A successful Project Manager possesses several qualities that help them to enhance their overall success in managing and leading teams as well as projects. Some of the primary qualities of a good Project Manager include problem-solving skills, leadership skills, strong communication skills, and many more which you will see further in this article. So let us have a look at the different qualities of a Project Manager in detail given below so that you can know about it and apply it when necessary.
Project Manager
A Project Manager is one who takes responsibility for every aspect of a project right from start to end. Project Managers oversee, execute, and plan projects and they are the ones who first deal with any problems that might occur throughout the process. You would likely be responsible for a project team that you manage and allocate tasks to accomplish as a Project Manager.
Common responsibilities of an effective Project Manager comprise:
- Communicating and establishing the objectives of the project
- Managing the cost, time, and quality of the project
- Overseeing all completed work as part of the project
- Recognizing and managing stakeholders of the project
- Acquiring any requirements for the project like teams, technology, and materials
- Creating schedules and timelines for the accomplishment of the project
- Winding up the project and making sure that all goals have been fulfilled
Qualities of an Efficient Project Manager
Have a look at the attributes of a Project Manager which are as follows:
- Effective Communication Skills
To make Project Management effective, it needs competent and clear communication about the responsibilities, goals, as well as expectations of the team who would be finishing the project. As a Project Manager, when you communicate with your clients and team effectively, it makes sure that everyone is receiving the same understanding regarding the expectations of the project. The one with good communication skills has the ability to offer constructive feedback to your Project Management team to guide them properly.
Overseeing and assigning tasks is a primary aspect of successful Project Management. To be a good Project Manager, you should be potent enough to identify and access your team’s skills and assign tasks based on their skills. Having effective delegation also means that you should have trust in your team members to accomplish their duties and you can even avoid micromanaging your team.
A good Project Manager should have robust leadership skills with the ability to lead your team effectively from start to finish. It ensures that the project can be completed on time. Also, being a leader, you should motivate your team so that they can perform at their best throughout the project, and thereby it allows the team members to have a clear understanding of the project expectations. You should also be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your team and help you to decide how to utilize them properly throughout the complete process of the project.
- Problem-solving Abilities
A successful Project Manager should also have the ability to solve different kinds of problems throughout the stages of the project. However, it would require the participation of the stakeholders, clients, or team members to solve the issues. One of the key methods to complete the project in an efficient and timely manner is to identify and solve the problems and disputes involved in the project.
A good Project Manager should also be a good team builder to bring the team together successfully and it also helps them to work as a unit to accomplish the project. It is also necessary to keep enthusiasm among the team members and lead your team towards a common purpose and motivate them at the same time throughout the whole project.
The other name of honesty and uprightness is integrity which is very crucial for a Project Manager to have. When you have this quality, it simply means that you are committed to the project and willing to explore it throughout the process at all costs. In addition, it even promotes an ethical and responsible work environment and brings trust in your team.
Competency skill is one of the important qualities in Project Management that promote a sense of authority and trust in your team. With this skill, you can effectively lead your team to make your project complete successfully. Competency brings a spirit and encouragement to Project Management as a whole.
As a Project Manager, you should have motivational skills to influence various stakeholders to get success in the project. The workers who do not have direct influence yet should be motivated using different ways. You should instill confidence in their minds when there is a need to motivate and encourage them during the scope of the project. Moreover, you should have respect for sponsors, stakeholders, and team members to get their respect in return. Also, if proper motivation is not given to the team members, the project might lead in the wrong direction especially to stakeholders and sponsors.
Every good Project Manager should be enthusiastic as it shows your team that you are very confident about the project and have the ability to complete it. Furthermore, it helps to keep your team members in a positive state of mind and motivated while working on the assigned tasks of the project.
- Completely Bestowed in Success
An effective Project Manager should be completely vested in foreseeing the project’s success from start to end. When Project Managers keep this mindset, it helps them to get better results throughout the project. You should be fully engaged in all professional aspects of the project, its people, and its activities. If you want to maintain stakeholder satisfaction and professional integrity, you should avoid overextending yourself. The ability to keep a high-level satisfaction of both team and client are the ways to produce results.
An agent of change can be highly disruptive and inevitable to every area of personal life and business. If you want to be a highly effective Project Manager, you should perceive it, hold it, and create elements of uncertainty into their plans of the project. You should also understand the need to work closely with the experts of change management to help stakeholders better prepare for the future state of things by adapting to the change and operating in the gray.
- Generous with Credit to Others
The effectiveness of a project leader has a great impact on the contributions of others. If we talk about highly effective Project Managers, they share credit for their work done well and at the same time also enable all team members to contribute and participate at their highest levels. While working on the project, you should also hold the skills and knowledge of others rather than doing everything by yourself. This is an effective strategy to enhance the likelihood of gaining objectives.
Tips for Boosting Your Skills as a Project Manager
It is true that you should regularly work on the characteristics of Project Manager mentioned above to become a good one. No matter if you have been in the management field for a while or are a new Project Manager, you can take the help of the following tips to develop your qualities as a Project Manager.
- Communicate with your team regularly
It is wise to keep your communication lines open with your team so that you can make sure that your team perceives completely what is expected from them every time. It even makes them confident to approach you when an issue is to occur. Moreover, you should even communicate changes in Project Management and can avoid failure of new software or tools implemented.
It is quite simple to use templates, track the work record is done, and make sure that meetings stick to the agenda but the real MVPs of a team are the doers. It is great to initiate an idea but exploring it and taking action is something that really shows off your skills in Project Management.
- Set and Stick to Practical Expectations
One of the first steps in the completion of the process is setting expectations for a project. The step comprises ensuring that your team members know what responsibilities they have to do and when they should do it. Once you set the expectations, you should stick to them no matter what the situation is. Otherwise, your team would likely deliver tasks late.
- Reduce complications in your project
One should not overcomplicate a project as a Project Manager as it results in confusion among your team members and reduces the effectiveness of the project to be completed. Also, a complicated project brings difficulty to communicate with team members and key players effectively. Therefore, it is better to keep your projects as simple as possible to make the process smooth and easy.
