What makes a great project manager in 2026? Lessons from APM Conference

The Power of Clarity is one of the most valuable strengths a project manager can possess, the ability to anticipate what’s ahead in a world defined by complexity, competing priorities and constant change.

That theme was central to this year’s APM Conference in Manchester, a particularly relevant setting for me as someone working in transport where rapid innovation and new technologies are reshaping the entire sector.

Angela Oguntala kicked things off with a brilliant keynote. She’s a futurist, which at first made me think, “time traveller?”, but we have historians, so why not futurists too.

This set the tone for the entire day by challenging our assumption that everyone has a clear plan for the future – especially in a world marked by rapid change and uncertainty. A glance at how much the world has shifted in just the past five years shows how dramatically the landscape is evolving.

She walked us through the Three Horizons Model to view the future:

Horizon 1: This is the right here, right now aka the present. As the future progresses, the present way of working will slowly decline although will truly never disappear with some things might be taken into the future horizon.
Horizon 2: Emerging future transitioning through new innovation and ideas. The importance is that we should as individuals have lifelong learning to keep up with trends and what is likely to be the future of work.
Horizon 3: Far-flung Future with a lens piece to foresee what the world can be.

The future can feel scary, and we can’t anticipate everything, but Angela highlighted that it’s okay to pause and take in the present, which I found particularly calming in the face of so much change.

What I loved most about the keynote was her reminder that it’s okay to pause and take in the present. In a world obsessed with speed, that felt grounding.

Inspiring the next generation of project professionals

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how to explain project management to younger people. I’m in my late twenties now, and I want to help inspire the next wave of project professionals but explaining project management without getting overcomplicated is difficult.

So instead of overthinking it, Robin Carter Evans (APM Education Outreach Manager) gave a couple of lessons that we can use to get the younger generation started using project management with one of them being the MoSCoW Model.

But instead of applying it to projects, it can be used to talk about career choices which instantly clicks with young people. Ask them to work on the following:

Must Haves – the essentials. What do you absolutely need in your work or career? Purpose? Stability? Creativity?
Should Haves – the important things. What do you want that would make work feel good?
Could Haves – the nice to haves. Perks, preferences, extras so great if they’re there, but not deal breakers.
Won’t Haves – the “no thanks” list. What do you not want in your future work?

It’s such a simple way to show them that project management is basically structured decision-making and something they already do in their own lives. When I started project management, I didn’t realise that it could be applied to every part of my life and now I see multiple things I do are projects.

This has made me want to look more into becoming an APM Education Ambassador. It feels like a great way to give back to the APM and help the next generation of project management talent.

Rethinking what it means to be a high‑performing team

Another highlight for me was Eddy Datubo’s session on high performing teams. Perfect timing too because I’m starting with a new project team this financial year.

He talked about how high performing teams aren’t always comfortable. They need healthy tension, psychological safety and the confidence to challenge each other respectfully. That really stuck with me as challenge isn’t conflict, it’s how we grow as project management professionals and ensure that the project is ultimately successful.

He also emphasised that team ethos is everything. If the team doesn’t share the same values and expectations, even the best plans fall apart. And it all ties back to people centric leadership, which is basically the heart of good project management.

Eddy broke high performance down into five essentials:

Shared purpose:Eeveryone needs to understand the ultimate why of the project is trying to achieve and why is it so importance.

Absolute clarity: As the conference is for, the team must be clear in what project success looks like.
Safe Environment: Each individual is able to feel free to raise any concerns without any bite back.
Healthy tension: As above, the team’s ability to debate, listen and share any opinions openly.
Clear accountability: Project roles and responsibilities are well defined leading to clear decision making and ownership of activities.

I left the conference thinking a lot about the kind of leader I want to be. Projects shape change, but people shape projects. Overall, I hope to bring what I have learnt throughout the day to bring clarity into my projects and the people I support.