Project.co Reveals Project Management Statistics & Themes They’ll Be Watching in 2021

There’s a long-established idea that creativity is somehow rooted in chaos: that structure and organization are somehow the enemy of great ideas.

If it wasn’t already time to reassess that idea — then, surely, that time is now.

2020, after all, saw creative teams around the world removed (often without warning) from their offices, and scattered to home offices and kitchen tables.

Most of us moved from a world of anytime, face—to—face communication to a world of video calls, email, and chat apps.

And this has only amplified an idea many already believed to be true: that great creative teams need not only great ideas — but also great processes, communication, and project management in order to succeed.

In the midst of all that chaos, the team at Project.co just released the State of Project Management report, designed to find out how creative teams manage their projects as we move into 2021.

The survey sought to gauge what teams do well, and what they feel could be improved. It explored which tools and systems they use, and how their processes impact their efficiency and productivity.

The research suggests:

People almost unanimously believe that there is room for improvement in the way they manage projects.
Most people struggle to have visibility of what others on their team are working on, and many take a dim view of communication within their business — despite acknowledging its mission-critical importance.
An alarmingly high number of people openly admit regularly missing deadlines — and even forgetting tasks they have due.

Email overwhelmingly dominates as a communication tool, both between teams and with clients — although this isn’t to everyone’s liking.

About the Survey

Project.co’s State of Project Management is a comprehensive report designed to assess the way in which creative teams manage their projects and communication.

It asks a range of questions to evaluate how the project management landscape looks. This is the first report, but it will be released annually and, over time, will trace the changes in the industry.

The findings of this report were gathered by surveying 437 unique respondents, from a range of industries, niches and countries, in December 2020.

The Key Findings

The Power of Task Clarity

It emerged that having a clear list of tasks to methodically work through is a key driver of well-being and performance.

95% of people feel that having a list of tasks to do each day is good for their mental health, and 96% of people feel that it makes them more efficient and productive.

Out of those who don’t create a daily to—do list, 90% say they either ‘occasionally’ or ‘regularly’ miss or forget tasks.