Future proofing project delivery: How to build stronger project teams

Volatility. It’s almost guaranteed on projects these days. So strategic transformation isn’t just a luxury, but a necessity. And strong project teams aren’t just helpful, they’re vital. Across various industries, from infrastructure and finance to healthcare and technology, the demand for effective project delivery has grown sharply.

This brings a pressing need for organisations to invest in the people behind the projects. And how your organisation responds to talent development in projects, is the difference between long-term success and persistent stagnation. Teams that can deliver complex programmes, navigate risk and adapt to shifting demands aren’t simply born, they’re developed through structured learning and a shared understanding of what good project delivery looks like.

How many common capability gaps do you have?

There are persistent issues across projects that aren’t unique to any one industry or specific type of project:

Siloed delivery functions. Project teams often operate without a shared language or coherent structure due to the shifting nature of each project. This fragmentation leads to inefficiencies and inconsistent results.
Gaps in core skills and confidence. A lot of professionals are frequently promoted into project roles to deliver change without access to any training or mentorship. Over time, this can erode capability, confidence and morale.
Unclear career pathways. Without a visible route for development or growth, it becomes harder to retain talent or attract the next generation of leaders.

So what can you do? It doesn’t just start by hiring well or promoting the most organised person on the team to ‘project manager’. It’s about giving people the tools to grow, share knowledge and step into leadership with confidence.

How to build capability in project teams

1. Promote continuous learning

One of the most effective ways to strengthen a project team is to invest in developing their skills. Project management is a field shaped by constant change, so high-performing project teams must make learning an ongoing habit to ensure their skills stay sharp and adaptable. Your organisation can support this by encouraging professional development through learning resources and programmes that offer on-demand access to content, practical modules on real-world delivery challenges and integration with existing performance frameworks.

When learning is easy to access and clearly aligned with role requirements, project teams are more likely to adopt new approaches and share knowledge internally. For example, APM Learning is an online platform that offers a wealth of bite-sized modules, digital guides and practical how-to content for project leaders. Professionals with any level of experience can dive into topics ranging from agile methods to stakeholder engagement, at their own pace. Creating time and space for continuous learning sends a powerful message to your project teams: their development is a priority and staying on the cutting edge is part of the entire team’s DNA.

2. Invest in skills and qualifications

Industry-recognised qualifications play a central role in defining standards and aligning expectations. In many cases, they’re becoming an explicit requirement in job descriptions, especially in regulated sectors. Having a professionally qualified team instils trust because it’s clear the team adheres to recognised project management standards. APM have a progressive suite of qualifications that serve as development milestones for project professionals:

Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) for newcomers
Project Management Qualification (PMQ) for more experienced practitioners
Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) standard for advanced expertise

Encouraging your project teams to earn certifications can have an immediate positive impact. It improves their confidence and credibility, which often translates into greater engagement and leadership on projects. Over 25,000 APM qualifications were taken last year, underscoring how many project professionals (and their employers) see value in formal development to remain relevant at every stage of their careers. Ultimately, investment in training and qualifications, is an investment in quality and consistency.

3. Build clear career pathways

Another cornerstone of strengthening your project team is to provide clear career pathways and professional growth opportunities. Talented project professionals are motivated when they see a roadmap for progression. APM plays a vital role here by offering the well-recognised qualification progression model that you can promote to your project teams. For example:

A new project coordinator might begin with PFQ and progress to PMQ within two or three years
A project manager might aim for PPQ and progress onto a defined route to ChPP

Achieving chartered status, in particular, is a significant accomplishment that brings prestige to both the project professional and their employer. And a structured pathway ensures that your project team build their competence step by step, gaining both theoretical knowledge and practical application skills at each level.

4. Knowledge sharing

Qualifications and training are essential, but so is the culture that surrounds them. When knowledge is hoarded or team members are isolated, progress slows. Organisations should foster an environment where lessons learned on one project are regularly shared with other teams, where junior professionals feel comfortable tapping senior colleagues for advice, and where successes (and failures) are discussed openly for collective learning.

And this should extend broadly, externally, for the benefit of all projects and all project professionals. In fact, project teams that engage with wider communities, such as APM’s Interest or Regional Networks, benefit from exposure to new ideas, tools and sector-specific insights. And encouraging project professionals to attend webinars and events, or get involved in mentoring, extends the learning ecosystem.

Investing in long-term success

Organisations and teams are facing mountain pressures, from economic uncertainty to digital acceleration. The value of well-equipped project teams can’t be overstated and organisations that are committed to capability, through structured development, don’t just retain their best talent, but future-proof their delivery capability for decades to come.

If you’re looking for valuable ways to strengthen your project team, get support from APM. As the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, APM has expertise in project talent development and capability building. Through APM’s Corporate Partnership Programme, you’ll build project management capability with a dedicated Partnership Manager, as well as benefit from exclusive events, complimentary conference tickets, and opportunities to contribute to industry-leading research and standards development.

Your investment in developing a strong project team today, will pay dividends in every project you deliver tomorrow.