Fundamental Skills For Every Project Manager

By Author: National Institute of Building Technology Nashik
Total Articles: 56
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A good project manager makes a significant difference between a project that comes right in time, on a budget, or it rendered as a failure. A dedicated project manager can bring success to the company in a very short period of time. The project manager should possess the following skills so that he or she can efficiently manage a project successfully while keeping the project on track:

COMMUNICATION
Having the ability to communicate well is one of the core competencies for the management of a project. Excellent communication is the heart of most relationships. Thus the effectiveness of a project manager to communicate well has a huge impact on the stakeholders, clients, and the project team members. Excellent communication gets the manager continually aligned with his or her stakeholders and customers, thus there is the creation of a solid relationship with clients, and eventually the success of the project.
The key to adequate communication skills involves the ability to listen, to be clear and to ensure your party understands you. When information flows in with suitable and right messaging, to the right ...
... person, at the right time, through the right channels, almost all problems and hurdles are easily overcome.

NEGOTIATION SKILLS
Project management is somehow like politics; it brings together disparate groups of people, mostly with the interest of competing. Thus, it is the job for the project manager to get the different interests on the same page, so that he or she can accomplish the project goals. Negotiation skills require investment in time so as to understand both relationships and the interests of stakeholders. The successful project manager knows how to negotiate and find compromises and how to hold the organization without ruining and damaging the relationships in the work place. They often find a middle ground so that they can create a win-win situation.

RISK MANAGEMENT
Project managers are the best targets whenever a project goes wrong. The manager should be able to have the ability to master and identify risks before they become significant issues, and come up with the best and efficient mitigation plans and nullify the problem. Identification of risk needs a follow-up by the risk plan. It involves assigning costs, probabilities, owners, and use of mitigation strategies suitable for the occurring risk. These action plans need incorporation into the original plan and need tracking as well.

LEADERSHIP
Great leadership is an essential skill for being a good project manager. Good leadership roles mean a person can be able to manage and lead teams, motivating teams, serving them, inspiring others, coaching and setting the visions for the team. The project manager should lead from both operational and strategic perspectives.
Every project needs a good leader who can support the team, client, and the entire process. The key to leadership skill is to make sure that you are leading other than just managing them. It means proving a road map and a vision for success, empowering and serving your entire team.

TEAM MANAGEMENT
Besides leading their team from a strategic point of view, the project manager also needs to manage them from an operation perspective. An active manager excels at coordinating and administering groups of people by delegating tasks, setting goals, promoting teamwork, and evaluating performance index of the team members.

PLANNING SKILLS
Proper scheduling is a vital project management skill in any organization. The ability to organize involves taking in the right order, so as to hit the right outcomes at the right time. Proper planning means that the project manager has programmed him or herself such that they are ten steps ahead and have a plan for the next thing.
It even means that the project manager can manage everything from Meta to micro, that is, the creation of great meeting, resource planning, and statements of estimates, works, and briefing.