In the world of project management, having access to relevant, accurate, timely and actionable data is imperative. As we move through 2025, project teams are under more pressure than ever to deliver project work on time and within budget.
To support that, we’ve compiled a fresh set of project management statistics that reflect the current state of the industry in 2025. These insights are here to help you make smarter, faster and more strategic decisions.
Project Management Software
In 2025, the trusty spreadsheet is still hanging on in project management circles, but the cracks are showing more than ever. Despite its familiarity, Excel continues to introduce problems rather than solve them: human error, version control nightmares, data silos, and a serious lack of real-time collaboration. It was never built for modern project complexity, and the data increasingly proves it.
As project environments grow more dynamic and interconnected, the limitations of legacy tools are no longer tolerable. While some teams still lean on spreadsheets, there’s a major shift underway. A growing number of organisations are ditching outdated systems and making the leap to smarter, more integrated project management solutions.
Digital transformation remains a top priority in 2025 with KPMG advocating that being “data-aware” is no longer enough and it’s all about being data driven to achieve project success.
- 21% of project teams still rely on spreadsheets to run their projects
- Wellingtone’s findings show that 11% of organisations have no project management solutions at all.
- KPMG reports that robust technology foundations improve almost every meaningful success metric from collaboration and innovation to financial performance and agility and that underinvestment in data in technology foundations and digital literacy significantly threatens future gains.
- KPMG outlines the failure of legacy systems and the urgent need to upgrade and modernise as a key driver of digital transformation.
- 45% of businesses experienced increased profitability or performance from digital transformation investments.
Project Management and AI
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a buzzword. In 2025, it’s becoming a core driver of project success. Project professionals are not just experimenting with AI, they are seeing real results. With project complexity on the rise and demands for efficiency mounting, organisations are increasingly turning to AI to automate tasks, optimise planning, and make smarter decisions, faster.
But while the appetite for AI is growing, adoption is still uneven. Many project professionals are seeing strong returns, while others are grappling with barriers like skill gaps, integration challenges, and internal resistance. The following stats reveal where the industry stands right now and where it’s heading next.
- 51% of project professionals are already using AI for their projects.
- Leading uses for project managers already using AI are task automation, scheduling and planning, risk management and resource allocation.
- 90% of project managers currently investing in AI report a positive ROI in the last 12 months.
- Surveyed project managers report plans to increase AI investments by 36%.
- The main barrier for adopting AI in project management is resistance to change from team members (26%), other barriers include high costs and budget restraints (15%), lack of skilled personnel (19%), data integration and quality issues (17%).
Project Management and Performance
In 2025, the pressure on project teams to deliver projects on time and within budget has never been higher. Yet, despite growing access to tools, methodologies, and data, the fundamentals of project performance are still slipping through the cracks.
Challenges around resource management, reporting, and inconsistent processes continue to weigh heavily on project teams. While some organisations are making strides, many are still struggling to consistently deliver projects on time, within budget, or with the expected benefits. Add to that the increasing complexity of today’s business environment, and it’s no surprise that many teams are feeling stretched thin.
The following stats offer a snapshot of where project performance stands in 2025 and the most common obstacles standing in the way of success.
- Only 38% of organisations mostly or always complete projects on time.
- 41% of organisations mostly or always complete projects within budget.
- 40% of project professionals say resource management is the biggest challenge they are facing.
- Only 39% of organisations mostly or always deliver the full benefits of their projects.
- 15% of respondents cite project reporting and visibility as their greatest challenge, with 36% of them identifying the lack of centralised data as the most difficult aspect.
- Poor resource management, inconsistency in approach and lack of appropriate software are amongst the top largest project management challenges for organisations.
- 42% spend one or more days manually collating reports.
- 48.5% organisations do not have access to real time KPIs.
- When asked what the most common reasons for project failure are project professionals said no clear objectives or milestones to measure (16%), not enough resources to meet project demands (18%), not enough resources to meet project demands (18%), lack of communication (11%), no executive support (14%) and scope creep or unrealistic deadlines (41%).
Project Professionals
In 2025, the role of the project professional has never been more vital or more dynamic. As organisations continue to navigate rapid digital change, shifting priorities, and increasing complexity, project managers are expected to bring a unique mix of adaptability, people skills, and business insight to every initiative.
This evolution is also changing how projects are run. Methodologies are becoming more fluid, leadership styles more people-focused, and career development more critical. As technology continues to reshape the project landscape, organisations are realising that the success of their projects depends heavily on the capability and confidence of the professionals leading them.
- 25 million additional project professionals will be needed by 2030 to meet increasing project demands.
- 89% of project professionals said that they use a mix of project management methodologies, indicating a departure from rigid methodologies.
- The top three most common words used to describe project managers are problem-solvers, leaders and motivators.
- Upskilling project managers in areas such as digital skills and adaptability is reported to be crucial due to the rapid rate at which technology is integrating into project processes.
- 61% of project professionals are working remotely at least some of the time.
- Project professionals with higher business acumen achieve better outcomes for example only 8% of those with higher business acumen experience project failure vs 11% for others.
As the project management landscape continues to evolve in 2025, one thing is clear success is increasingly defined by how effectively organisations harness technology, data, and human capability. What sets high-performing teams apart isn’t just the tools they use, but how seamlessly those tools connect people, processes, and data. In a world where digital transformation is no longer optional, choosing the right project software can make the difference between falling behind and staying ahead.
Sources
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez – Hybrid Project Management: First Global Survey.
APM – The Golden Thread: A Study of the Project Profession’s Contribution to the UK Economy.
KPMG – Transforming the Enterprise of the Future
PMI – Pulse of the Profession 2025
PMI – Pulse of the Profession 2024
Sciforma – The PMO Outlook Report 2025
Wellingtone – The State of Project Management 2025.
About Proteus
Proteus developed by a Scottish-based tech company, Xergy Group, is an end-to-end project management solution developed for the energy and engineering consulting industries.
Proteus is industry-proven and enables consultancies to meet project demands across the full lifecycle, from proposal development to project delivery. With robust sales and project delivery modules, Proteus helps its customers win more business, increase efficiencies, manage expenditures, and improve project controls.
Critical workflows, automation, and controls are integrated into Proteus. These include opportunity evaluation, proposal building, resource planning, budget tracking and forecasting, real-time multi-level restricted dashboards, and project performance analytics.
Third-party integrations and customised solutions allow Proteus’ users, which include C-suite, project leads, and engineers, to get the exact software solution needed for their business.
We offer a free onboarding consultation service to ensure your company account is set up to your company’s needs.
How to get Proteus
Proteus operates under a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. We offer Enterprise packages and flexible pricing solutions: contact our team to learn more requests@xergy.com
We designed Proteus to be simple, and that means you can get up and running on Proteus without an IT team or support from a programmer. You will want to spend a bit of time configuring the admin console so that you have everything set up to suit your company structure, but it is intuitive and you don’t need a PhD in IT.
However, we want you to get the best out of what is a brilliantly powerful tool, so don’t hesitate to ask for our support. We have a team of product experts who are ready to help you with the configuration process, so get in touch today by filling out the form below:
