Successful projects depend on more than plans, processes and technology. They depend on people and on the strength of the connections between them.
At the recent APM Women in Project Management Conference, whose theme was Connection to Action, Parallel Project Training asked delegates:
“What stops you from building the connections you need to deliver successful projects?”
Delegates were given tokens to vote for one of six answers. The results were revealing:
- 33% — Lack of time
- 26% — Remote working
- 17% — My organisation is too large
- 14% — Lack of opportunity
- 7% — I hate networking
- 3% — Another reason
The “other” responses added further nuance: working part-time, company culture, time zones and international boundaries, limited engagement from others, and simply not knowing the best way to make a connection.
Is a lack of time really a lack of priority?
A third of delegates identified lack of time as the main barrier.
That may not be surprising. Project environments are busy, delivery-focused and often under pressure. When deadlines are tight, relationship-building can feel like something to do later, after the meeting, the milestone or the next urgent task.
But when we say we do not have time for something, we often mean it has not be our priority.
Most project professionals would not omit risk management or planning because they were too busy. We recognise that these activities are essential to delivery, so we allocate time to them. Building relationships deserves similar attention.
Taking time to understand a stakeholder’s priorities, build trust with a colleague or create a relationship across departmental boundaries can prevent misunderstandings, accelerate decisions and make difficult conversations easier. The time invested early may save considerably more time later.
Perhaps we need to stop treating connection as an optional extra and recognise it as a core project activity. It’s something that should be included in how we plan, lead and measure project work.
Remote working has removed the “water cooler” moments
More than a quarter of delegates selected remote working.
Remote and hybrid working have brought greater flexibility and access to wider talent, but delegates reflected on the loss of “water cooler conversations”: the informal exchanges through which relationships often developed naturally.
These moments could happen before a meeting, across a desk, in the corridor or while making a cup of tea. They might begin as casual conversations but lead to useful information, greater understanding or an introduction to someone who could help.
In a remote environment, those opportunities are less likely to happen by chance. Virtual meetings are usually designed around an agenda and an outcome. People join, complete the business and leave. That may appear efficient, but something important can be lost when every interaction becomes transactional.
The answer is not necessarily more meetings. It may be more intentional meetings: leaving space for conversation, checking in with people individually and creating opportunities for interaction that are not entirely task-focused.
Connection still happens remotely, but it rarely happens accidentally.
There was also a sense that some people may be losing confidence in the social skills needed to build workplace relationships. If much of our communication takes place through scheduled video calls, email and instant messaging, there are fewer opportunities to practise starting conversations, reading a room, noticing body language or navigating an unstructured interaction. Over time, approaching someone new, or simply making conversation before getting down to business, can begin to feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable.
Human connection is a capability, not just a personality trait.
Large organisations create distance
For 17% of delegates, the size of their organisation was the main barrier.
In a large organisation, the person with the knowledge, influence or authority you need may sit several functions, locations or reporting lines away. Organisational charts can show us where people are positioned, but they do not necessarily tell us how to reach them, or how work really gets done.
Project professionals therefore need more than a stakeholder list. They need an active network that crosses teams, disciplines and levels of seniority.
Leaders can help by making introductions, creating cross-functional communities and giving people permission to build relationships beyond their immediate responsibilities.
Opportunity and confidence matter too
Fourteen per cent of delegates cited a lack of opportunity, while only 7% said they hated networking.
That distinction matters. The problem is not always an unwillingness to connect. Often, people lack the right environment, invitation or route into a conversation.
It is also worth reconsidering what we mean by “networking”. The word can suggest crowded rooms, forced introductions and the pressure to promote ourselves. But building useful professional relationships can be much simpler:
- Asking someone how their work connects with yours
- Inviting a colleague for a short conversation
- Following up after a meeting
- Sharing something useful without expecting an immediate return
- Asking for an introduction
- Offering help before you need help.
Networking does not have to mean working a room. It can mean being curious, generous and consistent.
Human connection comes first
The conference theme moved from Connection to Action, but effective action starts with human connection.
Before people share information openly, challenge constructively or commit to a difficult course of action, they need a degree of trust. They need to feel heard, respected and included. Project processes can provide structure, but relationships make that structure work.
The poll also shows that responsibility cannot sit solely with the individual. Organisations shape the time, opportunities and culture available for connection. If collaboration matters, leaders must make it a genuine priority and create the conditions for it, not simply encourage people to “network more”.
For project professionals, the challenge is to make connection deliberate. That could mean identifying one relationship that would make a current project easier and taking one small step to strengthen it.
Because successful projects are not delivered through plans alone. They are delivered by people who can reach one another, understand one another and act together.
What most often prevents you from building the connections your projects need, and what has helped you overcome it?
