Strategic Realignment and Human Excellence as
Key Themes of the 34th IPMA World Congress
Report from Berlin, Part 2
REPORT
By Sebastian Wieschowski
Nuremberg, Germany
Introduction
Project management (PM) is undergoing profound change, driven by increasing complexity, global decentralization, and the need to support strategic corporate goals more effectively. The presentations at the 34th IPMA World Congress highlighted central trends that shaped modern project practice. The most important developments focused on the transformation of the Project Management Office (PMO) into a strategic value creator, the urgent necessity of integrating sustainability and benefits management, the mastery of hybrid work models, and the decisive role of human factors such as trust, culture, and adaptive leadership.
- THE TRANSFORMATION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICES: FROM METHOD ADMINISTRATOR TO STRATEGIC ENABLER
One of the central trend topics was the redefinition of the role of the Project Management Office (PMO), which had to evolve from a purely administrative or method-oriented unit into a strategic business partner. Thomas Neumeier of Dayforce outlined a new success model for the PMO, built on three pillars: Projects, Methods, and Outcomes. The PMO was supposed to ensure that projects were prioritized in line with the business strategy (portfolio management: doing the right things) and delivered the right results. Neumeier emphasized that the PMO needed to focus on outcomes in order to generate added value. It became a competence center that enabled the organization to “do the right projects right.”
To fulfill this strategic role, support from management (steering committee) was crucial. The PM goes Boardroom expert group offered the “PMO Executive Kit” to support PMOs in enabling more effective steering committees. The PMO developed from a mere controller into a strategic advisor. According to Julian Michaelsen and Amira Schmidt of Hamburg Port Authority AöR, this required a cultural shift in which the PMO acted as a “living home port” that created closeness instead of norms and fostered a culture of collaboration rather than serving as a “rigid standard setter.”
- STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT AND BENEFITS MANAGEMENT
The alignment of projects and portfolios with overarching corporate strategy and the consistent management of expected benefits had been identified as an essential trend. A lack of strategic alignment was cited as one of the main reasons for project failure. The trend moved toward a benefits-first approach, in which the focus was placed on the desired end state. According to this approach, benefits were supposed to be identified, defined for all stakeholders, prioritized, planned over time, and actively tracked and measured. This process required a shift in thinking, which Dr. Arnis Leikarts described as the development of PMOs into strategy facilitators.
Closely linked to strategic value creation was the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria into project portfolio management (PPM). Darija Ivandić Vidović and colleagues emphasized that sustainability was no longer just an image factor but had become essential for companies in terms of resilience and legitimacy. Projects served as the pathway to sustainability. In a case study at Triglav Insurance Croatia, ESG KPI assessments became a mandatory criterion for project selection, leading to transparent monitoring of sustainability and improved decision-making. The significance of ESG was also evident in the connection of PPM with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Sustainable Innovation & Infrastructure…
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How to cite this paper: Wieschowski , S. (2025). The Transformation of Project Management: Strategic Realignment and Human Excellence as Key Themes of the 34th IPMA World Congress; Report from Berlin, Part 2; PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue X, October. Available online at: https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pmwj157-Oct2025-Wieschowski-Transformation-of-Project-Management-IPMA-Berlin-report-part-2.pdf
About the Author
Sebastian Wieschowski
Nuremberg, Germany
Sebastian Wieschowski is an editor at the German Project Management Association (GPM), the national member association of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) in Germany. He is responsible for developing GPM’s media relations and serves on the editorial board of PM Aktuell, a quarterly magazine distributed to more than 6,500 GPM members as well as external stakeholders.
Born in 1985 in northern Germany, Wieschowski developed an early fascination with journalism. His formal education began with active contributions to school and local newspapers. He later completed journalistic training at the Cologne Journalism School for Politics and Economics, earned a Master Level Diploma from the School of Journalism at Eichstaett University, and undertook professional training at a regional newspaper publisher. He also holds a postgraduate M.Sc. degree in Public Health from Hannover Medical School.
In addition to his freelance journalism for national and international outlets, including major German media such as DIE ZEIT, Wieschowski has held senior communications roles since 2012. He first worked as press officer for a private university specializing in social work, then for a psychiatric hospital, and later for an industrial company. In September 2024, he joined GPM’s Marketing and Public Relations department, where he focuses on strengthening the visibility and public relevance of project management through editorial formats such as storytelling.
Alongside his professional career, Sebastian Wieschowski is also active as a freelance author in his lifelong passion, numismatics. He writes for both German- and English-language specialist publications, and his work has been recognized three times by the Numismatic Literary Guild, a writers’ association based in the USA.
Sebastian is a reporter at heart and enjoys discovering inspiring stories and meet people from around the world, a goal that is particularly easy to pursue in the field of project management. He can be contacted at s.wieschowski@gpm-ipma.de.
