A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, telecommunications or software development. Many other fields in the production, design and service industries also have project managers.
A project manager must posses the following seven skills:
- Communications Skills: Communications skills are part of general management skills and are used to exchange information. Communicating has many dimensions:
- Written and oral, listening, and speaking.
- Internal (within the project) and external (customer, the media, the public).
- Formal (reports, briefings) and informal (memos, ad hoc conversations).
- Vertical (up and down the organization) and horizontal (with peers).
Communication is the most important skill that a project manager must posses. It is the single most important characteristics of a top-class project manager. Project managers must communicate well in order to integrate and maximize the performance of team members. Oral and written communications are the backbone of every successful project. During different phases of a project, a project manager requires to communicate through different manners (for example, documentation, meeting updates, etc.) and he must ensure that the information communicated is explicit, clear, and complete.
- Organizational Skills: Organizational skills are part of management skills to organize various aspect of a project to complete it successfully. A good project manager uses these skills to successfully organize his meetings, keeping documentations, quotes, contract, etc., and can fetch them out at any given moment. Organizational skills also include planning and time management skills.
- Budgeting Skills: Budgeting skills include the knowledge of finance and accounting principles. A project manager requires these skills in order to perform cost estimates for project budgeting. Reading and understanding quotes, preparing and overseeing purchase orders, and reconciling purchase invoices are part of budgeting skills. In order to make budget of a project, these skills are very helpful for a project manager.
- Problem Solving Skills: Problem solving skills include defining and analyzing problems, and then taking decision to solve them by implementing those decisions. Every project manager must posses the problem solving skills. Problem solving is a two-fold process:
- Define problems.
- Take decision and implement it.
A project manager is responsible for determining the best course of action to take to resolve the problem.
- Negotiation and Influencing Skills: Negotiating skills includes demanding and convincing others for the rightful thing or act. A project manager needs this skill to negotiate on projects in almost every area such as scope definition, budgets, contracts, resource assignments, schedule, etc. Influencing skills include the convincing power of a person. It is an ability to change minds and the course of events. A good project manager requires these skills to utilize them in all areas of project management.
- Leading Skills: Leading skills of an individual include vision, gain consensus for strategic goals, establish direction, and inspire and motivate others. Leadership is one of the required characteristics of a project manager. A project manager must understand the leadership and management are two different qualities and he must know when to switch on between the roles.
- Team Building and Human Resources Skills: Team building skills include working with different individuals from different parts of the organization. The team building and human resources skills are must for a project manager. A project manager sets the tone for the project team and helps the team members through the various stages of a project.
Overall project managers should know a little bit about a lot of things. They must be excellent communicators. They must have the ability to motivate people, and they can make hard decisions when required.
