Introduction. Understanding of the historical stages of the formation of project management methods is necessary to determine its key characteristics and peculiarities. This approach makes it possible to identify the laws of development of society in connection with the distribution of the principles of project management, to identify areas that are not considered in scientific works in sufficient quantities, as well as to identify the main trends in the development of project management methodology. Purpose. The article aims to study the development of the methodology of project management, to implement its periodization with the identification of major events that have influenced management practices, as well as the formation of the own view as for the current trends in project management. Method (methodology). In order to achieve the goal, such common scientific methods as method of analysis and synthesis, method of system approach, graphical method have been used in the research. Results. The periodization of approaches and methods of project management have been substantiated. Its main concepts have been systematized. These concepts have been developed in scientific works during the 1960-2000s. The results of successful projects over the last 20 years have been analysed. The main tendencies of project management development have been grounded.

Today, people are suddenly forced to interact remotely due to the pandemic, while companies around the world are beginning to accept the fact that teams don't really have to work in offices to get the expected results. That is why distributed teams are increasingly becoming the norm in various industries, delivering results, and saving corporate resources. At the same time, new realities have not only changed the way companies work but also changed people's thinking to adapt to working in distributed teams. Especially now, the knowledge and skills of employees are intellectual capital for companies, which is fast becoming a new icon of the economic value of the company. Due to this fact, project workers, those who want to succeed in the new business environment, should learn to work effectively in distributed teams. This will require strengthening soft skills such as leadership, commitment, etc. The article considers the economic and social preconditions for distributed project teams trend formation. The literature on the topic of the distributed team’s efficiency was analysed. Thus, one of the factors influencing the team work efficiency related to the soft skills maturity level among distributed project team members was distinguished. The unified list of soft skills based on world experience is determined. The current state and main trends in the work of project teams are studied, based on which the methodological tools for assessing the maturity level of the project team’s soft skills by project managers at the enterprise were proposed. The levels of soft skills maturity, as well as assessment parameters of each of soft skills, are revealed. The practice of applying the unified soft skills list on the example of a distributed team in the Ukrainian company was evaluated, based on which conclusions about the possibility of its use were made.