Global trends impacting project management (part 3)

Ok. Here's the last part.
And yes, I know you got it figured out.

Social

And the project manager asked, "What does this have to do with project management?"

A lot really.

• Lines between professional and personal become blurred. Project Managers now have to be more aware on the impact of project and project activities to their resources. Project resources are now more keen to be identified with "nice" and "awesome" projects. Involvement in projects become a reflection of the individual who is part of that project. For project managers, there is a need to reinforce the "Why this is such a cool project to be in" card. Even the most simplest project need to be fashioned and sold in a way that it is worth being part of as it reflects a resources' character - It's not just work for him anymore.
• Projects are done in the light of day. There is no hiding a project. Gone were the days that   projects can be done in secret. It is very difficult nowadays to work on something without others noticing. As project managers, we need to be prepared for public scrutiny at every turn. This adds to the already high level of communication needed by everybody else. Your  stakeholder register now includes everybody with a twitter account. This can either be good or bad, depending on capability as a PM.
• Availability of resources has increased. Information is now viral. It spreads whether you like it or not. In doing so, your need for resources, both material and human can be met faster - and at times better. 10 years ago, there was no such thing as crowd-sourcing. Now, you can set up a kickstarter fund for almost anything. The advent of viral information has opened doors to projects that have never before been reached or imagined by anyone. The playing field has leveled. The World is Flat according to Thomas Friedman.
• There is an increase in noise. Project Managers know that noise inhibits productivity. 10 years ago, you wouldn't have problems with resources going (and staying) online for hours on end. These decrease productivity and become wastes of company time. Project Managers now need to put extra measures in ensuring the needed information and only the needed information become processed by the project resources. As they say, too much of a good thing is bad for you... and social media is no exception.

And so there you have it. These are but a few of the Global Trends that have impacted how project managers now manage projects. It may be easy to take these things aside as matters that don't go up the escalation list. Well they shouldn't - as these can be almost always handled by the PM. Not managing these can sometimes be costly.