Are you a Project Manager?

One of my first jobs as a project manager was to be asked by someone “What’s the most important skill for Project Managers?” This is a very important question and you must know the answer. According to the PMBOK Guide project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to achieve the project’s objectives. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that project management techniques are used and followed. Great! Now, who is the Project Manager then? Project managers are people who manage the project processes and apply the tools and techniques to accomplish them. They can also be problem solvers and have many hats. Although project managers may have technical skills, they are not required to be able to manage projects effectively. A good project manager is essential if you want to achieve great results. These skills are essential for a good Project Manager. Communication skills: Excellent communication skills are one of the most important attributes of a great project manager. All successful projects depend on effective communication. Throughout the course of your project, there will be many forms of communication. You are the creator and manager of most project communication (project documents and meeting updates, status reports, status reports, etc.). It is your responsibility to ensure that the information is clear, concise, and complete so that your audience can understand what you have communicated. Organizational and Planning Skills. These skills are closely linked and are probably the most important, after communication skills, that a project manager can have. Organization can take many forms. Project managers will need to have project documentation, requirements information and memos. They also need to have personnel records, vendor quotes, contracts, personnel records, and other records to keep track of and locate quickly. Depending on the project, you will need to organize meetings, organize teams, and manage media-release schedules. Budgeting Skills Budget managers must have a basic understanding of accounting and finance. This skill area requires the ability to estimate costs for project budgeting. Conflict Management Skills Show me your project and I’ll show the problems. Every project has its problems. So does most of our daily life. Isn’t this what builds character? But I digress. Problem solving is part of conflict management. Problem solving is a two-fold process. Negotiation and Influencing Skills Negotiation is essential in almost all areas of a project, including scope definition, budgets, contracts, resource assignment, and contract negotiations. This can be done one-on-one or with groups of people and can happen many times throughout a project. Leadership Skills Managers and leaders are not the same thing. Leaders are able to communicate vision, build consensus around strategic goals, set direction, and inspire others. Managers are focused on results and care about completing the job according to requirements. Motivational and Team-Building Skills Project managers will heavily rely on their team-building skills and motivational skills. Many times, teams are formed with people from different parts. These people may not have worked together in the past, so it is possible that some team-building groundwork could involve the project manager. The project manager