The uncertainty of Brexit is a concern for more than 60 per cent of project managers in Northern Ireland compared with 39 per cent in the republic, according to a cross-border survey.
The majority said that Brexit will have a negative impact on their organisation — 87 per cent in the republic and 79 per cent in Northern Ireland.
The survey was conducted by an all-island working group to address Brexit, which includes the Ireland chapter of Project Management Institute (PMI), the largest professional organisation for project managers in Ireland, and the PMI Northern Ireland committee.
The PMI Brexit cross-border working group’s first survey revealed that while more than 50 per cent of project managers in Northern Ireland stated their economy is not prepared for the impact of Brexit, a mere 25 per cent said the same in the republic.
Of the sectors that will be most impacted by Brexit, project managers in Northern Ireland noted transport (39 per cent), government (26 per cent), and agrifood (21 per cent). In the republic, it was agrifood (63 per cent), transport (26 per cent), government (11 per cent).
'All about large-scale change
Co-chair of the PMI Brexit cross-border working group, Peter Glynne, said: "Brexit is all about large-scale change and our research highlights the impact of current uncertainty on organisations across the island of Ireland.
“In the Republic of Ireland, our research indicates that 39 per cent of project managers are concerned about the uncertainty while in Northern Ireland the figure is higher at 61 per cent.
"This highlights the importance of agile leadership, not only to successfully plan and manage Brexit related change, but also readiness to respond to a rapidly changing political and economic landscape."
The survey revealed that corporate risk management and detailed impact analysis are the top two activities being undertaken by organisations both north and south of the border to manage Brexit.
The PMI Brexit cross-border working group was established last year to make recommendations on how to navigate Brexit. The deadline for the UK’s formal exit from the European Union has been extended to October 31.