A career in project management could be yours…
Find all the information you’ll need for a career in project management with Just Business Schools.
A project manager’s job is to pull a team of professionals together to complete a project. The project manager will need to choose his or her team carefully and lead their team from the beginning of the project to its completion.
It is not an easy task getting a group of people to work together. There will be obstacles, budget issues, deadlines to meet and other various problems that will come into play. The project manager must properly assign their team members to specific tasks in a way that makes the team the most productive.
The project manager is also responsible for keeping the client happy, while juggling all of the tasks that need to be completed. The only way to accomplish that goal is to be a very effective communicator. The project manager must be able to work well with each team member and the client and whoever is his or her boss. It is imperative that the work flows smoothly.
Responsibilities of a project manager
Before you make the decision to become a project manager it is important to understand what responsibilities you will probably have:
- Build the project plan which includes: necessary staff, budget, timeframe, and inventory
- Identify any project issues and manage and resolve them quickly
- Work with all the team members to be sure they are updated and understand what their role is within the project
- Be sure that the ultimate project goals are met, unless there were approved changes made during the project
- Keep track of the project schedule to be sure that all team members are hitting their deadlines and that you don’t go over your budget
Skills necessary to be in project management
· Listening and communication skills, equally
A project manager has a team for a reason. And although it is the project manager’s job to run that team, which is where the communication skills come into play, he or she must also be able to listen to their team. They built their team with professionals they trusted and they need to utilize those team members by listening to them and their advice.
· Able to handle problems
Problem-solving skills are going to be huge in this position. No project goes from beginning to end without running into some snags. Project management team to be able to handle his problems and solve them quickly and efficiently. As the project manager you must be able to facilitate solving problems.
· Have a plan B, C and D
Touching on those problem-solving skills again you need to have a backup plan to your backup plan. Something always goes wrong, for example, a shipment doesn’t come in or some team member doesn’t hit their deadline. You must be able to work around any of the problems that come up during the project.
· Be organized
Think of yourself as an orchestra conductor. It is your job to bring in each team member(s) as they are needed and when they are needed. You have to be responsible for knowing where everyone is and where everyone has to go otherwise chaos comes into play.
· Take control and lead
There is a phrase, “too many hands in the cookie jar” that can break a project, which is why there is a project manager. You must take control and lead all of your team members. They will all come to you with ideas and some of them will work and some of them will not. It is your job to decide which ones to use and which ones not to use. Prepared to back up your position should your client question your decision.