15 Key Skills of a Project Manager

Project management is a process of planning, implementing, and managing a project. Companies are now hiring project managers because they’re experts in their respective fields.

Job Roles of a Project Manager 

A project manager has various roles and responsibilities to ensure project success. The roles also help him/her progress on the job.

• Coordination with the team, vendors, and third parties to execute and deliver the project efficiently and within budget.
• Reviewing the available resources and allocating them accurately.
• Assessing the risks associated with the project.
• Communicate with clients to discuss requirements they need from the project.

Career Path of a Project Manager

As the demand for project management is growing, the number of project managers is declining. The high demand for project managers is leading to a high salary for people. As the field of project management is new, the opportunities of the field are vast. Some of the designations are below.

1.      Project Coordinator

A project coordinator is responsible for creating and distributing reports. A project coordinator acts as a subordinate for the management team.

2.      Project Scheduler

A project scheduler is responsible for updating and sustaining the project schedules and documents using the software.

3.      Assistant Project Manager

The Assistant Project Manager is responsible for attending the meetings, working on small scale segments of the project, and coordinate with the project manager daily to convey the progress of the project. 

4.      Project Manager

The Project manager is responsible for managing the project completely, which includes cost, schedule, plans, and project illustration. The main aim of the project manager is to complete the project efficiently.

5.      Senior Project Manager

A senior project manager communicates with the project manager to track the progress of the project and prioritizes multiple projects according to their significance.  

Essential Traits of a Project Manager

The role and responsibilities of a project manager require a unique set of skills to achieve project goals. Here are the fifteen essential skills a project manager should possess.

1.      Management Skills

A project manager should possess excellent leadership skills to lead his team. As a project manager, you should have a clear vision of what you want from your team and from the project itself. Set SMART goals for your team and keep evaluating the progress along the way.

2.      Bargaining Skills

Working with a diverse team can be frustrating sometimes because of unwanted conflicts. A project manager should have negotiation skills to keep both parties in agreement while maintaining the performance of the project. A project manager should work as a negotiator to resolve matters.

3.      Scheduling Skills

You should know how to prepare a project schedule that is realistic and efficient. Once you’ve created it, make sure you and your team stick to it. The project schedule skills play a vital role in the project success and reduction of errors.

4.      Budgeting Skills

The budgeting skills are very crucial for a project manager. As a project manager, you should be able to analyze the direct and indirect costs of the project. A good leader always delivers the project even with cost constraints through effective management and resource allocation skills.

5.      Assessing Risk

Every project comes with its risks. Evaluate the risks and taking proactive measures to avoid or reduce the chances of the risks is very important. Risk management helps the project manager to identify the risk, evaluate it, and identify methods to deal with them efficiently.

6.      Contract Management

One of the most important resources of your project is your suppliers, vendors, and third parties. A project manager should be able to identify the relevant vendors for the project and manage them all at once.

7.      Critical Thinking Skills

A project manager should be able to identify problems, analyze it, solve it systematically, and evaluate the outcomes. Critical thinking skills help the project manager to make crucial decisions related to the project. Project managers use this skill to assess and analyze the situation from all angles and then form a decision that has a high chance of success and low risk.

8.      Communication Skills

A project manager needs to have strong verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Many projects fail because of the communication gap between the stakeholders and project managers. There are various modes of communication. Choose a channel that suits you the best.

• Newsletters
• Social Media Platform
• Morning Meetings
• Online Conferences

9.      Recovering the Project

Project recovery skills help a project manager to analyze the obstacles that are disrupting the other elements of the project and determine measures to recover the project. A project recovery plan is used to save the project by focusing on the five basic foundations.

• Break down the steps into smaller chunks
• Create a new schedule for project recovery
• Budgeting the recovery project
• Approaches for monitoring the recovery plan
• A list of additional resources and information

10.  Training Skills

A project manager should be able to coach the team about the project goals, objectives, purpose, and desired outcomes. Coaching your team is important as it helps in enhancing their skills, increases staff motivation and determination that positively affects their performance.

11.  Task Management Skills

A project manager is responsible for creating a list, assign tasks to individuals according to their skillset, and evaluate the progress of the project. Dividing your project into chunks will make it easier for the project manager to evaluate the performance of each task and reduce the chances of errors in the project.

12.  Quality Management Skills

The quality management skills help you complete the project by ensuring high quality. A project that is completed on time but has a poor quality has no worth to stakeholders. Maintain the standard of your project so you can satisfy your clients and stakeholders. 

13.  Meeting Management Skills

Arrange a meeting with your team daily to receive updates on the progress of the project. Make sure to keep the meeting short and relevant, and finish the meeting when you finally have an answer. If any new changes come to light, arrange meetings with your stakeholders and team to inform them about your decisions.

14.  Writing Skills

Read about business cases from the past and evaluate their errors and possible solutions to implement in the new project. Reading these business cases will help you learn from the mistakes done in the past and eliminate them.

15.  Team Building Skills

Project managers need to have a diverse team, but it’s also important to encourage team building. Team building means engaging the staff together to accomplish a goal. The team building helps in finding a conclusion to an issue through healthy debate and develop understanding among the members.

Becoming A Successful Project Manager

Build your career in the project management field. If you feel you have all the skills of a project manager, then register yourself today to QuickStart and apply for an online project management course. The project management certification course will enhance your skills and credibility in the industry, making you desirable. Feel free to contact us for more information.