Navigating disruption in 2025: Top PPM Power Session takeaways

PPM Power Sessions bring together operational experts from different industries, backgrounds, and geographies to share personal experiences and best practices around solving today’s toughest PPM challenges.

It’s one of life’s great ironies that the only constant is change. But while most of us have accepted that change is inevitable, the current rate of business disruption presents a bigger and more complex challenge for project and portfolio management (PPM) professionals.  

Smartsheet recently surveyed more than 1,400 PPM professionals to learn how they’re handling the pressure that comes with managing, communicating, and implementing change across their organizations. We then invited experts from ADP, Securitas, and ProjectManagement.com to join us to discuss the results.

During this PPM Power Session, our speakers shared several anecdotes and insights proven to enable project teams to better navigate disruption. Scroll down to see some of the most interesting data points from our research, along with the top three most helpful takeaways from our conversation.

Takeaway #1: Transition from order-taker to strategic partner

Some 70% of survey respondents said they experienced more business change in 2024 than previous years. PPM executives reported experiencing more change and shifting priorities compared to other groups, indicating disruption at a deeper, more strategic level. Our panelists agreed that not only has the amount of disruption increased, but the type of change has also evolved.

“The world of work has changed so much, which means the way we work also has to change because expectations are different,” said Anabela Sarti, VP of Global Commercial Operations for ADP. “We have seen a big shift in the type of work we support. The projects are bigger, they’re more complex than ever, and they’re moving at rapid speed.” This has led to the evolution of PPM from tactical order-taker to strategic business partner, requiring a conscious shift in both skillset and mindset.

As Frank Chiocco, Director of PMO for Securitas USA shared, “I've noticed that we’ve moved our focus from just getting projects done and over the line to really making sure there's business alignment and value. As a PMO we still ask the questions about schedules and RAID logs, but we’re also asking questions like, ‘How is this going to impact the business? Are we implementing too much change at once? How do we transition a project to the business as smoothly as possible?’”

“We’ve moved our focus from just getting projects done and over the line to really making sure there's business alignment and value.”  – Frank Chiocco, Director of PMO, Securitas USA

Smartsheet Senior Solutions Specialist Alexis Felton acknowledges that while asking leadership these types of questions may feel foreign to project managers who “grew up” focused on scope, schedule, cost, and quality, making this transition is critical to what it means to be a PPM expert in 2025. “I really worked hard to make myself seen as a strategic partner,” she shared. “I think that’s the shift that we’re seeing. PPMs are leaders in the organization.”

Takeaway #2: Balance standardization and flexibility

When we asked survey respondents to rank the factors they find most critical for effective change management, standardization and flexibility tied for first place. While these may seem like conflicting priorities, our panelists echoed the importance of having structured, scalable processes and frameworks that allow different teams to customize them according to their specific needs.

“It’s absolutely essential that organizations have a framework for adapting to change that seems familiar and comfortable to people,” said our moderator, President of Roffensian Consulting, and ProjectManagement.com representative Andy Jordan. “But at the same time, you have to recognize that every change that’s implemented is different from anything that’s happened before. And you need to have that willingness to tailor or adapt and adjust within that framework so that everyone feels that they’re able to embrace the change in a way that makes sense for them, minimizing the disruption for the entire organization.”

“The fact that we all come to our roles with our own perspectives and ways of doing things needs to be taken into consideration,” agrees Alexis. “I love standards and process, but I also have twenty-two years of life and work experience that I bring to that process. So I need the flexibility within that framework and that standard to say, ‘I respect what was defined, but I also know who I am as a leader and I know how to drive this work forward, so I need the ability to do that.’” 

Takeaway #3: Embrace AI with cautious optimism

With so much recent buzz around generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), it’s no surprise that 84% of PPM professionals said they believe AI is important to pivoting and adapting to change at work. Our panelists were also excited to share some of the AI-powered tools they’ve been using to supercharge their team’s productivity and enable them to focus on more strategic work, including Smartsheet, PMI Infinity, and Microsoft Co-pilot.

However, this enthusiasm also came with a note of caution: “AI should be complementary to what we do, not replace it,” said Anabela. Alexis agreed, reminding listeners that there is a fine line between harnessing AI to amplify their impact and relying on it to replace critical thinking.

“AI should be complementary to what we do, not replace it.” – Anabela Sarti, VP of Global Commercial Operations, ADP

“AI is far from perfect,” said Frank. This should come as a relief to PPM experts who are concerned about the prospect of AI taking their jobs in 2025. “It’s sort of a ‘know your enemy’ situation, so that you can work with AI, you can understand it, and you can ultimately use and partner with it. I think the best project managers have soft skills — they can work with people, they can negotiate, they lead, and they get people to get work done. And I just don’t see AI taking over that role.”

Get more change management insights and strategies

Our experts had plenty more to say about navigating disruption in 2025 and beyond, including tips for better collaboration and communication. Be sure to watch the full session on-demand, plus check out our complete survey findings in this research report.

And don’t forget to keep an eye out for future Smartsheet PPM Power Session episodes!