CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — December 29, 2024 — As we look back on 2024, I am deeply grateful for the effort and accomplishments of this past year. In August 2024, Inc. 5000 recognized Mavendog by ranking it No. 2203 for almost 250% growth over the past three years. Then, in December 2024, the Charlotte Business Journal recognized Mavendog on the Fast 50, ranking it No. 19. This recognition reflects Mavendog’s reputation as a consultative leader in project management; its growing presence in Charlotte and the Southeast; and demand for project leaders from the American independent economy. On February 9th 2025, Mavendog celebrates its 8th anniversary—a milestone marked by a loyal, long-standing team, committed clients, and numerous successfully delivered projects.

As for predicting 2025, we anticipate the economic lull of last year (particularly in the third and fourth quarters) to have run its course. 2025 should be a year of renewed optimism, strategic investments, and new project opportunities. The question is what those new opportunities will be, especially in terms of project portfolios.

A 2024 (2nd Half) Slowdown

Despite Mavendog’s growth, we felt an economic slowdown in the 2nd half of 2024. Many would agree that the last couple years have been stagnant, even recessionary thanks to the ‘wet blanket’ of inflation and higher interest rates. And to top it off, markets felt the impact of a U.S. Presidential election, characterized by a wait-and-see posture about which new administration would take power.

But in terms of new project investments, I attribute the slowdown to a collective pause as corporate leaders digest the snowballing pace of technology: “Where should we modernize? Where should we innovate? What is the impact on existing products or services? Have I prioritized the right things in my project portfolio? Do I have the best personnel today to keep pace, let alone achieve the corporate vision? What strategic partnerships make sense to supplement? Are mergers and acquisitions necessary to maintain or gain competitive advantage?” The conditions were just right for a bad case of ‘analysis paralysis.’

The Next “Industrial Revolution”

As we look back at 2024 and think about 2025, we can’t ignore the existential tech modernizations taking place. Since 2016, it was relatively straightforward predicting where companies would (and should) invest, especially as we saw more and more companies jump on the digital transformation train. Project investments were in things like big data, cloud, robotics, the “Internet of Things (IoT)”, plant modernizations, and supporting cyber security and infrastructure. Economists gave this past-decade (and investments) a name — a Fourth Industrial Revolution (a term originally coined by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum). For 2025 and beyond, economic wonks now say that we in a Fifth Industrial Revolution, which ushers in greater investment in human-centered design, communication, and decision-making optimization.

I will admit that when I hear about a “Fifth Industrial Revolution”, such as described in the above-referenced Fortune article and this complementary video, it indeed comes across as consultative marketing slogan. Deloitte, whom we credit with the talking points, even admits as much. But slogan or not, we can feel a tipping point. I particularly concur with one prediction by Jeff Jarvis, a professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. He is the author of the books What Would Google Do? and Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live. This is a quotation from Jarvis from eleven years ago!:

“By 2025, artificial intelligence will be built into the algorithmic architecture of countless functions of business and communication, increasing relevance, reducing noise, increasing efficiency, and reducing risk across everything from finding information to making transactions…. robotic and intelligent functions will be taking over more of the work of manufacturing and moving.”

While the Fourth Industrial Revolution was about capturing raw data and information, the Fifth Industrial Revolution is a quantum leap in analysis and interpretation (say, for example, by a Watson-grade A.I. machine). Moreover, this revolution is already upending traditional employment roles, not only for knowledge workers, but for the corporate leaders who need to know how to navigate these new waters: “What am I really facing in the year (and decade) ahead? Is this all hype? How do I leverage it? What should I change? How much of our capital do I divert to such projects?”

I can understand the excitement (and apprehension) that leaders have in this moment. Project dollars must continue to flow into a company’s tech stack (and rightfully so). But where exactly?

2025 Strategic and Project Investments

Humanity has always been existentially dependent on technology, from the ‘caveman chemistry’ of fire, lye, and early textiles, to today’s reliance on the cloud, advanced analytics, machine learning, robotics, and automation. In that same vein of existential dependence, two project types bubble to the top — Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence. I also prioritize Robotics, along with Human Resources investments (workforce development, administration, and Learning Management System (LMS) projects). This year’s Society for Information Management IT Trends study agrees. Investing in cybersecurity remains essential, for the threat of cybercrime (and even on the scale of cyber warfare) is unfortunately spreading. Moreover, while Artificial Intelligence may seem like the buzzword of the moment (even I get tired of hearing about it in every breakout session at tech conferences), its integration is pervasive. It is a motivation for investments in Value Stream Assessments, process reengineering, and efficiency projects. Even the Project Management Institute (PMI) is preparing project managers in these areas, such as Generative AI (GenAI), data governance, and Large Language Models (LLMs).

Project Management in 2025

In general, the underlying challenge (and realization) for companies in 2025 is that if they fail to grasp the impacts of these technologies on their business and workforce, they risk losing their competitive advantage, relevance, or even stability. It means projects that are all about experimenting and taking risks. The trick is to be sure that the project is “successful” from the standpoint that it gets done, and done quickly, so that leaders can properly assess the degree of impact on their overall strategic direction. That means an even greater reliance on sound project execution and agility.

It is ironic that, in an age of artificial intelligence, we need project leaders more than ever who excel in human dynamics. Projects emerging in 2025 require those who are deep thinkers; disciplined and persistent in their work; and skilled at navigating both complex decision-making and interpersonal relationships. They must be adaptive and agile, and unafraid to adjust models and methodologies to suit the needs of the moment. [Of note:  On January 3, 2025, PMI will announce its latest Agile move and merger, absorbing Agile Alliance officially into its organization.]

A key ingredient of 2025 project efficacy is a project leader who can operate independently — unencumbered by fears, biases, or loyalties to specific companies, tools, or brands. If we’re truly in a new Industrial Revolution, it’s hard to drive change when you’re attached to what’s familiar and safe. [Mavendog highlights these points in our predictions article from earlier this year.]

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I’ll reach out again in our next, semi-annual newsletter (July 2025) to see how this Industrial Revolution is treating everyone. In the meantime, we wish you all a wonderful Winter and Spring.

About Mavendog, LLC
Mavendog is a project leadership firm of independent, program and project leaders who operate as Affiliates under the brand. The firm is a unique conduit to the American independent economy. Since 2017, Mavendog has been committed to helping clients with their project challenges, from complex IT portfolios and programs to tactical project needs. Today, Mavendog is a preferred consulting asset for managing and driving information technology and enterprise change initiatives . The company is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.