Project Manager Questions

Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager

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By Timothy R. Barry

What qualities are most important for a project leader to be effective? Over the past few years, the people at ESI International, world leaders in Project Management Training, have looked in to what makes an effective project leader. With the unique opportunity to ask some of the most talented project leaders in the world on their Project Leadership courses ESI have managed to collect a running tally on their responses. Below are the top 10 in rank order according to frequency listed.

Inspires a Shared Vision

An effective project leader is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. It was once said that a leader is someone who "lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change." Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. According to Bennis "They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organisation." (Bennis, 1997)

Good Communicator

The ability to communicate with people at all levels is almost always named as the second most important skill by project managers and team members. Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback.

There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. The project leader is also the team's link to the larger organisation. The leader must have the ability to effectively negotiate and use persuasion when necessary to ensure the success of the team and project. Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and team achievements by creating explicit guidelines for accomplishing results and for the career advancement of team members.

Integrity

One of the most important things a project leader must remember is that his or her actions, and not words, set the modus operandi for the team. Good leadership demands commitment to, and demonstration of, ethical practices. Creating standards for ethical behaviour for oneself and living by these standards, as well as rewarding those who exemplify these practices, are responsibilities of project leaders. Leadership motivated by self-interest does not serve the well being of the team. Leadership based on integrity represents nothing less than a set of values others share, behaviour consistent with values and dedication to honesty with self and team members. In other words the leader "walks the talk" and in the process earns trust.

Enthusiasm

Plain and simple, we don't like leaders who are negative - they bring us down. We want leaders with enthusiasm, with a bounce in their step, with a can-do attitude. We want to believe that we are part of an invigorating journey - we want to feel alive. We tend to follow people with a can-do attitude, not those who give us 200 reasons why something can't be done. Enthusiastic leaders are committed to their goals and express this commitment through optimism. Leadership emerges as someone expresses such confident commitment to a project that others want to share his or her optimistic expectations. Enthusiasm is contagious and effective leaders know it.

Empathy

What is the difference between empathy and sympathy? Although the words are similar, they are, in fact, mutually exclusive. According to Norman Paul, in sympathy the subject is principally absorbed in his or her own feelings as they are projected into the object and has little concern for the reality and validity of the object's special experience. Empathy, on the other hand, presupposes the existence of the object as a separate individual, entitled to his or her own feelings, ideas and emotional history (Paul, 1970). As one student so eloquently put it, "It's nice when a project leader acknowledges that we all have a life outside of work."

Competence

Simply put, to enlist in another's cause, we must believe that that person knows what he or she is doing. Leadership competence does not however necessarily refer to the project leader's technical abilities in the core technology of the business. As project management continues to be recognised as a field in and of itself, project leaders will be chosen based on their ability to successfully lead others rather than on technical expertise, as in the past. Having a winning track record is the surest way to be considered competent. Expertise in leadership skills is another dimension in competence. The ability to challenge, inspire, enable, model and encourage must be demonstrated if leaders are to be seen as capable and competent.

Ability to Delegate Tasks

Trust is an essential element in the relationship of a project leader and his or her team. You demonstrate your trust in others through your actions - how much you check and control their work, how much you delegate and how much you allow people to participate. Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micro-managers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. As one project management student put it, "A good leader is a little lazy." An interesting perspective!

Cool Under Pressure

In a perfect world, projects would be delivered on time, under budget and with no major problems or obstacles to overcome. But we don't live in a perfect world - projects have problems. A leader with a hardy attitude will take these problems in stride. When leaders encounter a stressful event, they consider it interesting, they feel they can influence the outcome and they see it as an opportunity. "Out of the uncertainty and chaos of change, leaders rise up and articulate a new image of the future that pulls the project together." (Bennis 1997) And remember - never let them see you sweat.

Team-Building Skills

A team builder can best be defined as a strong person who provides the substance that holds the team together in common purpose toward the right objective. In order for a team to progress from a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit, the leader must understand the process and dynamics required for this transformation. He or she must also know the appropriate leadership style to use during each stage of team development. The leader must also have an understanding of the different team players styles and how to capitalise on each at the proper time, for the problem at hand.

Problem Solving Skills

Although an effective leader is said to share problem-solving responsibilities with the team, we expect our project leaders to have excellent problem-solving skills themselves. They have a "fresh, creative response to here-and-now opportunities," and not much concern with how others have performed them.

Successful project managersare in high demand as organizations strive to deliver successful projects at a faster pace in increasingly complex environments.  There are a few critical skills that make project managers successful –

Subject Matter Knowledge

§  Effective project managers understand the inner workings of their organizations and know enough about their products/services to hold intelligent conversations with (1) customers, (2) stakeholders, (3) suppliers, and (4) functional leaders within the organization.

§  The best project managers are excellent listeners, and view exchanges with the above groups as learning opportunities.

§  Project managers that are new to an organization set aside learning time each week to better understand and interact with the four groups noted above.  This learning investment is paid back many times over in the form of good decisions, effective meetings, and successful project delivery (and fewer headaches!)

Project Management Tools

§  Effective project managers understand how, when, and why to deploy project management disciplines at different points in a project.  Examples of these tools includedeveloping project charters, planning, scheduling, vendor management, risk assessment, budgeting, change management, and project control.

Interpersonal and Leadership Skills

§  Successful project managers know how to motivate people who do not work for them, and keep teams working effectively together.

§  Quite simply, effective project managers tend to be as “likeable” as they are assertive.

Organization

§  Project managers create structure from chaos by using specific tools such as charters, risk assessments, Gantt charts, decision matrices, and many other tools throughout the project.

Time Management

§  Steven Covey’s quote, “The enemy of the best is the good,” applies especially well to project managers.  They understand that there are countless good things to be involved in, but there are a vital few best things that must come first each day.  Successful project managers are very good at saying, “I’m sorry but I can’t support that right now.”

§  Successful project managers also respect their teammates’ time.  Project managers run efficient meetings, which results in good attendance by all parties over the long run.

Communication

§  Project managers communicate clearly, concisely, and frequently.  They know, for example, when a simple email will suffice, or when a “working document” like a project charter will better serve their purpose.

Political Savvy

§  There are times when interpersonal skills are not enough to garner the support needed from the organization on one or more project tasks.  In these cases, project managers use senior leadership support to get things done.  Project managers are very good at scheduling update forums with senior leadership and functional leaders, to ensure that all business functions are making the project a priority.

Comfortable Running a Meeting

§  As a project manager you will spend a lot of time orchestrating meetings.  As a result, you must be comfortable running meetings with wide variety of audiences.  Here are three tips for success:  (1) stop thinking about how you are coming off in the meeting, and think about the project’s success instead, (2) organize ahead – state meeting objectives at the start of the meeting and do your best to keep the meeting on track to achieve those objectives, (3) know when to lean on others for answers – as a project manager you will likely not be the subject matter expert in the room, and no one should expect you to be.

7 critical skills for project managers

If you’re looking for a project management job, the list of skills that employers expect can be pretty daunting. Certifications aside, there seems to be dozens of skills required to do the job, and employers have high expectations from their applicants.

Don’t be put off by long job advertisements. Broadly, employers all want similar things from a project manager: someone who can get the job done with good grace and who won’t alienate the project team members. Technical skills are also important, but in reality there’s a finite list of what a good project manager needs to do a good job, however they are dressed up in flowery language for the advertisement by a recruitment consultant.

Here are the 7 critical skills that every project manager should have.

1. Scheduling
What is a project manager without a plan? The project managers in your company probably walk around almost surgically attached to their project schedules, and being able to organise tasks in the right order to hit the right outcome at the right time is a major part of project management.

Along with scheduling comes monitoring the progress as the project moves forward and making tweaks to ensure that everything stays on track.

2. Resource allocation
Resource allocation is closely linked to scheduling. It may sound like all you have to do is type names next to tasks on your project plan, but in reality there is a lot more to it than that. You have to find the right people, and negotiate with their managers to ensure that they are available at the right time to work on their project tasks.

There’s delegation involved when you give tasks to individuals to complete, along with possibly coaching them or organising training if they don’t already have the skills. Then there are the technical aspects of updating the schedule, calculating whether someone is overloaded and balancing the work appropriately so that it all gets done without burning anyone out.

All of this takes excellent communication skills, not least so that everyone on the project knows what it is they have to do and why.

3. Risk management
Things go wrong on projects; experienced project managers know this and plan for it. Managing the unexpected in a calm way is another important skill for a project manager, even if it might feel that you are being pessimistic at times! Sitting around debating all the things that could trip you up with your team isn’t the most cheerful way to spend an afternoon, but it’s important if you want to get as prepared as you can for what might hit your project in the future.

On top of risk identification you also have to plan what to do about them. This involves using risk management strategies that are suitable for the risk and the appetite in the company or team for things going wrong. These action plans need to be incorporated into your main plan and tracked as well.

4. Budgeting
A project costs money, even if it is just your time spent on it. Increasingly, project managers are having to track their own expenses and budget, often without formal templates or support from the finance department. This also includes forecasting, especially if your project will last long enough to push some of the budget into the next financial year. As a minimum, you’ll have to work out how to spend what you’ve been allocated and whether it is enough to deliver what the project sponsor is expecting.

You’ll need to be able to use a spreadsheet application and have confidence that you know how to handle the numbers. There are also likely to be company-specific processes to follow to actually procure services, receive goods and spend money paying invoices. Some companies will expect you to use earned value analysis: it will say this in the job ad if that’s the case, although if you don’t have experience in this please don’t let it put you off applying, as it is something you can learn once they hire you.

5. Team management
Assuming that you aren’t the only resource on the project, you’ll be managing a team of people. They could have a lot of project experience, or none, but either way they will be looking to you for advice and guidance about how to get this project done.

Team management skills sound a bit vague and include motivation, leadership, coaching, inspiring others and all that. But really it’s about making sure that they have what they need to get their bits of the project done, whether that’s equipment, skills, cash or just the space to get on with it.

There is a lot of administration in project management and managing a team is no different. As well as all the interpersonal skills stuff you’ll be expected to track holidays and sickness absence, keep their line managers updated on progress and maybe contribute to their end of year reviews.

6. Change management
Just as you can always expect to hit something unexpected, you can also always expect something to change on your project. As the project customer and stakeholders get a better idea of what you are delivering they are likely to have some ‘good ideas’ to put forward. Or you’ll realise that you can’t do things exactly as you had planned and need to change your approach. Or you’ll find that it is impossible to deliver everything in the timescales and you need to drop something out of scope. For whatever reason, as a project manager you have to be able to handle changes.

Change management isn’t difficult. It’s mainly about recording and assessing each change request, and making sure that it is approved or rejected by someone in authority. Get your team to do a full analysis of the impact of the change on the project and the approve/reject decisions should be straightforward as you’ll easily be able to see whether the change will cost you money or time. Then your sponsor can make a decision about whether it is worth going ahead.

7. Issue management
When you do hit a problem on a project, a successful project manager knows how to deal with the issue in a way that minimises the disruption and allows an action plan to be put in place with the least fuss possible. You may already have identified the action plan, especially if you saw the problem on the horizon and added it to your risk register with a list of what to do if it did happen.

Even if you didn’t do that, it is important to handle issues quickly and with a recognised process. Many companies will already have issue management processes in place, but if you are hoping to join a company that doesn’t, stick to the basics: record the issue, assess the impact on the project and then come up with a strategy to deal with it.

An innate leader - by innate leader, I mean one appointed by their peers, rather than by management. It's not necessarily the one with the title "manager." Look at any team and one person will stand out as being the "ring leader," I want that sort of leadership, leadership that comes naturally and is innate to that person and situation. Someone who can become an innate leader has a certain level of confidence, and most of the other skills listed below.

Well Organised

By definition, a project manager needs to be well organised. They need to be able to determine what needs to be done, in what order, so as to achieve a desired outcome. They need to be like a juggler keeping many different balls in the air at once, without taking their eyes off any one of them.

Focus & Vision

It is vitally important for a project manager to be able to quickly envision what it is that needs to be done to achieve the goals of the project. You need the ability to be able to see clearly that which has yet to be created. If you don't know where you are going, how can you expect others to follow? Part of this skill is the ability to get others to articulate their vision, particularly senior management and executives.

Good Communicator

Which leads us on to our next skill, communication. Whilst it is important for a project manager to have a clear picture of what needs to be done and when, it is also imperative that they are able to communicate this clearly to others in a language that they can understand. And you must be able to communicate to all levels in an organisation, from the most unskilled worker through to the Chief Executive.

Willing to Be the Bad Guy

In order to be a successful project manager, you must be willing to be the bad guy at some stage. Whilst you might be lucky, and get a project that runs smoothly from start to finish, it's more likely that there will be times on a project when you will need to do things or make decisions that not everyone agrees with, in order to get your project back on track.

Calm Under Pressure

It's no good having a project manager who goes to pieces when things don't go perfectly to plan. You've got to be able to think on your feet and remain calm in the face of (sometimes!) hysteria. And you need to be able to focus in on what is important, determine what you need to worry about, and what can wait until later. You need to be able to prioritise quickly and get action under way to restore order.

Some other things that are quite handy skills for a project manager to have are:

Quick Learner

If you are a successful project manager, you will often be moving on to larger and more complex projects, quite often outside your area of expertise. If you are to successfully manage a project, you need to understand what it is you are being asked to deliver. As long as you can grasp key concepts very quickly, and know what questions to ask, you'll do OK.

Common Sense

Common sense, especially when it comes to being able to prioritise effectively, and knowing when to compromise, is a key skill for a project manager. I'd take this over a university degree any day! Give me someone who can sort the wheat from the chaff; who knows not to sweat the small stuff; who knows when they can afford to compromise and when not to, rather than standing their ground just for the sake of it. Knowing when to compromise is a key skill.

Empathy

Now this is the other side of being willing to be the bad guy. If you care about people, but can still make the hard decisions when necessary, people will respect you. It is important to have respect for everyone you work with, no matter how junior or senior they are.

Love Your Job

It really helps if you enjoy what you are doing. If you enjoy your work, it is easier to stick at it when things become uncomfortable. OK - so there probably aren't too many people who want to run a tax project, but you can still find joy in doing it right! If you hate getting out of bed and going to work in the morning, maybe it's time to move on.

You'll notice I haven't included things such as formal qualifications, such as an MBA or other degree, or methodology qualifications such as PMP. I also haven't included such skills as being a team player, "management" skills, being able to follow rules and so on.

As to formal qualifications, I do consider these, but being able to study something doesn't mean you can actually do it, especially on a challenging project, so I don't give them that much weight.

As for other skills, I also consider these, but I wouldn't dream of hiring someone for a role who didn't also possess the 6 key skills I mention above. Again, these are weighted lower in terms of importance.