Have you noticed that many project management skills seem to overlap with what’s required from leaders? It’s not that surprising, given that the jobs are extremely similar. Let’s consider for a second, what a project manager does. Essentially, they’re in charge of planning projects and leading the team responsible for that project. Team leaders are exactly the same, except their role is seen as more long-term.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that so many leaders out there are looking for project management certification. One of the reasons for this is the variety a project management role gives. While team leaders are responsible for leading the same team through the same deliverables each week, a project manager jumps from project to project regularly. There’s always a new sense of purpose, and achievement when the job is done.
So, do you have leaders or other staff in your organisation looking keenly at project management positions? If so, a great way to get them started is helping them obtain project management certification online. There are courses out there specifically focussed on project management, and the skills required to be successful. Even better, the skills they learn will make them better leaders along the way.
What is project management?
Project management is sometimes seen as a broad term. This is fair, considering project management looks different from organisation to organisation. Some workplaces employ project managers who juggle several smaller projects at once. However, there are companies out there who only deal in much larger projects. In these cases, they may employ a full-time project manager with just one main focus.
A lot of these variables have to do with the scope, size and length of projects. Take a website development company for example. Their project manager may be responsible for running all of their major jobs. If the company is building websites for 4 clients at a time, the project manager might oversee them all. On the contrary, think of a pharmaceutical company who has one main goal – developing a new medication for the market. This project could last years, with one person responsible for managing it.
Essentially, project management involves planning, building a team, motivating and inspiring that team, and ensuring projects are delivered on time and on budget. It sounds easy when you put it like that, but within the role there are a range of challenges faced every day. A manager is responsible for everything from performance management or coaching through to negotiating with stakeholders. They may need to seek funding and investors, or they might be required to gain approvals from regulatory bodies.
Really, the role varies drastically depending on the actual project, however there are several key skills that make a successful project manager. Let’s have a look at some of they skills you’ll need to learn as a successful leader and project manager.
Project planning
Planning is crucial to most parts of business. That won’t be news to anybody. However, project planning is quite an involved process that requires sound knowledge, or the ability to source reliable information where required. Again, the planning process is different depending on the project, but some key responsibilities are the same.
Firstly, there’s budgeting. Some projects may simply be given a budget and that’s what you need to work within. Others may require funding, in which case the manager will need to plan how they’re going to source those funds.
There’s also analysing the requirements of the project and determining what resources are required. If they don’t have those resources, where will they come from? These are the types of things a project manager may need to handle.
Most projects have a scope of work which outlines what will be completed, and what falls outside the scope. This is particularly true when working on projects for paying clients. Planning also involves laying out the processes to be followed. What happens if changes are required along the way? What risks are present and what’s been put in place to manage those risks? Overall, being a well-organised person isn’t enough. Project planning skills need to be learned.
Team building
There are two aspects to team building within a project. Firstly, there’s actually building the team. Choosing your team members, assessing suitability, and determining what skills people can bring to the table. But the real skill lies in bringing that team together as one. This is one part of the role that crosses very much into general team leadership.
Project managers need to create a cohesive team unit, aligned by common goals. It’s not always easy, because personalities clash along the way and everybody may have different levels of experience. It’s the manager’s job to ensure people are on the same page and working towards a clear outcome.
Setting expectations
Expectation setting is easy in theory. If you’ve planned your projects well, you’ll have already outlined some expected behaviours and key performance measurables. So, that’s fine to have everything on paper, but often handing people a piece of paper isn’t enough to clearly set your expectations.
The reality is, many of the expectations you have as a project manager may be more personal in nature, such as how you want people to communicate, and how you want conflicts handled. These are the things you need to convey verbally, and also by example. In online project management courses, one of the key learnings is how to set and convey your expectations.
Influencing and negotiating
This could also be summed up as just one word: communication. There are so many different communication skills that people need to learn, not just for project management but for any leadership role. But when running a project, communicating with influence is a big one. If you’ve got ideas, you often need to influence other stakeholders to support you. Remember, you’re leading a team, so you’ll also need to influence them to give their very best to the desired outcome.
Negotiation is also a skill you’ll need, because very few projects are completed without a little negotiation. It might be seeking further funding. You may need to negotiate with clients on how to proceed with changes, or out of scope work. These skills are great for any leadership position, but they’re especially important in project management.
Motivating and inspiring
Have you noticed a clear difference between high-performing and low-performing teams? One of the biggest and most noticeable characteristics is what many people call the ‘buy-in’. It’s even the same with sports teams. A coach may have the best tactics in the world, but if their players don’t believe in the game plan, they won’t implement it properly.
That’s where motivation and inspiration come in. If you want that buy-in from your staff, you need to communicate your goals and expectations clearly. You also need to lead by example, and often this means maintaining positivity through difficult periods.
Change management
Finally, there’s change management. How you manage change can have a direct effect on the outcome of any project. While smaller projects may not involve a lot of change, larger ones certainly do. Even with the best plans, you may run into a situation that requires you to pivot and take a different path. Sounds easy, right? That’s just being adaptable.
Well, being adaptable and being able to manage others through change are totally different things. Just because you can easily change course and take a new direction, it doesn’t mean others will share your enthusiasm. Explaining the reasons for change, and making people truly believe in the new direction is the only way to move forward successfully. Some people simply don’t like change, so it’s all about how you help people through those challenging times, ensuring both you and your team remain focused on the final outcome.