CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — June 30, 2025 — At the start of the year, I said that after a sluggish second half of 2024, 2025 would bring new hope and strategic investment. What I didn’t anticipate was the turbulence of Q1 or the hangover that followed in Q2.

Still, and maybe this is the Pollyanna in me, there are real signs of calmer waters ahead for the project market. Businesses are spending again, and we’re seeing renewed momentum in the U.S. economy. Project investments are climbing, especially in IT (data centers, digital infrastructure, and generative AI), HR operations platforms, and onshoring or nearshoring initiatives.

Project consulting firms are usually the first to feel market shifts, for better or worse. When budgets loosen, companies are often hesitant to hire full-time staff right away. Instead, they turn to seasoned third-party project professionals who can deliver impact without long-term overhead. While the economic outlook is clearly improving, investment still demands results quickly. That is why demand is rising for experienced, flexible project delivery leaders who can hit the ground running.

As spending returns, however, we are seeing familiar mistakes. Projects are scoped too broadly or based on outdated strategies that no longer reflect the realities of 2025. A lot has changed in just three months.

If the gap between your goals and your resources is keeping you up at night, consider these three themes as your guide for second-half 2025 project planning.

1. AI-Empowered Mavendog Consultants and Services

The integration of AI into project management is no longer theoretical. According to the Project Management Institute’s 2025 State of Project Management report, 61% of PMOs are already using AI-enabled tools and agents to accelerate forecasting, risk analysis, and portfolio reporting. The best project managers are not being replaced by AI; they are being elevated by it.

AI is quickly becoming a force multiplier in complex, fast-moving projects. From automating status reports to using large language models for scenario planning, these tools are changing how work gets done and how quickly it happens.

Mavendog consultants are already using these tools in client environments, with approval where required, and the results are clear: smarter decisions, faster insights, and greater adaptability. Tools such as Smartsheet’s Resource Management AI, Microsoft Project for the Web with Copilot, and Monday.com’s WorkOS AI Assistant are helping to optimize scheduling, balance workloads, and flag risks early. We are also using Power BI with natural language querying and ChatGPT-driven custom reporting scripts to surface project trends in real time.

This approach allows a single Mavendog consultant to deliver the impact of a larger team. A team of one or two can lead a client’s project portfolio or establish PMO operations at a level that once required a full bench. It is not just a leaner model. It is a more intelligent one.

2. The Energy of Fractional Leadership

With budgets tightening and more people looking for work, internal teams often hesitate to shake things up. The typical project manager seeking steady, long-term employment tends to be less urgent and less open to change.

That is why companies with sound demand management and project portfolio management frameworks should be using fractional senior project leaders to help deliver their portfolios. This fractional approach is at the heart of the Mavendog model. By carefully analyzing a project portfolio through the lens of size, complexity, and interdependencies, we identify dynamic ways to optimize resource allocation.

For those contending with smaller teams, limited budgets, and projects that must be delivered in stages rather than all at once, fractional leadership is the smart play.

Projects by definition are unique. You are doing something new. You have never executed that particular change before. That means project staffing relies on educated guesses and progressive elaboration when deciding who, what, when, and how much leadership you need. Fractional project leadership should be in your quiver of options as you manage those projects. It gives you the flexibility of fractional resources to gain real efficiency, streamline your team, and access top-tier project managers in the third-party marketplace without sweating their cost. It also helps you avoid the costly “easy button” of an unnecessary full-time project manager. 

And here is the dirty little secret:  Most of the highest-caliber project managers are not full-time employees. Read our third theme below to understand my point.

3. Independent Project Leaders (1099)

Over 70 million Americans reported working independently this year, up from 64 million just two years ago, setting a new record for the country’s independent workforce [MBO]. As this workforce expands, more competent independent workers, especially in project management, are choosing not to accept traditional W-2 roles.

Businesses are responding.

Independent 1099 consultants offer quick, expert-level execution without the long-term overhead. This approach is especially attractive amid rising benefit costs, slower hiring cycles, and ongoing pressure to do more with less.

At Mavendog, we have observed a notable shift. Even Fortune 500 clients are increasingly sourcing program leaders through us rather than hiring full-time project managers or turning to well-known consultancies.

If your company lacks a plan to attract top-tier independent project talent, your project velocity and budget are at risk.

In summary, do not fall behind.

The U.S. economy is growing but will not return to old patterns. Productivity is the new currency, wage growth remains modest, and savvy leaders prioritize flexible labor models.

If your portfolio plan for the remainder of the year relies solely on legacy consulting models or W-2 employees, it is time to reconsider. Fractional project leaders, AI-augmented workflows, and independent 1099 talent are no longer trends; they are essential components of resilient and adaptable organizations.

Together, we can ensure that your projects and workforce are prepared for the future. Delivering project wins is, as always, our goal.

— Jon

About Mavendog, LLC
Mavendog, LLC is a project leadership firm of independent, expert project and program management professionals. The firm is a unique conduit to the American independent economy. Since 2017, Mavendog has been committed to helping clients solve their project challenges, from complex enterprise programs to tactical project needs. Today, Mavendog is a preferred consulting partner for driving information technology and enterprise change initiatives in Fortune 1000 companies. Mavendog is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.