Project manager – a designation that communicates importance, responsibility and success. It is a job role that can be found across industries – such as manufacturing, construction, Information Technology (IT), oil and gas, energy, utilities and others. Attaining the level of project manager is a goal post for many professionals and the ambition usually begins from their early days on a project team.

A project is defined as a temporary undertaking dedicated towards developing a product or a service within a stipulated time using a certain amount of resources, decided in advance. Every project follows a plan that is targeted towards achieving maximum benefits. Resources are then allocated to a project for its successful completion.

A project team needs to be shown direction, supervised and provided with solutions for problems to ensure there is minimum hindrance in the completion of their tasks. This is where a project manager comes into the picture.

Not everyone can handle the responsibility of being a project manager. Apart from having a strong sense of organization and ownership, he or she should be ready take accountability for the success and failure of the project. It is the project manager who plays a key role in the planning of the project as well as its implementation, including cost budgeting, resource allocation, risk management, client or external stakeholder management and so on.

The following are the skills and capabilities that should be developed if you aspire to become a project manager.

Key Skills and Competencies of a Project Manager

Ability to Devise Strong Strategy: Strategic thinking is an important trait in a project manager. One of the key aspects of project management is to come up with a strong strategy which analyzes the present situation of an organization and formulates an effective plan in line with it. A project manager should be able to build real-world knowledge about the business scenario and customer expectations and produce a strategy that will enable the achievement of deliverables. Good Communicator: A project manager needs to be able to communicate in a crisp and clear manner at all levels within his or her team. He or she represents the organization to stakeholders and is the key link between the team and the organization as well. Objectives and process workflows should be communicated clearly to the team and results and other vital information to the stakeholders. Effective communication may also comprise elements of persuasiveness and negotiation, depending on the situation. Competency to Lead: A project manager should have good rapport with their team and know each and every member individually. He or she should be able to identify key strengths and weaknesses of everyone in the team and work towards getting the best out of them. Being approachable is a key factor so that team members can signal issues and hindrances without hesitation or fear.

Once every team member’s strengths and weaknesses are identified, it becomes easier to delegate tasks according to an individual’s potential. For example, a client wants a logo to be developed within a few hours. Project manager John Adams can get it done by either Richard or Nancy. Richard is extremely creative and the best logos are designed by him. Nancy, on the other hand, is reasonably good and gets the work done extremely fast. In this situation, John delegates the work to Nancy as getting the logo ready within a short time is the key task at the moment. But he also asks Richard to help her with his creative capabilities. This way, John gets the best out of both and also gets the work done within the required timeframe. Keep Calm in Difficult Times: A project is planned in such a manner that the product or service is delivered on time and within budget. However, not all projects run as planned. Unforeseen obstacles crop up which may lead to difficult situations for the team. The project manager has to keep his or her cool in such situations instead of panicking, else the team members will be demotivated. The project manager needs to explain to the key stakeholders why the situation occurred and what is the plan of action to correct it. He or she should be able to win the trust of stakeholders and senior managers with exemplary problem-solving and communication skills. Quick Learner and Teacher: A project manager needs to have thorough understanding of the subject he or she is dealing with. It is essential to be a quick learner and absorb new knowledge related to focus areas of the project as well as for professional development through project management certifications such as PMP® and PRINCE2®. In addition to this trait, a project manager should also look out for the development of the team. Regular meetings should be conducted to ensure that everyone is in line with the latest best practices so that there is consistency in the output. Good Organizer: A project manager should be an excellent organizer, with complete control over the implementation of the project – from documentation ranging from emails, reviews, memos, change reports, risks documentations and specialist documents, to conducting meetings, scheduling, and management of resources and communication. The project output can be affected significantly in case he or she misses out on any of the points mentioned above. Have Cultural Awareness: There are essentially two aspects in an organization – formal and informal. The formal aspect deals with strategy, planning, project, product, output, and relevant documentations. The informal aspect deals with the existing cultural diversity and is often overlooked by managers. A good manager should be well aware of the cultural diversity present within his or her team and any actions taken should reflect this awareness. This will be helpful for the manager to maintain a good rapport with team members and get work done with ease. Good Decision Maker: The success or failure of a project depends largely on the decisions taken by the project manager. Every decision taken should have justification towards the business case and the manager should ensure that the project is not deviating from its set goals. Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances crop up due to which the manager may have to make critical decisions without having much time to think. Such situations define how good or bad manager he or she is. It must be ensured that urgent decisions do not compromise the intended outcome of the project.

In conclusion, becoming a project manager is a big jump in anyone’s career and the job role comes with immense responsibility. Relevant experience, up-to-date skills, domain-specific knowledge and the willingness to learn distinguish the best candidates for any project manager vacancy.

Although it can be overwhelming at times, the role of a project manager undoubtedly offers a lot of exposure. With the success of a project, a project manager will gain renown in the organization, and this will also add value to his or her career in the long run.