To be an effective project manager, it is important to have skills essential to the position. If you are thinking of becoming a project manager, here are the skills you need to demonstrate.
1. Leadership
Project management often consists of working with people from multiple departments and developing a system and method for cross-department projects. You will have to define what needs to be done, and develop a system to do it.
You will also need to make sure the constituent parties understand what they need to do, have the resources to do what they need to do, and are on task. They may need to be guided and motivated to perform well.
All of these needs take leadership skills.
2. Communication
Project managers must be excellent communicators. In fact, communication may constitute more than ninety percent of the job. You need to produce written communications that cover what the constituent parties need to know, and that can be clearly understood. Your oral communications, similarly, must be comprehensive and easily understood.
Project managers are also responsible for producing role-specific communications, such as periodic updates, weekly reports, and site notes.
3. Time Management
Project managers need to have excellent time management themselves, as entire projects can rely on their own productivity and ability to prioritize.
They also need to utilize their time management skills in figuring out project time needed, budgets, and how tasks might be best allocated.
4. Risk Management
Project managers need to be able to anticipate potential risks to a project in order to manage them effectively. Are there potential internal risks, for example? Any future company plans a potential risk? Are government regulations a risk? How about potential risks from outside suppliers or venders?
Part of your job will be coming up with a risk management plan for identified risks. You will need to define methods of preventing potential risk, and how to limit risk if a situation occurs, throughout the project.
5. Negotiation Skills
As a project manager, you may have to negotiate bids from suppliers and vendors. You need to know how to assess bids, review qualifications, and get the most advantageous deals for your company and the project.
Poorly negotiated projects often fail or are subject to inadequate materials or cost overruns, so it is key to be able to negotiate firmly and well.
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