As we kickoff the new year, projects are going to be well underway before we know it. Our annual priorities and challenges data states that 71% of organizations see project management as a priority for 2026. They noted their top three project management priorities as:
- Developing project leaders instead of project managers (31%)
- Adopting agile or flexible methodologies for project management (29%)
- Establishing clear goals for measuring the success of projects (29%)
Looking at the data from last year, organizations were more focused on establishing clear goals. It seems there has been a shift from needing to establish goals and back to foundation of project management methodologies that can adapt to the agile environment as well as having project leaders. This means not just someone managing the project, but rather someone who truly oversees the project from multiple angles – change management, project management, strategic planning, etc. Organizations aren’t just prioritizing project management—they’re redefining how projects should work.
These priorities can’t be achieved through project management alone. They depend on strong process foundations. Have you ever asked yourself one of these questions?
- What is the difference between project management and process management?
- How are they connected?
- Where do they intersect?
Well, I have good news for you – that’s what this blog is all about!
Process Maturity Impacts Project Performance
When you sit down and really think about it, every project is a bundle of processes, and every successful project implementation depends on processes. The more integrated your process and project management are, the more successful your organization’s efforts will be.
Many projects fail not because of poor project management, but because they’re built on weak or inconsistent processes. Mature, well-managed processes give project teams proven methods to build from, therefore accelerating planning, reducing risk, and improving outcomes. By strengthening process management maturity and embedding those processes into project work, organizations can transform projects from one-off efforts into drivers of long-term productivity, quality, and operational performance.
Learn more about how process maturity can impact your project performance in this infographic.
How to Tackle the Top Process Management Challenges
Circling back to the findings I shared at the beginning of my blog about process management challenges, these next few sections share ways organizations can improve their process maturity which in turn, leads them to have more successful projects.
How Project Leaders Drive Results
Project success requires strategic leadership, not just administration. Many organizations reduce project leadership to scheduling, cost control, and status reporting. But those administrative roles are insufficient in complex environments.
During my work on our project management content, I had a chance to sit down with Jeff Varney, director of advisory services at APQC. He shared this great distinction: “You can have someone administer a project without understanding the scope at all by just managing the financials and schedules. A project manager goes beyond that, understanding scope, risk, and change management. But a project leader operates at another level entirely—adapting strategy, course-correcting when conditions change, and ensuring the project’s outputs drive organizational results.” Project leaders have a more holistic approach to projects, bringing in change management techniques, governance methodologies to ensure proper process ownership, as well as business acumen to better tie projects to the organizational strategy.
Learn more in APQC’s article, From Project Managers to Project Leaders: Building Capabilities that Drive Results.
Agile Methodologies Drive Flexibility
The business environment today is everchanging. Organizations, and employees know that change is inevitable and it’s more about how to set your organization up for success so that when change happens you handle it with grace, rather than fumble through it. Through recent research on strategic planning and organizational agility we found that organizations understand that improving agility requires a shared understanding of the big picture and the capacity to act on opportunities before competitors do.
In the same research project we asked what strategies the respondent’s organization is currently using to enhance its agility. We had nine categories of responses, but most relevant here is the category “Project Management Methodologies and Agility”. Many organizations noted they are adopting agile frameworks to enable faster decision-making, iterative development, and cross-functional collaboration, through some of the following tactics:
- Regularly-scheduled meetings include detailed SWOT analyses discussions. This ensures the meetings aren’t just status updates. SWOT discussions help teams to identify risks and opportunities early, allowing teams to be better equipped to adjust priorities without detailing the work. Agile organizations don’t just react faster—they make informed adjustments based on structured insights.
- Every team knows how to pivot without being slowed down. Knowing how to pivot means that teams have clear decision rights and escalation paths, and core processes are documented ensuring teams aren’t reinventing how work gets done. When the processes are properly documented and well-defined, teams can adapt what they do without confusion about how to do it.
Many organizations are rethinking how they plan, even if the changes are slow and uneven. Achieving real agility requires more than adjusting the timing of the planning cycle. It depends on clearer priorities, stronger coordination, and information that reflects what is happening now, not months ago. When these pieces come together, planning becomes a steady management discipline instead of a once-a-year event.
Establishing Goals Up Front to Increase Value
Project teams often define outputs, but too few define outcomes or consider those who will step in once the project work is complete. To ensure projects deliver real value, it’s essential to define your desired operational outcomes (such as cost savings, productivity gains, or improved customer impact) right at the project’s launch. Setting clear, measurable goals from the outset helps teams focus on what matters most and provides a foundation for tracking success beyond the project’s completion.
All too often, project teams disband once a project is over and leave others to figure out how to measure the results. This not only makes it difficult to gauge success after a project but also means that organizations miss opportunities for long-term improvement.
Change management is critical for setting teams up for success after project completion. In addition to providing training for any new tools or processes, make sure to train people on how to measure and report results after a project is implemented. When operational teams understand what to measure and how to measure it, they’re better equipped to maintain momentum and achieve the project’s goals over time.
When Projects Become Processes, Results Last
Using the right agile methodologies, defining clear goals, selecting the right project leader, and staying focused on business outcomes will help ensure that your projects deliver results that matter. Projects succeed when they’re designed to become processes, not end as deliverables.
See APQC’s full collection on Process-Driven Project Management to learn more, including an infographic that highlights the process-project intersection. If you haven’t seen it already, you can download the infographic here.