Project Manager

What They Are - How To Get The job

A project manager is a person behind any project's success. Information technology, architecture, petrochemical, construction, and many other industries use project managers. This job title job will require the ability to ask penetrating questions, understand conflicts, resolve them, and identify unstated assumptions. There will be many other management tasks that the project manager will have to take care of.
 
A project manager is considered to be one of the most complex jobs. A project manager will be given the responsibility to lead a project. Starting from the initiation phase to planning, execution, and completing it, they do it all.
 
A project manager will always work in a team with other members. That's why they need to be a good team player and must be sociable. A PM will be expected to quickly adapt to a project, get used to people working in the project, situations, and be ready to resolve issues whenever they occur. Flexibility is the critical component of a PM (project manager) because he/she is the controller and the team's builder.
 
To be a great project manager, one needs to be a good team player, supervisor, and superb co-worker. Since a project manager will have to deal with many challenges, they need to be prepared to solve every problem all the time. Also, a project manager will be the first point of contact both from his/her team side and from the client-side. Hence, a PM has dual responsibilities. As a PM, the person will be expected to be ready with answers, and that's why this job profile is exciting.
 
A project manager will be dealing with both informal and formal interactions. If you believe that you are a good team player and you are a go-getter, the project manager role may be ideal.
Some of the significant roles that a PM looks after are- understanding the requirement of the project, creating a blueprint for the project augmentation, executing it, communicating with everyone in the team correctly so that there is no room for doubts, finding solution whenever there are any problems, keeping an eye on the project, ensuring that the project will be completed within the deadline, and actually finishing the project.
 
One needs to understand that the project manager will be responsible for the project's success and failure. If there are any mistakes, it is going to be the project manager who will be asked questions. If there are any client complaints, the project manager must be prepared to resolve them as soon as possible and find an adequate solution for the same. Being in this position will require a complete focus on completing the project successfully.
 
The project manager position is an ever-changing job and always in demand. Companies often look for experienced project managers who have a proven track record and can help the company that they will join grow. Do remember that each project will be different.
 
Risks may arise when there is uncertainly, and that's the beauty of a project manager who will focus on the primary concern. Even if there is uncertainty, the project manager will come up with positive solutions. Risk can impact the project's results, and only a good project manager will be able to lessen risks significantly.
 
A good project manager must have an open communication policy. The better the communication will be with your team and clients, the easier it will become for the project manager to resolve issues and satisfy everyone. The project manager will be making important decisions in a project, both large and small. The project manager must minimize uncertainly and reduce risk. Whatever decisions a project manager will make will directly affect the project; hence, making calculated decisions is necessary.
 
Some of the roles and responsibilities that a project manager handles are as follows:
 
  • Understanding the scope, defining it, and planning for it.
  • Resource planning.
  • Developing schedules and time and cost estimating.
  • Creating a budget.
  • Documentation and creating charts.
  • Risk analysis, managing issues, and risks.
  • Reporting and monitoring progress.
  • Good team leadership qualities.
  • Strategic influencing, business partnering, and working with vendors.
  • Scalability, portability, and interoperability analysis.
  • Controlling quality.
 
What Is a Good Profile of a Project Manager and the Required Skills?
 
Just the knowledge of project management won't make anyone fit for the project manager role. Companies look for many other things. Every organization will have a different definition for a good project manager’s profile, but still there will be a few attributes that will remain the same. A good profile for a project manager will need to have the following attributes:
 
  • A project manager has to be a good communicator. Since the project manager is the point of contact for his/her team and the client, the PM needs to connect with everyone efficiently. The PM needs to communicate project goals clearly to everyone in the team.
  • Since the project manager will be leading the team and the project, the PM needs to have strong leadership skills. The PM needs to motivate the team from time to time and keep an eye on their performance.
  • There will be times when the PM must make decisions, which is the time impeccable decision-making skills are a must.
  • A project manager might have to work on different project management software; hence, having technical expertise over software and other programs will be an added advantage.
  • A project manager will be under a lot of pressure. There will be incidents when you have to remain calm even if you are frustrated. Staying grounded and working under pressure are a few essential attributes of a good project manager.
  • Conflicts can arise. A good project manager must have good negotiation skills and come to the same page with everyone in the team for the benefit of the project. Settling any conflict will be one of the required skills of a project manager.
 
A project manager has a lot of responsibilities to look after. The project manager has to resolve issues, keep the team inspired, talk to the clients, keep them satisfied, etc. If you think that you are ready to take a project manager's responsibilities, go for it.