Most Executive Assistants are already managing projects.
But because it doesn’t come with a formal title or a line in the budget, it gets overlooked – by the business, by leaders, and often by the assistant themselves.
In a 2023 OfficeNinjas survey, 68% of administrative professionals reported leading cross-functional initiatives, process improvements, or internal change projects.
That is project management.
But too often, it’s described as “helping out” or “keeping things moving.”
Not what it really is – strategic delivery.
If we’re going to change the perception of the profession, that has to change.
Here’s the data. Pay attention to the skills required – they’re EA territory:
📊 Projects with strong communication and coordination practices are up to 80% more likely to be delivered on time and within budget. (Neuroject Construction Statistics, 2024)
📊 PMI’s 2024 Pulse of the Profession names communication, collaboration, and problem-solving as the top drivers of project success.
📊 Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index shows assistants are among the fastest adopters of AI and digital tools – key to modern, agile project environments.
We need to stop pretending assistants are just supporting initiatives.
In many cases, they’re outperforming the formal project team.
• Planning a complex offsite? That’s a project.
• Rolling out a new internal system? Project.
• Organising the office holiday party? Yes – still a project.
• Coordinating executive comms during a crisis? Definitely a project.
And who’s managing it all?
Usually the assistant.
Why? Because they bring two things most project teams don’t.
People intelligence and operational precision.
They:
✅ See across silos
✅ Navigate office politics with ease
✅ Track every detail, deadline, and dependency
✅ Manage quietly, but deliver consistently
They’re not just good at coordination.
They’re driving and orchestrating it.
👉 If you’re an assistant: own your role in project delivery.
Track your results. Speak the language. Take the training. Get the qualification.
And yes – ask for the pay that matches the impact. Qualified project managers earn a darn site more than executive assistants.
👉 If you’re a leader: stop overlooking the most effective project manager you already have.
You don’t need to hire externally.
You need to see your assistant through a new lens.
Assistants aren’t helping out with projects.
They are running them.
It’s time to recognise, resource, and reward that.
