As the year 2022 approaches, we’ve begun to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from working from home. A more isolated work rhythm as a result of the Home Office has undeniably thrown team workplace collaboration off-kilter due to a greater lack of face-to-face communication with other members.
Furthermore, because team members are dispersed across different geographical locations, management of both the team and the remote team, as well as any ongoing project work, must collaborate and adapt quickly.
However, for many, the beginning of 2022 marks the start of a second year of working from home. As a result, businesses and their respective project teams have had plenty of time to adjust to this new working rhythm. We can use this new information to carefully forecast how the rest of 2022 will unfold in terms of collaboration and team/project management.
Predictions for Team Collaboration in 2022
The Home Office has been an essential part of our daily work life for the past two years. As a result, based on our key takeaways from remote work during this time, it’s safe to say that 2022 will lay the groundwork for organizations to build their businesses on two pillars of team collaboration, rather than just one.
Workplace Collaboration Can Be Achieved by Integrating Your Remote Teams
Organizations can now fully integrate remote teams and provide them with tailored collaborative software developed during the pandemic to ensure that they can stay connected regardless of where they are in the world.
VR should be used
The incorporation of virtual reality, for example, is a critical concept underlying successful collaboration. Although it’s unlikely that we’ll see fully fleshed-out VR integrations in all Home Offices by the end of 2022.
With two years of remote working experience, you can bet that such technology will be tested this year to improve remote team collaboration.
Concerns About Cybersecurity
Next, as we move beyond the confines of the physical workplace, cybersecurity concerns will remain at the forefront of any further development and enhancement of remote work.
While some safeguards are already in places, such as strong passwords and a greater emphasis on using a VPN, our cybersecurity needs will evolve as our remote working practices do.
Features of Security
Multi-factor authentication and the Zero Trust approach to security will undoubtedly be prioritized in 2022.
Developing a secure remote access infrastructure, on the other hand, will be critical to better protecting remote workers. A successful remote access infrastructure, as well as company software and data, can be centralized on a terminal server designed for remote connections.
SSO (Single Sign-On) Solutions
In any case, by the end of 2022, more companies will be using single-sign-on (SSO) solutions to connect all of their IT systems. This is because companies can configure access rights for multiple systems from a single point of control.
It also provides a centralized location for monitoring employee login activity while reducing the attack surface available to hackers seeking a way into secure systems.
Collaboration in a Remote Workplace
Finally, as the emphasis shifts toward remote collaboration, the traditional office, including its architecture and symbology, will evolve as the year 2022 progresses.
Instead of being viewed as a hub where people clock in and out during a 9-5 working day, the office will be transformed into a social space where people can interact face to face.
In essence, this will take the sting out of working life and instead introduce a more significant social component, such as a means of bringing people together.
Predictions for Team Management
Another issue that is frequently overlooked by remote teams is mental health. At the turn of the century, there was an influx (or frantic scramble) of organizations looking for innovative ways to keep business and revenue flowing while battling the constraints of a rapidly expanding global pandemic.
Even as new approaches to work were developed and widely accepted, it became clear that the abrupt change had thrown our work practices off-kilter. For example, while we were focused on keeping businesses afloat, we neglected to look for ways to protect those who made it all possible.
The Cost of Working From Home
Working remotely has provided some valuable and unique benefits to remote workers, but being forced to work through a pandemic, lockdowns, social restrictions, and increased solitude take their toll on those at the center of it all.
As a result, there will undoubtedly be a greater emphasis on avoiding mental stresses while working in 2022. (not just remotely). In addition, there will be novel approaches to reaching out to those who work in-house as well as those who work remotely.
Organizations will adopt new approaches to combined worker situations in order to ensure the health and well-being of those who enabled such a dramatic shift in the business model.
Recognize the Value of Soft Skill Leaders
This concept is also carried over into the following prediction: a greater emphasis on and understanding of soft skills in leaders. Soft skills like communication, discipline, adaptability and the ability to take the initiative have already been highlighted as a means to propel remote work in 2020 and 2021.
2022 will most likely emphasize the importance of soft skills as a means of connecting people with people — rather than people with work.
Consider Your Team as a Whole
Leaders will need to start thinking about their teams more holistically in 2022. As a result, in an environment where employees may be unable to meet or interact in person with their team or leaders. Soft skills such as transparency, trust, inclusivity, and collaboration will be viewed as critical in establishing and maintaining a strong company culture by businesses.
Culture and Core Values
Employees are correct to compare their core values to those of their superiors, and culture will become the most important decision criterion for employees when deciding where to take their careers.
Leaders must live and breathe their culture in order for it to align with the wants and needs of their employees, and the aforementioned soft skills will be critical in ensuring this throughout 2022.
Leaders will be held responsible for ensuring that their team is heard, fulfilled, and has the tools and encouragement to carry out their collaborative work on a daily basis.
Predictions for Project Management
In many ways, the pandemic has been a learning experience. Project teams are no exception, as they, too, have had to find novel ways to maintain remote project management practices over the years.
To be sure, in the last ten years, it has become common for project teams to have an element of their project carried out by remote team members. This trend is expected to accelerate globally beginning in 2022. Globally, project management is becoming increasingly important.
Management of Remote Projects
With remote project management now a fully-fledged business model, the geographical distance between the office and your remote project members is no longer viewed as a problem — but rather as an opportunity, particularly for SMEs and start-ups.
With our knowledge of remote work gained from the pandemic’s persistence, companies with fewer resources (such as money, connections, tools, etc.) are now being offered a fantastic growth opportunity by incorporating remote work into their daily working practices.
Even small businesses can now access international teams and manage a project’s development remotely for a fraction of the cost of a larger project. As a result, many smaller businesses now have the opportunity to internationalize faster than ever before, especially with the aid of a tool like agile poker for jira, Asana, GitHub, and other integration platforms.
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution
There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to project management methodologies, according to Dr. Diana Burgan.
Companies and project teams will undoubtedly place a greater emphasis on Agile management methodologies in 2022, as project management begins to firmly set on a hybrid model, with a careful balance of in-house team members working with remote members.
Management that is adaptable
While Agile management is most commonly associated with small software development teams, the pandemic has seen a significant increase in the popularity of Agile methodologies over other methods, such as the Waterfall approach. This is primarily due to the fact that “slow and steady” is not a viable work strategy in the face of a global pandemic.
Flexibility and agility, on the other hand, enable organizations to keep up with the rapid pace of digital transformation.
According to McKinsey and Company, those who adopted Agile practices during the pandemic outperformed those who did not, allowing them to accelerate work and better adapt to changing industry landscapes.
Having said that, it’s safe to say that 2022 will continue to monitor the rising trend of agile work methodologies, especially since companies have seen proof that increased use of Agile management has resulted in numerous successes for others during the same timeframe.
The Emergence of Blockchain
Finally, given the increased interest in the concept of a “Metaverse,” it’s not surprising that blockchain is gaining traction as a viable project management tool. The Metaverse, which has fully realized blockchain, has a market and is expected to rise significantly by the end of the year.
We’ve already seen the use of AI-based frameworks to shape and direct agile project management teams; however, the use of blockchain may provide even greater benefits in 2022.
The process of storing digital information (i.e., the ‘block’) in a public, decentralized database (i.e., the ‘chain’) is simply referred to as the blockchain. One of its most significant benefits for project management is the ability to maintain an immutable record of events using distributed ledger technology (DLT).
As a result, project teams can streamline infrastructure, logistics, and data tracking on projects by automating many processes. In the real world, many project managers strive for this, but it is difficult to achieve without a viable system in place.
As a result, pre-programmed blockchain will undoubtedly become a viable project management tool in 2022, assisting in decision-making process validation and improving project performance.
Final Thoughts on Collaboration in the Workplace
Many businesses that have used remote project teams have undoubtedly had a difficult two years. While surviving the pandemic may appear to be a difficult task, we have excelled in terms of team collaboration and project management by leaps and bounds.
Our experiences over the last few years have taught us that remote work is a viable business model that, when properly implemented, can be extremely beneficial.
While this year may still throw us some curveballs, the year 2022 will be a watershed moment as we finally stand on a solid foundation of health research and experience while navigating the pandemic.
Although it is unclear when the pandemic will end, it is safe to say that in terms of advancements, 2022 will be a watershed year for collaborations and team/project management.
Learn more from technology and read How to Choose the Best Project Management Tool Free.
