Top 5 skills for project managers

For inspiration, check out my Lynda.com course: Project Management Simplified.. benefits Effective time management lowers stress because stress is linked to a lack of control.. Most caus

T O P

5 SKILLS

F O R P R O J E C T M A N A G E R S

by Chris Croft

Most project managers slide into the job randomly, learning as they go

All have strengths and weaknesses And it can be unforgiving work

Any project manager who’s survived for any significant length of time

is usually pretty good That said, most project managers can benefit

from closing skill gaps and aiming for perfection

What would the ultimate project manager be like? Can you become that person?Explore this guide to develop the top five skills every project manager should possess

03 Skill No 1: Planning

Table of Contents

Planning

SKILL NO 1

Planning

Planning includes how to estimate time and cost, develop critical paths, control projects with Gantt charts, estimate resources required for one or multiple projects, and prepare for risks

challenges

Project management planning often is taught in ways that over

complicate And some techniques are complicated But these

complex approaches are only necessary for the rare, extremely large project

solutions

For most small to medium-size projects, quick and simple planning methodologies will suffice First, never use averages for time or cost estimates Instead, always include contingency figures Second, do some visual planning Always create a network diagram before constructing your

Gantt chart I like to use Post-It Notes This helps ensure you’ve got the correct dependencies and critical path forming the basis for your chart

For inspiration, check out my Lynda.com course:

Project Management Simplified

benefits

Contingency cost estimates make life easier when things go worse than expected And planning

in a visual way helps ensure your goals are achievable and project is on schedule If they are not, you can start thinking about what needs to change Visual planning also helps communicate your ideas to your customers, boss, team, or other stakeholders It helps justify the time and money required, and reinforces that you are a professional In addition, you may find that Gantt charts make a great sales tool

Leadership

SKILL NO 2

Leadership

Leadership includes managing teams, knowing how and when to delegate, and how

to motivate people to do good work This sometimes means motivating people who don’t report to you You might be “borrowing” them from another team for your project

challenges

If you’re not someone’s boss, you probably don’t have the power to fire them or control their pay You’ll have to form a working relationship with them quickly In addition, they may not want to be part of your project And you probably have several other responsibilities on your plate

You might want the people on your team to simply do what they’re told and get

on with it But beware: research shows personal conflicts are the biggest cause of project failures

ASK YOURSELF:

Can I delegate more?

Am I monitoring enough but

not too much?

solutions

Delegate as much as you can In doing so, realize that “I do it” and

“You do it” aren’t your only choices

benefits

The more you delegate, the more quickly tasks get done And the

work quite possibly will be better than your own would be Also,

delegating motivates people They enjoy a challenge and a sense

of achievement A great leader’s team says, “We did it ourselves.”

you can:

• consult your team before making final decisions

• share in making decisions

• coach individuals

• require team members to check with you before acting

• request frequent reports to keep progress on track

Communication

is massively important You may have everything worked out in your head—it all seems so obvious! It feels like a waste of time

to explain everything to everyone else It’s not

solutions

Study simple influencing techniques and negotiation strategies Apply what you learn, and try

to remain consciously aware of your actions You can:

Give people two options

Research shows they are more likely

to choose one of your options

rather than reject both For example,

ask “Would you rather we

spent extra money on this project,

or reduced the specification?”

It’s more likely that they will chose

the second one, so make that the

one you prefer

Do someone a favor

They are more likely to do something you want later If you get an easy opportunity to help someone always take it You never know when you’ll need their help later.

Allow the other side to open with an offer while negotiating

This can bring unexpected good news Your client might be planning to spend more than you expected, or might want the project delivered by a later date than you were going to offer Ask first before declaring your position.

Make stakeholders happier

by tailoring your message

Do this in a style that is best for them: level of detail, email or face to face, fact-based

or feeling-based, etc They are more likely to accept your message if it’s in a style that they find easy to take.

benefits

Effective time management lowers stress because stress is linked to a lack of control Most causes

of everyday stress are time management related They include unfinished tasks, procrastination, looming deadlines, and multitasking With effective time management, you’ll get more done because you’ll focus more on important tasks

For inspiration, check out this Lynda.com course:

Assertiveness

Good project managers

TAKE OWNERSHIP

of a project.

SKILL NO 4

Assertiveness

Assertiveness includes informing stakeholders from the start

that they can’t have everything They can’t have great

work in almost no time for hardly any money Assertiveness

also includes preventing scope creep

Good project managers take ownership of a project It’s theirs

to guard and protect Sometimes they need to be assertive

with all stakeholders, including a boss, the people on their teams,

suppliers, and subcontractors

challenges

Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally We’re programmed for fight

or flight, which is basically aggression or submission Aggression in

particular can be effective in the short term, sometimes leading us to believe it’s effective

generally But it’s not sustainable, and doesn’t motivate teams Scary project managers, like weak ones, do not succeed in the long term

solutions

Steer a course between aggression and submission This requires believing that you are an

OK person (but not perfect), expressing your opinions and worries, standing up for yourself while respecting others, and taking responsibility for outcomes As the project manager, everything that happens is on you Every problem or mistake is your fault: you chose that person, you briefed them, you monitored that job (or not) Blaming other people is not productive

For more information, check out my Lynda.com course:

Learning to Be Assertive

benefits

Being assertive leads to less stress for all concerned, reduces misunderstandings (it’s tough in

a political environment where problems aren’t in the open), and provides a strong foundation for leadership Without an assertive project manager, everything can crumble

Time Management

SKILL NO 5

Time Management

Time management can be defined as “controlling the mess.” Project managers must organize themselves, everyone else, and everything else To stay organized, good time management is vital

challenges

Timetables always seem short Customers want the maximum output in the minimal amount of time at the least cost—and cost means people, which means time You’re under pressure from the start, juggling your tasks and team Technologies including emails and smartphones have created new channels for input and rapidly-changing information that must be found and stored, making time management difficult

solutions

First, write everything down You can’t store it all in your head If you try to, your creativity will suffer,

as will communications with your boss and team Create and regularly update a master list of all projects, a daily-jobs-to-do list, a calendar for appointments, and a Gantt chart for every project You’ll need a weekly or monthly progress meeting for each project and to keep time free each

day for whatever crops up Software helps I prefer Microsoft Excel over Microsoft Project I like Evernote for capturing details I use Google Calendar and Google Sheets so multiple people can

access the same, updated plan

benefits

Effective time management lowers stress because stress is linked to a lack of control Most causes

of everyday stress are time management related They include unfinished tasks, procrastination, looming deadlines, and multitasking With effective time management, you’ll get more done because you’ll focus more on important tasks

For more information, check out a wide range of courses on time management from Lynda.com

Being a great project manager isn’t easy The skill set required is diverse—from managing tasks, people, and other resources to controlling costs and negotiating But these are all skills that can be learned, practiced, and mastered With time and application, anyone can become a great project manager You won’t always get thanks for being great People will probably think your projects were

easy The good news is project management is a transferrable skill

It’s rarely boring There’s a great satisfaction in making things happen and

seeing the finished results

Chris Croft Lynda.com Author, Management Trainer, Speaker

Chris Croft has trained project managers for 20 years He’s published several books on

project management, and is the author of several Lynda.com online video courses on the topic Subscribe to his free monthly emails at www.free-management-tips.co.uk

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