Each project manager’s job description differs based on industry and company, but they all have to meet the goals and expectations of the company. This means that project managers have to have a few essential skills to be able to strategically plan and carryout any given project. These five skills are essential to the success of any project manger regardless of the industry or company for which they work.
- The Ability to Delegate and Communicate Effectively
As a manager, you may have all the right people and all of the excitement, but you also need to have the skills to be able to delegate the tasks efficiently. Clarity with objectives is just as important as clarity with the tasks your team members are assigned. Your role is to see that the project gets done, not to actually do every single detail. Be detail-oriented, but enable your team to work for you by doling out the responsibility. Delegation only goes as a far as the communication that goes with it. As you assign tasks, make sure that your team is able to ask questions and understand the objectives. - Creativity and Flexibility
Every project manager will face his or her fair share of problems and issues. This is to be expected. The best way to handle this is to be open to change. It can be hard to see your perfect project plan thrown off course, but you can handle it. If you can be flexible when problems do arise, it’s also ideal that you can be creative with solutions to those problems. Expect the problems and face them head-on. - Organization and Multi-tasking
It’s likely that whatever project you’re working on will have many details and needs. Be an organized person for yourself and for your team members. Being organized will keep you afloat among all of the multi-tasking that will be necessary to completing the project. - Time, Resource, and Budget Management Skills
Generally speaking, the more resources and money that is available to be put toward the project, the better. But money only goes so far; if the budget is already set up, it’s your job to manage it. If you’re the one creating the budget, you need to be able to include it in your strategic project plan. Make sure, too, that when you’re planning the project, you’re accounting for the amount of time you and your team will be spending on the project. - Team Building and Conflict Management
Your team may work perfectly together, but most likely, there will be challenges. It’s best to manage teams with team cohesion goal in mind while having the preparedness to manage the conflict. If the team enjoys each other’s presence, the project will be more efficient. That is your goal. But, if they don’t, it’s your job to ensure that the project runs efficiently despite that.
