A look at job market data shows project management roles are set to grow by 11% by 2033. This demand is driving up salaries too. The average project manager now earns around $98,580 per year. We are not saying this. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is. Despite these opportunities, many companies are struggling to find the right talent. Luckily, this shortage also creates abundant career opportunities for project managers with a strong mix of technical expertise, leadership, and business know-how. Are you aspiring to be one? Read on to learn the seven essential project management skills that will set you apart and shoot your demand through the roof.
- Communication
Communication is central to project management. In fact, it is the top skill of a project manager. PMs spend up to 90% of their time interacting with team members and stakeholders. Hence, it is safe to say the entire role of a PM revolves around clear and constant communication.
You need a clear, purposeful voice to set project goals, bring teams together on the same page, and quickly resolve conflict. But it is not only voicing yourself. Successful project managers also know how to listen purposefully. They also need to be able to “speak the language” of both technical and non-technical team members. This is how they can be a bridge between all parties. Simply taking a moment to think through what needs to be communicated (and how best to deliver that message) can improve a PM’s effectiveness.
Did you know? Soft skills play the most important role in job success for PMs across industries. Studies show that 85% of career achievements stem from well-developed interpersonal abilities. This is why it is so important to train team members in these crucial soft skills. If your company is looking for comprehensive soft skills training for corporate team members, look no further than EducationNest. Their expert-led and customizable courses can help you take your team’s abilities to the next level.
- Management
PMs need strong management skills too. Not just people management, you also need to be good at managing resources, timelines, and budgets. Even without direct management experience, project managers must guide their team from the start to the finish line. This often involves working with various project management tools. These are a game-changer in helping teams plan, organize, and keep members aligned. MS Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint), Outlook, and Jira are among the most commonly sought-after project management tools in job postings. If you are just starting out, it is best that you master these to stand a better chance at the hiring process.
- Leadership
Good leaders inspire and motivate their teams. Strong leadership involves coaching, motivating, and setting clear expectations for team members. They use their leadership to create an environment where team members feel valued, productive, and aligned with the project’s objectives.
A key leadership skill for project managers is delegation. PMs need to know the strengths and weaknesses of each member and segregate responsibilities effectively. Leadership also involves offering feedback and celebrating contributions. This goes a long way in building morale and reinforcing team cohesion.
Project leaders are also skilled negotiators. From resource to budget management, PMs need to be tactful and diplomatic in discussions. If you want to master the art of negotiation, a good starting point is the various negotiation techniques (compromise, collaboration, competition). You need to know how to use them to drive the best outcome in that situation.
- Planning and Coordination
Meticulous planning is an essential skill in project management. In fact, poor planning is one of the primary causes of project failure. PMs skilled in planning can anticipate potential hiccups early on and allocate resources effectively to keep the project on schedule.
A solid project plan should function as a roadmap. It should weave together business requirements, project scope, timelines, and resource allocations perfectly. Planning involves both a high-level view of the project’s goals and a detailed look at its milestones. Skilled PMs do not wait to react to hiccups. They can spot hiccups from a mile away and develop strategies to overcome them.
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- Customer Service
Customer satisfaction is a critical yet overlooked factor sometimes. Whether dealing with external clients or internal stakeholders, the project should meet their needs rightly. Even if the project doesn’t have a direct customer, stakeholders need to be kept happy. Skilled PMs approach each project with a customer-centric mindset. Their aim is not only to meet project deadlines.
Delivering a project on time and within budget does not automatically guarantee customer satisfaction. A skilled PM understands the nuances of stakeholder management and keeps an open line of communication with all parties involved.
- Operations Knowledge
PMs should be familiar with business operations, as many projects require them to collaborate with operations managers. PMs often need to handle operational tasks like implementing changes. Understanding operations helps PMs ensure these adjustments before handing them over to operations managers.
Operations knowledge is also valuable during project closure. As projects wrap up, project managers work with operations teams to create maintenance plans and ensure deliverables are sustainable. PMs are responsible for helping streamline processes and prevent disruptions. For these reasons, having operation knowledge falls on the list of key skills of a project manager.
- Problem-Solving
Strong problem-solving skills are essential for PMs. No matter how well you are in planning, most projects are likely to be faced with unexpected challenges. Great PMs are proactive in using critical thinking. They need to be able to assess facts objectively without bias and think critically to address issues before they escalate. This skill helps PMs stay focused and adaptable while finding solutions to keep the project on time and within budget. They approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset. Instead of reacting to issues as they occur, skilled PMs put contingency plans in place. This is a skill that comes in handy in about any project even though each project presents unique problems.
Conclusion
If you are responsible for projects at work, you are already a project manager. But to make an even greater impact, you will need to sharpen your key skills. While some of these (if not all) you will have already mastered if you are in charge of key projects at work, you might still benefit from polishing them up. We have covered the list of the top skills essential for successful project management that you will need to master at some point in your career to become a more effective leader (if you are not already).
If you are looking for project management training for corporates, EducationNest can help you build the right training program to train your team of skilled Project Managers. Being one of the top corporate training providers in India, they have the right courses for you – all expert-designed and customizable.
