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The Pressure on Project Professionals

A look at the wellbeing challenge in project management.

The Wellbeing Challenge

50%
of project managers experience burnout – the highest of any profession surveyed. [1]
72%
say their main project has harmed their mental wellbeing. [2]
40%
suffer from long-term stress in their roles. [1]
85%
burn out from unrealistic deadlines when facing company challenges. [3]

The Knock-on Effects

37%
of project managers have thought about leaving the profession due to pressure. [3,4]
27%
Manager engagement is at a historic low, down from 30%. [5]
£7.1T
Global cost of low employee engagement ($8.9T or 9% of GDP). [5]

The Positive Signal

Career appeal
No. 1
Joint
Joint top career choice
20% of 21-year-olds selected project manager in APM-commissioned student research. [12]
Role satisfaction
83%
2021
81%
2023
80%
2025
High satisfaction rates
APM salary surveys report consistently high satisfaction among project professionals. [9,10,11]

Key Causes of Stress

Workload & Deadlines
  • 85% of project managers handle several projects at once. [3,4,6]
  • 54% of all employees say workload is their top cause of stress. [7]
  • People are 70% more likely to burn out from unreasonable deadlines. [8]
The Resource & Leadership Gap
  • 44% of project managers say a lack of resources is a top challenge. [3,4]
  • Perception Gap: 43% of project managers feel teams are understaffed, but only 20% of senior leaders agree. [3]
  • A manager’s actions account for 70% of their team’s engagement. [5]

Sources:

  1. CNBC / LinkedIn (2024); Association for Project Management (APM) Data.
  2. APM, “The Mental Health of Project Professionals” (2025).
  3. Smartsheet, “Future of Work Management Report” (2023).
  4. Project Management Institute (PMI), “Pulse of the Profession” Series.
  5. Gallup, “State of the Global Workplace” Report Series.
  6. Harvard Business Review on Context Switching.
  7. American Psychological Association on Workforce Stress.
  8. Harvard Business Review on Project Failure & Deadlines.
  9. APM, “Salary and Market Trends Survey 2021”.
  10. APM, “Salary and Market Trends Survey 2023: Working life and job satisfaction”.
  11. APM, “Average project manager salary increases 10% to £52,500 – APM Salary Survey 2025”.
  12. APM, “Project management – a first career choice” (2018).

Confluity Project Model sitemap

Model overview

What are Jobs?

The model is organised into three Jobs:

Job 1: Set the Direction – shape the purpose into options and a preferred way forward.

Job 2: Prove It Works – test assumptions and reduce risk before going big.

Job 3: Make It Happen – deliver at scale and make sure people actually use what you build.

What are Simple Rules?

The model contains simple rules. These are short principles drawn from experience that help you make better decisions. Jobs, tasks, and plays help you put those rules into practice.

What is a Play?

A Play is a method or tool that helps you apply a rule or complete a task. Use the recommended Plays first for simpler projects before exploring others.

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