As a project manager, you are responsible for overseeing all aspects of a project, from its inception to its completion. This role requires a wide range of project management skills, starting from initiation and planning to managing a project is the project manager's responsibility.
Initiating and supervising a project requires a lot of skills. A project manager must have adequate hard and soft skills to manage a team and a project. So if you want to become a project manager, here are some skills you need to learn.
7 Hard Skills That Project Managers Should Have
Hard skills are commonly related to technical skills. These include skills that can be learned and trained gradually through certification or workshops. According to The Balance Careers, hard skills are an essential component that you must have when working.
In project management, hard skills are a critical aspect that a project manager should have. These skills are often referred to as technical skills because they contain knowledge about the process of planning, scheduling, managing, developing and closing projects.
1. Project Management Methodologies
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Project Management Methodologies is a series of valuable processes for completing projects. The methodology contains the structure, standardisation and ways to run the project.
Knowledge of various project management methods is an important point. You don't have to be an expert in every method, but you do need to know an outline of the various techniques. There are several project management methodologies but Agile and Scrum are the most familiar to the industries.
2. Team Management
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Another crucial skill is team management. A project manager must have the skill to keep his team productive and vibrant. This process requires you, as the project manager, to know the responsibilities of each team member. Through this technique, you will learn conflict management between team members. Team building activities full of ups and downs will create solid team relationships.
3. Time Management
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There are four obstacles that most often cause the failure of a project, one of which is time management. According to a Master of Project Academy survey, 47.2% of people choose time as the cause of project failure. Poor time management will lead to conflicts between teams, unclear division of tasks, and unrealistic schedules.
When the delayed schedule gets longer, it will impact project budgeting. That's why a project manager must be good at managing time and the entire project scope.
4. Budgeting
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Budgeting is one of the most common problems experienced by a project manager (PM). We all know that every project costs money. Inflated costs in a job can occur due to inaccurate estimations.
Project managers need to take a systematic approach and careful planning to know the details of project cost estimations. When costs are over budget, project managers should start taking other alternatives, such as finding more reasonably priced vendors.
5. Task Management
Tasks are part of a project commonly referred to as a job description. As a PM, you have to organise and delegate tasks to team members. Dividing tasks generally requires agreement with the team, but as a project leader, you must initiate it first.
You can try a project management tool using VirtualSpace, it will encourage teams to collaborate and see each other's progress. It is specifically designed to support project management, especially for remote teams.
6. Project Planning
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Project planning skills are the foundation of every PM. Planning covers the entire project, including scheduling, resources and costs. This technique is the basis that determines the success or failure of a project. Don't worry. It's not as scary as it looks.
7. Project Scheduling
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Project scheduling is also the basis for determining project success and failure. After planning, the next step is scheduling. The scheduling process involves dividing tasks and teams to the estimated time for each project phase. Scheduling also involves resource management and risk management to make it more effective.
7 Soft Skills That Project Managers Should Have
PMs also need to have soft skill competencies. Some individuals develop these soft skills and competencies naturally. Here are some competencies that PMs must have:
1. Leadership
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Some people think leadership is a personal ability present from birth. But now, you can participate in many workshops to train your leadership spirit. Leadership is one of the skills that you must have to manage a project. You are leading the project and the individuals in it.
2. Communication
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Communication is an essential part of being a PM. Simply, because a PM will be a bridge between the team and stakeholders. A project manager is also an interpreter of needs and what is going on in the project. These communication skills will improve over time as you become a PM, or you can practice being a project leader during an event at the office.
3. Negotiation
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Negotiation is one of the skills that a PM needs to have. Although negotiation includes communication skills, in a project, negotiation has its own space. The negotiating portion of the PM is quite powerful. This skill works when stakeholder expectations are too high, but the project scope is insufficient. The PM must position themself diplomatically and conduct negotiations so that both stakeholders and the team are comfortable.
4. Motivation
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It is important to be able to motivate team members to do their best work, even when the project is getting more complicated, and the deadline is getting closer. Unconsciously, a PM must be able to influence team members through their motivational words. Remember to affect in a good way so team members feel they are in the same boat as you. Walk the talk!
5. Critical Thinking
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Critical thinking is required to solve the obstacles that exist in each project. This ability can be trained through self-development or attending workshops. Critical thinking is about choosing what you hear and researching to make the right decisions.
Research to make the right decisions based on facts, remaining objective and evaluating options without bias.
6. Problem Solver
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Projects can be categorised as problems. Becoming a PM means challenging the courage to face problems. Therefore a PM must have the expertise as a problem solver. Focus on solving existing problems, not complaining about problems. Think of a problem as a puzzle that you have to solve. You will get a successful project reward when you can solve the mystery.
7. Flexibility
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Adaptability is often also called flexibility. Change usually happens when running a project, and as a PM, you need to be able to be more flexible. Flexibility does not mean taking all inputs to the task and executing them. Flexibility knows when you have to adapt to serve a project or when you have to throw it away.
Soft skills are essential for success as a PM. As mentioned by project manager expert, Kata Török-Pál on 3 essential project manager skills article. She explained that assertive communication, knowledge sharing, and authenticity will help you to communicate effectively, and build strong relationships and positive culture on your team.
Conclusion
The best way to develop the hard and soft skills of becoming a PM is to practice them daily. Because these skills don’t happen overnight. Learn what abilities you lack and look for opportunities to build them. It may take time but it’s worth every try.
Apply the 14 skills above to become a better project manager. Having an advanced tool can help you manage projects and teams. Being a better PM is all about always learning and developing, so are you ready to learn now?
