Confidence in project delivery nearly doubles among UK business leaders

Leadership quality now seen as biggest driver of success - APM research shows

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Confidence in project delivery among UK business leaders has surged since the start of 2026, rising from 46% in January to 87% in April, according to new research from Association for Project Management (APM).

The findings from APM (a year-long survey of 500 CEOs and Managing Directors in the UK in partnership with Censuswide), suggest organisations are moving beyond early-year uncertainty and increasingly crediting strong leadership, professional development and access to qualified project professionals for improved delivery confidence.

Among all business leaders (in April 2026 data), the top reasons cited for growing confidence in project delivery are:

• High quality leadership (22% of respondents)
• Professional development (19%)
• Recruitment of project professionals with recognised qualifications/certifications (18%)

Sector data from key industry sectors also points to quality of leadership as a key driver for project success, for 42% of business leaders in construction, 29% in engineering, 29% in manufacturing, 20% in transport and 21% in technology.

Nicky Dixey, Chief People Officer at property and construction consultancy Ridge, said:

“At Ridge, leadership is what connects strong culture with great teamwork and strong delivery. As the business has grown, we’ve seen that confidence in project outcomes isn’t driven by process alone, but by how leadership is exercised day‑to‑day – through clear direction, decision‑making, governance and consistency.

When leaders create clarity, direction and alignment, teams are better equipped to navigate complexity, set clear goals, manage risk, and deliver work to a high standard. That focus on leadership capability, alongside clear ways of working, has been central to building confidence in delivery across the business.”

APM’s data suggests this shift is also reshaping what senior leaders value most in project professionals. In April 2025, time management ranked as the most important skill among respondents (16%), closely followed by adaptability/flexibility (15%), with leadership rated as most important by 10% of respondents.

By April 2026, leadership had moved into first place (16%), with adaptability/flexibility again close behind (15%). This suggests senior leaders are increasingly prioritising project professionals who can set direction, influence stakeholders and build commitment, rather than simply manage schedules.

Carolyn Adams, Chief People Officer at business management software solutions company Klipboard, said: “Strong leadership sets the vision and enables teams to deliver results.

Project managers don’t just manage tasks, they lead people. They provide clarity when priorities shift, keep teams aligned around a shared goal, and ensure delivery remains focused on what matters most to the business.”

Recruitment pressures also appear to be easing. The proportion of leaders who said it was very or fairly easy to recruit project professionals with the right skills rose from 37% in January 2026 to 67% in April 2026.

Looking forward, leaders appear ready to back project delivery with investment. In April 2026, nine in ten (90%) said their organisation is likely to increase investment in its project delivery capability over the next 12 months, such as growing project teams, training and upskilling existing employees, and introducing new project management tools or processes. 43% of those said they were ‘very likely' to increase investment in project delivery capability.

Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM said: “What our research shows is businesses are recognising that successful project delivery is no longer driven by process alone. In an increasingly volatile political and economic climate, organisations that invest in strong leadership, professional development and project capability are building the confidence and resilience needed to deliver strategic change successfully.

As project delivery becomes central to executing business strategy, leadership quality is emerging as a defining factor separating organisations that successfully deliver change from those that struggle to achieve it.”

Visit apm.org.uk for further information.

Notes to editors

• Data taken from a survey of 500 UK-based CEOs and Managing Directors conducted for APM by Censuswide. Fieldwork carried out between April 2025 and April 2026. All figures rounded to the nearest 1%.