Industry predictions say that by 2027 there’ll be a demand for 87.7 million employees for project management and associated roles. Project management is getting complex with the evolving nature of technologies across industries. Globalization, remote staff, teams divided by geographies and time zones also make things more complex. Here we explore some ways to stay on top of your project management in order to achieve successful results.
What are project management skills?
Project management requires both technical and non-technical skills. Besides technical skills, there are many other aspects because managing a project requires managing human capital. Non-technical skills include leadership, motivation, communication, organization, prioritization, problem-solving, conflict resolution capabilities, and adaptability. An agile mindset and change management expertise are also helpful among other skills.
Hard skills vs. Soft skills
Technical skills, also known as hard skills, refer to skills that you need to perform the job efficiently. You can learn hard skills through project management training and working hands-on as a project manager.
Soft skills are the qualities of a person and can be challenging to define and are related to how one approaches issues, interacts with people, solves problems, and manages project work. Even soft skills can be acquired, honed, or taught, but they often require some level of empathy.
What technical skills do you need as a project manager?
Planning
The success of project management is heavily dependent on the planning phase. Breaking down the project into little steps with a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), creating a realistic and workable project roadmap, aligning resources, managing stakeholders and teams are all responsibilities of a project manager.
Project managers need to forecast using data analysis to keep the project on track.
Read on: Top online Gantt chart software in 2021.
Budget
Projects depend on budgets. Project managers need to control costs so that they can ensure they deliver projects on budget.
Experience has value when creating a feasible budget. Budgets have to be in control throughout the project lifecycle. Project managers decide on allocation and priorities. There are various tools that can be used to accurately track costs.
Risk management
Project plans are great, but a lot of the time projects don’t go as planned. That’s where it becomes essential to manage risk. As a project manager if you foresee risk, you can make plans to mitigate it.
Risk management encourages a proactive approach to identify risks, scoring, and preparing a risk mitigation strategy.
Tracking and monitoring
As a project manager, you can be proactive and take remedial action when you know how the project is performing and can spot any issues in time. Keeping the project on track is essential.
Project management methodologies
The project management methodology varies across industries, some may use agile whilst others may use waterfall.
A project manager needs to know multiple methodologies depending on the industry and nature of the projects. Project managers should learn applicable methodologies in their industry, but also outside of it so that they’re prepared for new challenges.
Read on: How Vault works with various project management methodologies.
Subject matter expertise (Domain expertise)
Regardless of the industry, domain expertise is always helpful for project management. A knowledgeable project manager can understand the scope and challenges better if they’re knowledgeable on the domain side.
Technology platforms & tools
As technology has now become a part of all industries, it’s essential for project managers to get tech-savvy and learn how to use project management software to ensure successful projects.
Read on: How technology improves project management.
Cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications help project managers monitor and track their projects to success. Vault is one of these tools. Being a SaaS application with modules like Task management, Schedule and Time tracking, Vault’s a comprehensive project management platform. The project manager can manage remote teams and collaborate easily. Some key features like real-time KPI dashboards help project managers see the status of tasks across a project.
Soft skills
Besides technical skills, project managers must also possess soft skills. Communication, leadership, and negotiation are critical traits of a good project manager.
Project managers need to be able to communicate clearly as it’s essential to manage any project and team. Leadership skills are another critical quality that helps project managers set the right expectations, motivate project teams to deliver desired outcomes, and help in resolving conflicts. Negotiation is also an important quality as it can help get people to work together.
How can you improve your project management skills?
Project managers can hone their skills in many ways:
- Books on project management: There are many books on project management, with many of them offering excellent advice based on practical experiences.
- Blogs and podcasts: Shorter doses of information are faster and quicker to digest. If books are not your cup of tea, you can read blogs or listen to numerous podcasts.
- Online project management courses: There are many courses available that help working professionals.
Project management needs multifaceted skills. Project managers can enhance their project management skills and use the latest project management tools in order to stay on top of their projects.
Discover how Vault can help your project management. Contact us today.
