In today’s hyper-competitive business environment, organisations are turning to project managers to deliver complex projects and succeed. The project managers (PMs) are responsible for planning projects, assembling a project team and managing project tasks, time and costs. To do so, they must possess a wide range of project management skills.
This article will discuss the top six project management skills every project manager must possess to succeed in the role.
- Communication
Since project managers work with a group of people with different viewpoints and ethics, they should prioritise learning how to communicate effectively. It can help reduce miscommunication and conflicts in the team. Knowing how to approach people, build meaningful relationships with coworkers, and articulate a clearly defined vision of what you want to achieve are all part of effective communication.
Prioritising what you want to say and how you want to say it before communicating is a simple and fruitful first step towards honing this skill.
- Leadership
Leadership is one of the most critical project management skills when managing a team or a project. Strong leaders effectively move a project forward and deliver a positive result by guiding and motivating their coworkers. They also foster a productive work environment by communicating regularly with their teams and assisting their employees in developing essential project management skills.
Your team will be more productive if they believe they are making a significant contribution to the project. To make your team members feel more impactful, learn how to delegate tasks, provide constructive feedback, set goals and evaluate individual and team performance. Also, ensure to recognise your team members’ successes, so they know you appreciate their contributions.
- Technical Knowledge
Along with the soft skills mentioned above, successful project managers must also have the technical knowledge to move projects forward. PMs who understand the organisation’s subject matter experts will be able to communicate effectively and have a clear insight into the project’s inherent risks and potential stumbling blocks. They will also apply this knowledge to plan, organise and communicate with teammates while managing resources, budgets, and schedules.
- Risk Management
Risk management is an essential skill for project managers. It involves identifying and planning for potential risks. Successful project managers can identify risks at the outset of a project and develop appropriate mitigation plans if the risk occurs.
Additionally, knowing and admitting what positive or negative effects the risk may have on the project allows PMs to plan ahead to prevent major problems that could otherwise deter a project.
- Adaptability
In project management, the aspects of your project plan will change at some point. It could include a shift in deadlines or priorities, a change in resources or customer-induced changes. Thus, you must learn to adapt to changes in a workflow. Effective PMs can change direction and adapt to new situations in order to keep their project team on track.
To become more adaptable, you must learn when and how to change gears. And in order to do so, you must first understand yourself. You can also improve your soft skills, such as self-awareness and mindfulness. These skills can help you become more in touch with and manage your emotions, which are frequently in disarray during times of change.
- Problem-Solving
In any project, problems are unavoidable. That is when project managers’ problem-solving skills come into play. Successful PMs use this collaborative, iterative skill to approach problems and ultimately solve them. They analyse the facts and evaluate options using data-driven decision-making frameworks or routine analyses, which allows them to solve problems while delivering results on time and within budget.
Take Away
If you haven’t mastered these essential project management skills, don’t worry. Fortunately, you can learn them by enrolling in a PMP certification course. These experiential online learning bootcamps will not only help you master the above skills (and more) but will also provide you with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience. Furthermore, the PMP certification courses will connect you with industry experts from around the world who can help you advance your career.
