I am curious about the future project manager. He will be the same guy as the past trends – part time Project Manager and part time some other work (this scenario would typically be an IT-related scenario where the project manager would be managing projects on a part-time basis). Or a Project Coordinator, where the project manager presses a panic button to expedite things. These managers are found in many industries, such as banking and telecom. A Project Manager is a manager responsible for planning, design or a PMO project manager. This type of manager can be found in the Oil & Gas and Construction industries.
Or is the profile of a project manager going to change? Change is gradual and not noticeable in projects. If we look at the future over 5 years and consider what will happen after a 5-year hiatus, then the change will be evident.
Let’s first look at what the organizations will look like in five years.
Nature of Change – Today’s business environment is influenced by communication, collaboration, social technology, the cloud, mobility, and social media. Some companies are able to use crowds for microtasks, and other technologies to increase productivity and collaboration. This can also help to change the physical environment of the workplace. When you add in the effects of Gen Y/Millennials, you will see that we have different organizations and a different workforce.
Collaboration – With the rapid pace of technological advancement and the use crowds as a business tool, you can see that the future collaborative workplace may not look like what we currently see. Collaboration will be a part of every workplace in the future. According to CEO surveys, collaboration is one of the top five most important issues in the past five years.
Outsourcing – Future companies will outsource IT, sales, HR, and many more functions. This type of organization has lower overhead, is more agile, and is more competitive.
The “next” organization will be a “lean” one that focuses on the specific function. Therefore, there wouldn’t be extra resources that would force other resources to increase efficiency. It would be easy to track efficiency.
Below is a list that will describe some characteristics of future companies.
Managers mentor project teams and not functional areas.
Project managers negotiate work commitments between employees and project managers.
Project managers set roles and manage the resources.
Based on the success rate of projects, executives are awarded executive positions.
You can choose to invest in larger projects, but they are less risky. All projects go through a rigorous review process.
Customers can participate in projects with smaller budgets and more innovative ideas.
C-suite is still around because it is necessary for overall direction, instigate projects and to arbitrate among teams.

Thus, the Future Project Manager will be the “Owner of the Project.” He will be responsible for managing the project and producing deliverables within project constraints. The Project Manager will be more assertive and authoritative in the organization and will be the “Owner” of the project, rather than a lazy duck.
Organizations will treat Project Management as a distinct discipline and a mandatory function within the organization. The Project Manager will play a pivotal role in managing the “Risks” and external partners/vendors, as all other functions will be outsourced.
The Future Project Manager will be more powerful and authoritative and will definitely take the initiative in the new organization.
Refer to:
http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-past-and-future-of-global-organizations
http://blog.cutter.com/2013/02/26/what-does-the-future-work-organization-look-like/