As the year draws to a close, and the snow begins to pile up, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what 2024 has meant for the Project Management Office. This year has been marked by significant changes, notable challenges, and some truly remarkable successes— both in the projects we delivered and the technologies that enabled them.

Project Management in 2024: Leading with Heart and Hustle

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This year, project management was all about balancing deadlines with relationships. Hybrid and remote work continued to be the norm, with Microsoft Teams becoming our go-to collaboration hub. No Teams call was complete without the “Can everyone hear me?” and “You're muted” moments, but beyond the laughs, 2024 has shown us that leadership is as much about emotional intelligence as it is about technical acumen.

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Success was not just about hitting deadlines and checking boxes; it was about fostering strong relationships, keeping people motivated, and navigating through challenges with empathy. We learned that project management is about people. From leading teams through stressful project phases to ensuring everyone felt heard and valued, empathy became the foundation for meaningful collaboration.

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Leading with heart meant understanding the unique challenges each team member faced, adjusting communication styles, and offering support when it was most needed. Whether managing a cross-functional team across time zones or working through unexpected roadblocks, this year reinforced the importance of human connection in driving successful outcomes.

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AI: Enter Microsoft Copilot

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While AI has been a star player in 2024, it’s made one thing clear: technology is a tool, not a replacement for human leadership. Microsoft Copilot, for example, has been a huge asset—helping us summarize documents, draft emails, and spot potential risks ahead of time.

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But as we’ve leaned into AI, we’ve also realized how important it is to retain the human element in leadership. AI may help us work smarter and faster, but it’s still up to us to make the tough decisions, understand nuances, and foster relationships with our teams and stakeholders.

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The value of human insight, whether in guiding a project’s direction, offering words of encouragement during a tough stretch, or simply listening, cannot be replicated by any machine.

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AI makes us more efficient, but humans still make the magic happen.

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The World in 2024: Leading Through Chaos with Resilience

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2024 was a year of upheaval and unpredictability. From global economic challenges to climate crises, it felt like the world was constantly in flux. Yet, these disruptions also served as a powerful reminder of the need for resilient leadership.

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As project managers, we not only led teams through uncertainty but also helped them thrive despite it.

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In Ontario, we saw exciting opportunities in clean energy and digital transformation projects. These weren’t just technical tasks; they are chances to build sustainable futures and create tangible change. The human element was crucial here, too. Whether it was collaborating with clients, keeping teams motivated, or navigating complex stakeholder expectations, leadership was all about staying grounded and focused on the bigger picture.

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Giving Back

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In the midst of all this, it’s important to remember that our work extends beyond the office and into the community. With food insecurity at an all-time high, this year has underscored the need for us to give back. As project managers, we’re often driving change through our work, but there’s another kind of impact we can make, by supporting our local communities.

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This year, many of us took a moment to step back from the fast-paced demands of our professional lives to give back. Whether it was organizing food drives, providing hot, home-cooked meals to those in need, or simply showing kindness in our day-to-day interactions, we’ve seen how our skills—organization, empathy, and collaboration can make a real difference.

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Kindness, in its simplest form, has the power to create ripples of positive change.

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What’s Next?

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Looking ahead to 2025, we know that technology will keep advancing, remote work will continue to evolve, and AI will get even smarter. But what hasn’t changed—and what will never change—is the need for strong, empathetic leadership. As project managers, we’ll continue to lead with empathy, foster relationships, and focus on what truly matters: people.

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We can’t predict every challenge that lies ahead, but we can prepare ourselves to respond with resilience, empathy, and strong leadership. And as we move into 2025, let’s resolve to not only succeed professionally but to make kindness a lifestyle, bringing it into every aspect of our work and lives.

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Here’s to 2025—a year of growth, leadership, and a continued commitment to kindness and giving back.

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