Skills for Planning and Running the Project
Skills for Planning and Running the Project
Leadership Skills
- Effective leadership is critical to run a project successfully. A project manager must showcase the ability to inspire, guide and manage the project team towards achieving the project’s desired outcomes.
- Good leaders communicate the project’s vision clearly and concisely, set realistic goals, and reassure team members about their role to gain commitment and enthusiasm.
Communication Skills
- Project managers need excellent communication skills to effectively share information and ensure everyone is on the same page.
- This skill includes clarifying task responsibilities, updating on project progress, resolving conflicts, and discussing potential changes.
- Proper communication is crucial for managing stakeholders’ expectations and maintaining a smooth flow of information among all parties.
Problem-solving skills
- In any project, issues and challenges are bound to arise. Managers need to have great problem-solving skills to identify these problems promptly and work out suitable solutions.
- These skills also involve risk assessment, which helps in anticipating problems and formulating proactive strategies to address them.
Organisational Skills
- Organisational skills are required to efficiently prioritise tasks, manage resources and time, and maintain project documentation.
- Using tools like Gantt charts and work breakdown structures can help in enhancing these skills and ensure well-structured project management.
Budgeting and Financial Management Skills
- A project manager should have good budgeting and financial management skills to control expenses, estimate costs accurately, and ensure that the project does not overrun its allocated budget.
- This aspect also includes procuring resources and materials efficiently and negotiating with vendors and suppliers when needed.
Decision-making Skills
- Decision-making skills are crucial for managers to make the right choices at the right time. These decisions could pertain to resource allocation, task prioritisation or risk mitigation strategies.
- Sound decisions are based on a careful analysis of the available data and information, understanding the potential impact of the decision, and being willing to take responsibility for the consequences.
Time Management Skills
- All projects are time-bound, and hence, efficient time management skills are necessary to ensure tasks are completed within set deadlines.
- Using techniques such as the Critical Path Method can help in organising the time frames of the project tasks to optimise the overall project schedule.
Teamwork and Collaboration Skills
- Managing a project is a collaborative effort, and hence teamwork and collaboration skills are crucial for leveraging the strengths of team members and achieving project goals.
- A successful project manager fosters trust and cooperation among the team, resolves conflicts, and promotes a teamwork culture.
Negotiation Skills
- Negotiation skills play a significant role when dealing with stakeholders, vendors or team members to achieve desired outcomes.
- They are required for procuring resources at optimal costs, managing expectations of stakeholders, and maintaining team harmony.