10. Character: The project manager should have an appealing personality and a strong moral and ethical character.

Notably, technical- and traditional project management skills are absent from Forrester's list of core capabilities for next generation project managers, but not because those skills are no longer necessary. While those skills remain important, Forrester maintains that because the softer skills are more difficult to learn than hard project management skills, organizations may be better off hiring individuals who are strong in those key capabilities "even if they lack experience in accepted project management practices."

It's an opinion that's likely to spark controversy in project management circles, but it underscores the changing nature of the role.

"This role is essential to your success today and will be even more critical over the next decade as software delivery and business context evolve," writes Gerush. "Traditional soft skills and core capabilities still dominate as companies look to hire project managers, but new skills are quickly coming to the forefront."