Survey says more than three-quarters expect schemes to be held up

Most project managers fear future disruption to their projects because of coronavirus, according to the Association for Project Management.

A survey of project professionals, carried out for APM by research company Censuswide, discovered that 77% of respondents expect future disruption to projects they are working on.

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According to the survey, 44% said the pandemic had caused a project to be delayed, while 28% said they had been required to review a project’s goals. Just 14% said projects have been unaffected.

Ahead of an expected announcement from the government this week of measures to ease the lockdown, APM has advised on steps that organisations can take to ensure projects resume safely and follow government social distancing guidelines.

These include social distancing, flexible working, alternative methods of communication and reviewing budgets and priorities to focus on the most essential work.

APM chair John McGlynn said organisations can help minimise any potential future impacts by embracing change.

He added: “The appetite for businesses to get going again is massive, but remobilising projects is going to require considerable thought and planning as we move to a new normal.

“Many factors impacting projects will need to be considered such as a social distancing measures, staggered start and finish times, adjusted budgets, compressed timelines and a reassessment of the benefits the project is delivering.”

The survey attracted 1,000 responses.

  • 44% of respondents say coronavirus has led to their main project being delayed
  • 29% of respondents say the pandemic has caused project goals to be reviewed
  • 26% of respondents say the pandemic has caused deadlines to be missed
  • 17% of respondents say the pandemic has led to project budgets being cut
  • 77% of respondents anticipate further disruption to projects they are working on as a result of coronavirus outbreak