A project manager should have multiple features such as communication, negotiation, coaching, personal organization. And the manager should blend these features well.
What is the most essential feature according to you?
I think communication is the most important aspect of Project Managers. Complex projects require engagement from multiple team members. The most effective managers know how to communicate expectations and requirements in a timely and effective manner. This is something I personally struggle with, as I reflexively want to contribute individually to the problem and shut down with communication. Great question!
I think coaching is as important as communication as a project manager. A project consists of several tasks, and these tasks are accomplished by different workers most of the time. Sometimes, somebody must wait until others finish their parts to continue. Moreover, the top of the company or clients sometimes asks for additional requirements. All of them mean the adjustment of the schedule usually. So, how to communicate with co-workers and lead them in these challenging times is essential. I believe making the team maintain working efficiency anytime, even in a bad mood, is necessary.
Hi! A good project manager requires many different qualities to lead his/her team forward. I agree with the above two replies that communication and coaching are two important skills that a project manager needs. Both qualities require project managers to actively communicate with other members of the project team and guide them onto the correct project path. However, I think that a project manager requires good leadership qualities overall. The term leadership encompasses the features that were already mentioned, but in this post, I am going to emphasize more on the features that help a good project manager maintain project objectives and schedules, while also making sure that his/her team is efficient and being heard. Project managers are more like servants to their teams because they’re constantly checking the project’s progress and avoiding obstacles. To avoid these obstacles, a project manager needs to track setbacks in the project, make decisions for the team, and be comfortable with telling others what to do differently. While making these decisions, it is also important for a project manager to be open to hearing opinions from other team members that may benefit the project, which in turn improves team relationships and efficiency. A good project manager keeps track of everyone’s roles and progress, making him/her a great leader.
In my opinion, there are two essential skills that a project manager should have. The first skill is communication, which is extremely essential when developing a team and controlling the project's main goal. Project managers need communication skills to explain to their team what should happen efficiently and try to make sure that those goals don't expand and into scope creep. I also believe that to get stakeholders and also be able to get the project approved for production. The second skill should be knowing when to compromise or when to put a hard stop to something. Within my industry, issues tend to arise while we are working with a process. Since clients normally have a big say in whether we proceed or not, normally what ends up happening is that project management just agrees with what the client wants even when there is a lot of push back due to not wanting to overwork the staff processing. This also ties into communication since the project managers only tend to communicate with the supervisors and managers and not with the staff lower in the hierarchy to determine whether something is doable or if it needs to be pushed to another day. Project managers definitely have a big role to play and if done right, projects and processes can run very smoothly.
Important Qualities for a Good Project Manager:
As you guys have already mentioned- Good Commuinications, Control, and Overall Good Leadership Qualities.
I would like to add, Time Management skills. Like the old saying goes, "Time is Money", It is very important for a Project manager to make sure tasks are being completed within the allocated time. Delaying a project, does no good to the company and increases expenditure.
A Good Project manager should be, resourceful enough to make sure, in an event, where everything goes sideways, A good project manager should have the ability to control the damage. Being experienced and having a strong network is essential for a good Project Manager
While I agree with everything stated before me, I would say that there are two skills a project manager must have that go hand-in-hand, and those are flexibility yet firmness. Being a project manager means not only checking on the progress of your project, but listening and advising to the people working under you, and many times there will be conflicts within the team of members. A good project manager knows when to concede to certain members, not show favoritism, balance their time while weaving through the complaints/issues raised by their team; or they should know when to turn down certain requests from members that may cost the project, and know when to take a firm stand against members while not turning themselves into the villain of the group. A great project manger knows how to do the former and the latter in equal measures.
Communication, leadership, Technical expertise, and team building are the most common traits a manager should possess. Still, the essential skill which is shadowed is 'managing expectations.' The team manager should be well versed with the capabilities of team members. It won't help to secure a project that team members find challenging to handle. Instead of micromanaging tasks, give independence and trust to the team members. An excellent PI must distinguish between opportunity and over-expectation, which may shake the team's confidence and decrease efficiency. This trend is observed in most software-based companies where PI accepting over-expectations from management ruins the ongoing project.
I believe that having good personal organization skills is essential in a project manager. While communication and negotiation skills are important, organization skills will help everything fall into place. If a manager cannot plan accordingly and divvy up the work amongst their team according to their abilities and skills, then the project will likely fall apart. In the case of making deliverables and reaching milestones on time, a project manager should ensure that the team will have enough resources and money to obtain those goals. That means making sure that the project stays within budget and planning accordingly when more funding for the project is needed. Overall, while communication, negotiation, and coaching are essential skill sets, personal organization skills would be ideal in helping a manager become a well-round leader.
If I have to choose one, then definitely communication skill as project manager has to communicate with different people to run the project. Good communication skills of a project manager will allow smooth progression of that project within the deadline. Also, clear communication will help team members to understand the exact goal and tasks of the project, which is super important to finish a project successfully.
A project manager should have multiple features such as communication, negotiation, coaching, personal organization. And the manager should blend these features well.
What is the most essential feature according to you?
This is a great question. I believe organization and communication are essential; however, if I were to choose one, I would choose communication. This is because communication is needed to succeed in projects. Communication can solve many problems because it is a lot easier to solve a problem with a peer than by yourself. Also, explaining a situation to someone allows you to open your mind and get another opinion from someone else. During projects, I try to communicate with my teammates the best I can and ensure we are on the same page with everything because it makes the task much easier in the long run.
In my experience at my industry position, communication is the number one quality a good project manager should have. A project cannot begin without the initiation phase; who's entirety is managed by the PM. The main conduit for ALL the information that must be disseminated to the stakeholders of the project is the PM; if they lack adequate communication skills, the entirety of the project is at risk of delay or failure. Many a time, I have been working on projects with PMs who have no idea about the time it takes to complete them. This disconnect is not alleviated by any attempts to let the PM know about possible adjustments to the project timeline. If the PMs would have the communication skills to let their superiors know that their projected timeline is absolutely ludicrous, everyone down the chain would feel a weight lifted from their shoulders. Adequate communication skills are like oil for an engine; without them, the engine (project) will seize up and refuse to run.
All qualities mentioned are necessary to be a good project manager, but one feature of a project manager that has not been mentioned yet that is super important is dedication. Something that separates a good project manager from a great project mangers is their investment into the project they are working on from start to finish. When a project manager is dedicated in the success of the project it elevates the team members and everyone working under the project manager to be better as well. Someone who is there to see every stage be successful from initiation to closure is a project manager that is fully vested in being successful. Now, this does not mean that the project manager is someone who is micromanaging each step of the way, but rather someone that is there for the highs and lows of the project and motivates their team to keep working hard and pay attention to detail.
In my opinion, the most important quality of a PM is to 'push' his/her subordinates to get the work done before the deadline while being 'empathetic'. Yes, the leadership of the PM should have a balance between 'push' and 'empathy'. Undoubtedly, that's a tough job to do. The PM is a bridge between the organization and the employees. And with communication and leadership techniques of the PM, the expectation of the organization can be met. Some project managers try to micromanage each step, and again, in the end, they may not be successful. The motivation and workload balance of the employees matters a lot as it could be a controller of the quality of work. However, some PMs are successful and not considered 'toxic' by the employees for knowing how to assign work in bite-sized pieces. Overall, it is the technique of handling subordinates is the most valuable feature of a PM.
I believe communication is the most important one. I have worked many jobs and taken many classes in my life and I have come to realize that the most mistakes and the most setbacks occur when something was not communicated. Even in my personal relationships, communication keeps us from holding grudges and prevents us from not having misconceptions about the other. Good communication in the work place down the line from the top to the bottom keeps everything running smoothly and everyone in the know. It keeps everyone feeling like they are apart of the team, building trust and happiness, which creates great products/results.
