.

In this post, we’ll help you identify three different types of project team members you might encounter, each with traits that move you toward success or can present a challenge. We’ll show you how to recognize the personalities and share practical project team management tips to guide your team members successfully.

Some of your team members will easily fit the description and some will display a mix of traits. You might even recognize a bit of yourself in each type. Have fun matching each personality type to a project team member, and then apply your new insights and knowledge to deliver project success.

The Project Manager as ‘Coach’

Just as a coach understands each player’s role and mindset, project managers need to understand their project team’s work styles and motivations. Knowing how people are going to play the game and how they might perform under pressure, can help you be more successful.

Effective project team management includes discovering each team member’s personality traits … to achieve the best results.

Managing and aligning the strengths of each project team member with the project objectives and their work will create a more productive and cohesive project team.

While the path ahead and the project work required may be clear, the way each project team member handles their work may be different. Effective project team management includes discovering each team member’s personality traits and learning how best to communicate and collaborate with each one to achieve the best results from their work and for the project.

1. The Hero

How to Spot Them

The Hero will seem to be in control and on time, and appear to be putting in a lot of effort at the last minute. They tend to delay starting a task, despite knowing about it well in advance. The looming deadline puts the pressure on them to finally pull it all together. The last-minute heroics are often due to poor planning or not considering the work dependencies or constraints properly.

Manage for Project Success

The Hero needs to see the clock ticking down and will thrive as the time moves closer to zero. Try to break down their specific work into smaller, measurable (SMART) tasks as much as possible. It may be extra work to have to plan with that much detail, but it’s worth it to keep the project on track. Check in frequently and ask about the percent completion of their work. If a task is partially complete, consider asking for a look at the work, like a draft or prototype, to ensure you share the same understanding of the progress.

Watch Out For…

Heroes may be reluctant to ask for assistance and may say everything is good … until it isn’t. Ensure that ‘perfect’ doesn’t become the enemy of ‘good’ which could lead to missed deadlines. Try not to give too big a cheer for the last-minute heroics when they deliver the very work they themselves put into peril. You’ll be reinforcing the cycle of procrastination.

2. The Tiger

How to Spot Them

The Tiger tends to overestimate their abilities and can be overly aggressive in estimating the timing of their work. When pressed, they are eager to impress and provide good news about how quickly the work can be done. However, when project deadlines approach, they may offer excuses or find fault with external factors for delays.

Manage for Project Success

The Tiger is highly ambitious and wants to do well. They will set extremely high goals. Ensure you agree on specific goals and timeframes, and check in on their progress to ensure they stay focused. It’s helpful to provide regular and constructive feedback to align their expectations to the project requirements and constraints. Call on the Tiger if you are looking to motivate the team with an optimistic view or a story of determination and drive.

Watch Out For…

If the Tiger is being called upon to estimate work timelines, try to get other people with similar knowledge involved in the estimation process to balance out what could be an unrealistic or aggressive schedule. To ensure more accurate estimates, use a collaborative approach with peers as much as possible. The Planning Poker card game, using multiple people to estimate work effort, or the weighted average approach to time estimates using the PERT analysis, will help balance their optimism with more conservative and potentially more accurate estimates.

3. The Maverick

How to Spot Them

The Maverick project team member rides alone and likes to do things their way. Often, they resist existing guidelines, and the use of the usual templates or structured processes becomes optional for them. While they like to work independently, they can also be highly creative and think outside the box. This can lead to inconsistent deliverables, additional time needed, scope creep, and quality issues.

Manage for Project Success

The Maverick needs clear boundaries and consistent check-ins. As the project starts, clarify their role and responsibilities and discuss any non-negotiable project processes, requirements, expectations and procedures. Ensure the Maverick collaborates with the team members who depend on their deliverables. Stakeholders who are to receive the output of their work can also be called upon to verify if the deliverable meets expectations. They can be highly productive and strong project contributors, especially when assigned tasks like problem-solving.

Successful projects are more about the collective wins, and not the individual achievements.

Watch Out For…

Mavericks appear to produce work on time, however, the scope or quality may not be what was planned. Don’t get caught on the due date to find out it’s not what you expected the work to be. Regularly review their progress and gather feedback from stakeholders to ensure the outputs meet expectations. A one-on-one approach provides an opportunity to ask for more detailed information and to review the work completed to date, to ensure alignment on the scope and progress.

Winning as a (Project) Team

To win, as a coach, you must understand not only your team members’ skills but also their mindset. You don’t change their playing style, you coach it. A project manager, like a coach, adapts their project team management approach to maximize each project team member’s strengths while minimizing the risks to deliver the best possible project results.

As the project unfolds, adapt your … leadership approach, knowing when to provide guidance and when to allow team members to play to their strengths.

No project team is perfect, and no project manager is flawless. However, by understanding the dynamics of your project team members and effectively communicating the plan and methodology with clear goals and expectations, you will guide your team successfully. This is much like outlining the game plan and playbook in a championship match.

As the project unfolds, adapt your game plan and leadership approach, knowing when to provide guidance and when to allow team members to play to their strengths. Foster a culture of shared purpose and unity, and be sure to celebrate as a team at the completion of the project. Successful projects are more about the collective wins, and not the individual achievements.

Successfully manage different types of project team members and their traits. It’s not about trying to change the team member.

Be Mindful with Your Expectations

These insights are designed to help you effectively manage the situations and personalities you may encounter on your project team. It’s important to remember that this guidance is an approach to successfully manage different types of project team members and their traits. It’s not about trying to change the team member.

With this knowledge of project team management and various working styles, you will be able to guide your project team more effectively. This will provide a greater opportunity for team collaboration, productivity, innovation and project success.

By strategically managing their unique work habits, you can turn potential challenges into productivity and innovation drivers.

Coming Clean with Psychological Terminology

Here are psychology terms and concepts that could have been used here (but aren’t as much fun) regarding our three types of team members and their traits.

Hero: Student Syndrome or Parkinson’s Law

Tiger: Overachiever or Dunning-Kruger Effect

Maverick: Maverick Personality or Nonconformist

Project Success Starts with People: Lead with Flexibility

Communication: Tailor communication styles to suit each personality. Procrastinators may need reminders, overachievers need encouragement with realism, and some individuals need autonomy with structured check-ins.

Flexibility in Management Style: Adapt your leadership approach based on the individual’s needs, maintaining a balance between guidance and independence. These personality types are often highly capable contributors. By strategically managing their unique work habits, you can turn potential challenges into productivity and innovation drivers.

Utilize Project Management Tools: Leverage project management work tracking tools like Traxidy for task tracking, collaboration, communication, and performance monitoring. The right application will provide the required visibility of the work, and support the performance traits for any work style.

Traxidy is the Project Manager App built by Project Managers for Project Managers. We’re making it easy for you to manage the day-to-day project work priorities like Project Action Item Tracking, Project Status Reports, Team Meeting Minutes, Risk Log, Change Management, High-Level Plans, and more. Track, collaborate, report, save time and increase project success.

Learn more about the Traxidy Project Work Tracking Software, features and capabilities here.

The world of project management is never static. What worked a few years ago might seem outdated today, and as 2025 approaches, the shifts are happening faster than ever.

To effectively lead business projects and stay ahead of the curve, project managers need to stay informed about the latest changes, trends, and emerging methodologies. The days of rigid timelines and endless spreadsheets are giving way to smarter project management tools, more adaptive methods, and a deeper focus on people.

So, what’s changing? A lot — from increased leveraging AI tools to redefined leadership skills. So, in this article, we are going to uncover seven key trends transforming the way we approach projects.

Trend 1: AI-Powered Project Management Tools

While AI is no longer a new trend in project management, its influence is expected to grow significantly in 2025, revolutionizing the tools and services project managers rely on. AI is enhancing virtually every tool, making them smarter, more efficient, and ultimately more helpful for professionals.

No, this doesn’t mean project managers will simply press a magic button and let AI handle everything. Instead, it emphasizes the need for managers to continue sharpening their skills and applying their expertise effectively. AI might streamline workflows and automate routine tasks, but it still requires a skilled hand to guide its application and make informed decisions based on its insights.

Here are the five key AI-powered project management trends to watch for in 2025:

1. Automated Task Management: AI will automate repetitive tasks like scheduling, progress tracking, and reporting, freeing up time for strategic decision-making.
2. Smart Resource Allocation: AI-driven tools will optimize resource allocation by analyzing team members’ skills, availability, and project requirements.
3. AI-Enhanced Collaboration: Advanced AI tools will improve team communication by suggesting relevant resources, documents, and timelines for better collaboration.
4. Personalized Learning and Development: AI will recommend personalized training and development resources for project managers based on performance and growth areas.
5. Intelligent Risk Management: AI will identify potential project risks and suggest mitigation strategies, enhancing decision-making and reducing uncertainty.

As you can see, the future looks promising. We are confident that you’ll find your favorite AI direction and be able to enhance your projects even further.

In the meantime, you have the opportunity to choose the project management tool that suits you best, whether it’s Trello, Monday.com, or something else, and dive deeper into mastering its features. By the way, we cover professional usage of modern PM tools and services in our IT PM Training course. You can find more details via the link.

Trend 2: Hybrid Project Management Methodologies

In 2025, hybrid approaches will take center stage, combining the best elements of Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, and even Lean to create flexible solutions tailored to each project’s unique needs.
Why is this trend gaining momentum? Because no two projects are identical. Some require the adaptability of Agile, while others benefit from the structure of Waterfall. A hybrid methodology allows teams to use Agile for iterative development while leveraging Waterfall for clear milestones, ensuring the best of both worlds.

This trend doesn’t mean throwing out traditional methods. For example, you might use Agile’s iterative approach during the development phase and switch to Waterfall’s structured planning for final delivery. It’s all about understanding your team, project, and goals and finding the right balance.

For now, take a closer look at the methodologies you’re already using. Identify their strengths and limitations, and consider how blending elements from others might enhance your workflow.

Trend 3: Remote and Hybrid Team Collaboration

Remote and hybrid work models have become the norm for many organizations worldwide. This shift brings both opportunities and challenges for both team and clients, but especially for project managers, who maintain productivity and cohesion across distributed teams.

Advanced collaboration tools offer features like real-time document sharing, virtual meeting spaces, and even immersive experiences through augmented and virtual reality. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Miro are constantly innovating to ensure seamless communication, no matter where team members are located.

But technology isn’t the whole story. The success of remote and hybrid collaboration lies in fostering a strong team culture, which means setting clear expectations and scheduling regular check-ins, even across different time zones. Emotional intelligence and empathy are becoming just as crucial as technical skills for project managers in this new landscape.

So, if your team is spread across cities or continents, embrace the tools and practices that make collaboration effortless. The future of teamwork is remote, hybrid, and undeniably exciting!

Trend 4: Increased Focus on Sustainability

As we look toward 2025, more organizations are increasingly integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals into their projects. No longer just a trend or an afterthought, sustainability is becoming a core pillar of how projects are planned, executed, and measured.

From choosing eco-friendly materials to optimizing energy consumption during project execution, sustainability is influencing decisions at every stage. Even digital projects are finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint by leveraging cloud technologies with lower energy usage and promoting remote collaboration to minimize travel.

Modern consumers and investors prioritize companies that align with sustainability values, making it a strategic advantage for organizations to embrace green practices.

As a project manager, this trend calls for a mindset change. Consider how your projects can contribute to sustainability. This means rethinking goals, evaluating the long-term impact, and finding creative solutions that deliver value while also supporting the planet and society.

Trend 5: Upskilling for Digital Transformation

By 2025, the need for digital fluency in project management will be stronger than ever. The shift toward digital tools, AI, and data-driven decision-making means that project managers must stay ahead of the curve, continually expanding their skill sets to lead in an increasingly digital world.

It’s no longer enough to simply manage timelines and budgets. Project managers will need expertise in some key areas, such as:

• AI and Automation: Learning how to integrate AI tools to optimize task management, predictive analytics, and risk assessment.
• Blockchain Technology: Understanding how blockchain can be used for secure project documentation and transparent data management.
• Cloud-Based Platforms: Mastering cloud tools for better team collaboration, file sharing, and real-time updates across projects.
• Data Analytics and Visualization: Developing skills to analyze project data effectively, predict project outcomes, and communicate insights through visual dashboards.
• Agile and Scrum Methodologies: Deepening knowledge of Agile frameworks and how to apply them in digital environments for faster and more adaptable project execution.

The pressure is on for PMs to adopt a continuous learning mindset. By embracing online courses (for instance, IT Project Management Training), certifications, and hands-on experience, project managers can position themselves as leaders in this new era of digital project management.