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Critical Project Manager Skills
October 12, 2009 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Miscellaneous
Critical Project Manager Skills
By Michael D. Taylor
If there is any field that requires a broad set of skills it is project management. Three in particular are technical skills, leadership skills, and business skills.
Technical Skills. Having technical skills is important for project managers working in today’s high-technology fields is critical but it is not the only needed skill. They must have proven leadership skills and pragmatic business skills.
Although it would be impossible for a project manager to master all disciplines participating on a project, it is vital that managers have a working knowledge of each discipline. This level of knowledge should enable them to communicate effectively with technical personnel, and to recognize and understand technical problems.
Leadership Skills. If a project manager has a solid grasp of project management techniques, principles and processes, yet has inadequate leadership skills, the results will often be disastrous. Leadership skills include the ability to communicate effectively, to negotiate with peers, subordinates and superiors, and the ability to use the proper leadership style. A common mistake made by corporate stakeholders is assuming that because an individual is strong technically he must be strong in the area of leadership.
Business Skills. Modern-day corporations are realizing that the most effective way to manage project costs is to delegate responsibility to project managers and hold them accountable. As a result, project managers must have a working knowledge of the financial aspects, and understand the “language” spoken by business personnel. Terms such as then-dollars and constant dollars must be understood. Project managers must know what NPV, ROI, and B/C ratios are, and how to adjust for the time-value of money.
MICHAEL D. TAYLOR, M.S. in systems management, B.S. in electrical engineering, has more than 30 years of project, outsourcing, and engineering experience. He is principal of Systems Management Services, and has conducted project management training at the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension in their PPM Certificate program for over 13 years, and at companies such as Sun Microsystems, GTE, Siemens, TRW, Loral, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and Inprise. He also taught courses in the UCSC Extension Leadership and Management Program (LAMP), and was a guest speaker at the 2001 Santa Cruz Technology Symposium. His website is www.projectmgt.com.
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