Skills Required For Good Project Management

A project that comes in on schedule is often down to the efforts of the project manager. There are, however, a multitude of skills to be called upon in ensuring the smooth running of the project and here are a few of them.

To give you just one example of the challenges faced by the project manager I remember when I was employed as such in the office of a busy marketing firm and we took delivery of 500 flyers that had been guillotined incorrectly. On the right side of these flyers the text ran off the edge of the page, making them useless. They were delivered the day before the client was due to collect them and, to make matters worse, the flyers advertised an event that was only ten days away.

I was 'on the case' immediately, but when the printer told me that they were very busy and couldn't run a reprint until the following week the situation looked hopeless. In the end I had the leaflets reprinted by a local, but more expensive, printer, the bulk of the cost being met by the original printer, who took full responsibility for the mistake and gave us a refund. This ate into our profit margins slightly, but under the circumstances, i.e. a date-sensitive flyer, my boss was happy enough that we had completed the project on time, and I was immediately put onto my next project, finding a new printer.

This is just one example of the varied workload of the project manager, whose role can be summed up as the overseer who ensures a project runs smoothly and to schedule. The project manager does not carry out any of the actual project work but instead uses a variety of skills to control operations by leading from the front. Which brings us to an examination of these skills.

Leadership Skills
Your role is to manage the project efficiently. Yet the ultimate success of the project depends on the efforts of others. Those working on the project must have faith in your ability and confidence in your judgement if they are to perform at their best. Which brings us to...

Communication Skills
The good project manager must be in possession of excellent communications skills, both written and verbal. Letters and emails that are sent in relation to the management of a particular project must be concise and unambiguous so that the recipient is in no doubt as to their meaning. Good verbal communications are also called for as there will be times during face-to-face or telephone meetings that you will have to respond to on the fly as you try to get what you want. Which brings us to...

Negotiating Skills
Not everyone involved in the project will be pulling in the same direction. There will be those, clients and suppliers for example, who will want things done in a way that is more suited to their own needs. You can do it at X cost; they want it done at Y. You can have the job completed by Friday; they want it done by Wednesday. Strong negotiating skills are required to get the best possible deal for your team and, importantly, to ensure that the project is achievable. Which brings us to...

Influencing Skills
In the process of negotiation the ability to apply influence can be a great aid in getting what you want. One vital factor in the application of influencing skills is that you keep the other party on your side and you do not browbeat them into seeing things from your point of view. This will only have a negative effect, so opt instead for a more positive approach. Which brings us to...

The closing paragraph. Project management is a challenging yet often rewarding job. I can state from personal experience that the challenges met by the project manager give one a great sense of achievement, and when a project is completed within schedule it is an immensely satisfying feeling. Oh and when this does happen it gives you legitimate reason to utter to your colleagues those words currently in vogue. 'I love it when a plan comes together'.