Project Manager

 

Project managers are change agents: they make project goals their own and use their skills and expertise to inspire a sense of shared purpose within the project team. They enjoy the organized adrenaline of new challenges and the responsibility of driving business result

They work well under pressure and are comfortable with change and complexity in dynamic environments. They can shift readily between the "big picture" and the small-but-crucial details, knowing when to concentrate on each

Project managers cultivate the people skills needed to develop trust and communication among all of a project's stakeholders: its sponsors, those who will make use of the project's results, those who command the resources needed, and the project team members

They have a broad and flexible toolkit of techniques, resolving complex, interdependent activities into tasks and sub-tasks that are documented, monitored and controlled. They adapt their approach to the context and constraints of each project, knowing that no "one size" can fit all the variety of projects. And they are always improving their own and their teams' skills through lessons-learned reviews at project completion

Project managers are found in every kind of organization -- as employees, managers, contractors and independent consultants. With experience, they may become program managers (responsible for multiple related projects) or portfolio managers (responsible for selection, prioritization and alignment of projects and programs with an organization's strategy

And they are in increasing demand worldwide. For decades, as the pace of economic and technological change has quickened, organizations have been directing more and more of their energy into projects rather than routine operations

 

 

 

Project management is one of the most complex fields of work out there. Be prepared for a true adventure you’ll never get bored of. There is no space for dullness in this profession. A project manager (PM) is responsible for leading an entire project through initiation, planning, execution, control, and completion 

Project managers always work in a team. They are most often sociable and great team players. As a PM, you will need to adapt to different people, cultures, environments, and situations. Being flexible is key to team communication since you’ll be the builder and controller of the team

To be a great PM, you have to be a team leader, co-worker, and supervisor at the same time. This is one of the most challenging careers as no day will be the same and you will need all of your skills to solve every problem. Also, you’ll be the first person your team goes to when a problem occurs. They might expect you to hold the answers to any inquiry. But, this is what makes the project management career interesting

You’ll deal with both formal and informal interactions. If you believe that you’re a person that knows people well from the second you meet them, this might be the right career path for you. Essentially, the project manager is similar to a psychologist. They know exactly what problems, desires, and expectations employees and clients have. However, despite being a people person, a PM won’t get emotionally involved in their projects

Some of your duties will include: taking part in the creation process, executing the project, preparing communication methods, finding solutions to recurring issues, monitoring the project’s progress from start to finish, and many more. To put it briefly, you’ll be responsible for connecting each project to the business world and to its clients

You must be aware that the entire responsibility of the project’s success will fall on your shoulders. You will be held accountable for any mistakes that your team makes or for any client complaints. In this position, you’ll focus both on the accuracy of your work and that of your team

This profession is always changing and facing new demands. If you’re the kind of person who prefers diversity, this is the type of career you’ll never get bored of. You can always switch the project you’re working on, the team you interact with, the industry you’re involved in, and even the processes and tools to ease your work. No project is the same. Yet, your expertise in this field will prove helpful whenever you’ll come across similar situations and issues in the future. Similarly, your past experience will be essential to solving problems quickly

A project manager’s skills

Knowledge of project management is sometimes just not enough for you to become a great PM. As discussed above, you need soft skills as well. Being a good communicator and an open leader is not enough. Tackling daily project management challenges also requires accountability, adaptability, analytical and strategic thinking, decisiveness, a stress-resistant personality, and even a bit of love for risk-taking. Being a multitasked with great written and oral communication skills can place you among the top project managers in your sector

When it comes to hard skills, you should be aware that there is no specific project management skill. In fact, depending on the project, you’ll have to know a bit of everything. General business knowledge is highly desired. Don’t worry though, you don’t need to be an expert in technical skills such as coding. However, being able to give accurate and detailed tasks to your developers is important. Leading a project is all about making sure that your team members lack no information that’s crucial to successfully finish a task and delivering the final project

You should have the adequate level of knowledge to spot an issue and suggest possible solutions. At the same time, you should know that many project managers have had previous other jobs such as software developers, marketing managers, accountants, designers, and so on. This means that they hold the required solid knowledge for projects related to their previous fields of interest

If you’re one of these people, you might be one step ahead of the others; but you must keep in mind that you’ll also need to develop your own knowledge of project management processes, frameworks, and people management. You might be used to working individually, but project management is all about teamwork. Don’t panic if you end up realizing that working as a project manager is not a right fit for you. This profession creates many new opportunities and pathways for other future careers

The skills of the most successful project managers

solid understanding of business cases and risk management processes

expert knowledge to meet specific circumstances

proven project management and self-management skills

strong leadership skills

ability to monitor and control budgets

critical thinking

good communication and negotiation skills

capability to make decisions under pressure

strong interpersonal skills necessary to lead a team

ability to define situations, document data, and draw conclusions

strong business acumen

ability to interpret instructions regardless of their form

strong organizational and multitasking skills

creative mindset

analytical skills

accuracy and attention to detail

excellent time management skill

capacity to maintain schedules and meet deadlines

problem-solving skills

self-motivation

 accountability working knowledge of   project management

What does a project manager actually do

We have analyzed over 200 worldwide job postings and compiled this list of the most common project manager responsibilities

direct all project management phases

set and manage project expectations with external and internal stakeholders

coordinate and track various projects through an entire project lifecycle

develop a detailed  project management plan to track project progress

mentor, motivate, and supervise project team members

develop professional business relationships

define the overall scope of the project

prioritize the tasks of the project

create and continuously update the project documentation

create accurate forecasts for revenue and resource requirements

partner with all departments to ensure work is done according to demands

establish effective communication

ensure team members have all the necessary information

track work times and maintain accurate daily time sheets

ensure project tasks are executed and reviewed within the predefined scope

align various teams to maintain the quality of deliverable

report and escalate issues to management when necessary

conduct project status meetings, daily stand-ups, and retrospective meetings

continuously follow up on the progress, risks, and opportunities of the project

focus on customer satisfaction

manage projects through KPIs

manage budgets and billings

act as the main customer contact for project activities

make recommendations for project improvements

conduct workshops and training

obtain customer input

measure project performance using appropriate systems, tools, and techniques

evaluate team performance

Project manager responsibilities

A project manager, with the help of their team, is charged with multiple responsibilities that span the five project phases of a project life cycle (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and closing) below

The project management phases intersect with 10 knowledge areas. The knowledge areas include integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, risk procurement and stakeholder management

Initiating phase

Integration management: Developing a project charter

Stakeholder management: Identifying stakeholders

Planning phase

Integration management: Developing a project management plan

Scope management: Defining and managing scope, creating a work breakdown structure (WBS), and requirements gathering

Time management: Planning, defining, and developing schedules, activities, estimating resources and activity durations

Costs management: Planning and estimating costs, and determining budgets

Quality management: Planning and identifying quality requirements

Human Resource management: Planning and identifying human resource needs

Communications management: Planning communications

Risk management: Planning for and identifying potential risks, performing qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, and planning risk mitigation strategies

Procurement management: Planning for and identifying required procurements

Stakeholder management: Planning for stakeholder expectations

Executing

Integration management: Directing and managing all work for the project

Quality management: Performing all aspects of managing quality

Human resource management: Selecting, developing, and managing the project team

Communications management: Managing all aspects of communications

Procurement management: Take action on securing necessary procurements

Stakeholder management: Managing all stakeholder expectations

Monitoring and controlling

Integration management: Monitoring and controlling the project work and managing any necessary changes

Scope management: Validating and controlling the scope of the project

Time management: Controlling the scope of the project

Costs management: Controlling project costs

Quality management: Controlling the quality of deliverables

Communications management: Controlling all team and stakeholder communications

Procurement management: Controlling procurements

Stakeholder management: Controlling stakeholder engagements

Closing

Integration management: Closing all phases of the project

Procurement management: Closing all project procurements

In addition to technical knowledge, here are  project management skills. Among these, soft skills like these 11 communications skills can also help project managers excel in this highly sought after role. To step things up here are traits of project managers that can help set you apart as one of the truly great ones