Advances in Measuring Soft Skills in Project Management. A Technology-­ Mediated Approach to Capture the Enacted Behavior

The evaluation of soft skills in project management presents persistent methodological challenges due to their behavioral, relational, and context-­ dependent nature. This study systematically investigates (i) the dominant measurement approaches currently employed, and (ii) the diffusion of objective behavioral assess- ment tools capable of capturing enacted behaviors. The findings reveal a prevailing reliance on self-report measures, with limited adoption of objective behavioral assessments. To address this gap, the study proposes an innovative measurement architecture integrating technology-mediated tools—such as virtual escape rooms and e-driving simulations—and a dedicated algorithm for standardizing and inter- preting behavioral data against population benchmarks. This framework offers a replicable methodology capable of generating empirically grounded, behavior-based data for theory-building and validation