Eight top trends for 2026 from Arup, APM’s 2025 Company of the Year

Adaptability and resilience are now top priorities for project professionals to deliver projects successfully. With net zero targets, social value mandates and economic uncertainty shaping the landscape, 2026 demands a new mindset.

The project environment is evolving rapidly, and project professionals must combine technical expertise with strategic foresight to remain relevant. With ever-increasing demands for professional project managers, we all need to respond to evolving market stresses and find innovative ways to deliver with our often constrained resources. From infrastructure megaprojects to transformation initiatives, I feel that the ability to anticipate change and respond effectively will define success.

1. Data-driven decisions for strategic impact

Real-time dashboards enable portfolio decisions based on return on investment, risk and strategic alignment. Dashboard tools integrated with collaboration tools allow PMOs to provide instant visibility into performance, helping prioritise projects that deliver maximum value. Data-driven governance is becoming a core expectation in public-sector projects, where transparency and accountability are critical. Advanced analytics can also identify patterns in project delays, enabling proactive interventions.

We’ll no doubt continue to see a shift from activity-based metrics to outcome-focused KPIs. Integral to this will be a focus on centralised data systems, where data quality is prioritised alongside building data literacy and familiarity with the latest tools across your teams.

2. AI: your new project partner

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming project delivery by automating scheduling, resource allocation and risk prediction. AI tools can help forecast delays and suggest mitigation strategies based on historical data. Our clients are already leveraging AI for predictive maintenance and resource optimisation for their own projects and portfolios. AI also supports scenario modelling, helping project managers understand the impact of decisions before implementing them.

To stay competitive, it’s imperative that project managers embrace AI tools and the insights they bring. 2026 will see an increase in investment in AI-enabled platforms and staff training to utilise AI effectively to ensure teams are ready to fully embrace predictive analysis, and most importantly, establish governance and assurance frameworks for the ethical and appropriate use of AI.

3. Soft skills: the human advantage

Emotional intelligence and adaptability are vital as the influence of AI grows in project management. Project managers guiding teams through transformation programmes should focus on coaching and change management, rather than task updates. Leadership skills are now also recognised as critical success factors in APM’s Competence Framework. Effective communication and stakeholder engagement are essential for managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects.

Maintaining a strong balance of human skills and technical expertise cannot be understated in this new era of AI and machine learning. Throughout 2026, we must include soft skills and leadership competencies in training, mentorship programmes and performance reviews for project managers.

4. Hybrid delivery takes centre stage

Hybrid delivery approaches blend agile flexibility with waterfall structure – ideal for fast-paced projects or long-term programmes, where compliance matters. Transformation projects often use agile for early development stages, while applying waterfall for regulatory outputs. This dual approach ensures adaptability without compromising governance. Hybrid delivery also supports collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, a common feature in construction and engineering projects.

Governance and assurance frameworks should recognise and support hybrid delivery. Across 2026, project managers will need to create hybrid playbooks, adopt integrated tools and train their teams in multiple methodologies to fully leverage a hybrid delivery model.

5. Thriving in uncertainty

Economic turbulence, unexpected trade shifts and supply-chain disruptions demand resilience. As an example, major infrastructure projects have faced fluctuating material costs and regulatory changes, requiring flexible contracts and agile risk management. Scenario planning and defined and agreed contingency reserves are now essential for survival. Project managers must also monitor geopolitical developments and regulatory changes that could impact delivery timelines.

Project managers must become comfortable with volatility and continue to plan for rapid change and uncertainty in 2026, through scenario planning, encouraging diversification of suppliers and maintaining appropriate and transparent contingency reserves to protect delivery timelines and approved budgets.

6. Delivering sustainability and net zero commitments

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals and net zero targets are shaping project success and becoming the norm. Stakeholders expect transparency on net zero carbon and measurable social impacts. Sustainability is no longer optional; it’s a contractual requirement in many public-sector projects. Project managers must integrate carbon reduction strategies into every stage of delivery, from shaping the brief through to design and procurement, and into implementation.

Project managers must be prepared to embed sustainability and net zero targets in charters, identify transparent and measurable goals, adopt tools for sustainability tracking, and report progress regularly. Sustainability and net zero metrics will increasingly rival purely financial ones, with project managers best placed to lead this transition (as outlined in an Arup white paper).

7. Delivering social value in every project

Social value is now a cornerstone of UK public-sector delivery, driven by procurement mandates and growing stakeholder expectations. Delivering social value goes beyond compliance; it’s about creating meaningful benefits for communities. These include local employment, skills development and initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion.
Social value frameworks influence funding decisions and procurement evaluations. Project managers must collaborate with clients, local authorities and community groups to ensure initiatives deliver measurable, socially valuable benefits.

If project managers can define social value KPIs, engage stakeholders early and measure impact through transparent reporting, while considering partnerships with educators, charities and local enterprises to maximise reach and impact, 2026 will see a step change in how social value is delivered (see Arup’s white paper on delivering social value).

8. Outcomes over outputs

Success in projects is measured by impact, not deliverables or outputs. Goals are shifting from simple delivery metrics to achieving strategic objectives and broader benefits. This outcomes-based approach aligns projects with organisational strategy and stakeholder expectations. It also supports benefits realisation, which is a key focus in the APM Body of Knowledge.

Project success requires clarity and alignment with strategy, defined from the outset and clearly measured through to completion. Project managers must adopt outcome-based planning, communicate and agree success metrics early, and monitor progress against strategic, measurable and tangible KPIs to ensure continued impactful project delivery in 2026 and beyond.