| May 2006 |
| By Anna Possek |
Who We Are
Project management is a very popular profession. This profession has become more and more important in every industry as most of the new products and services are invented, built, and implemented through projects: “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service” (PMBOK Guide).
What Qualities Do You Need To Become a Project Manager
There are project management classes and programs available at most colleges and universities. Still, this profession requires a deep expertise in the field of the project, as well as in nine major project management knowledge areas.
The project manager must be:
- a diplomat to deal with conflicts between different stakeholders
- a psychologist to keep morale of the team high
- a merchant in negotiations
- an engineer to verify designs and quality
- a passionate leader to keep everybody focused on the goal
- a scapegoat if this will calm down unnecessary blaming
- a person who will let people laugh at him if this will take the pressure down
The most important quality for a project manager is verbal and written communication skills. You should write documents that people read without falling asleep. You should be able to speak in front of the different audiences and keep them interested - very often, you are a salesman trying to make people buy into your solution.
Project Management Institute (PMI) certification (Project Manager Professional) is very important, because it certifies your knowledge and your project management experience at the same time.
IT Specifics
Due to the complexity of software systems, Information Technology teams must use project managers to complete successful projects. A project manager in IT touches every stage of the software life cycle. This person should have deep knowledge of software architecture, design, requirements gathering, development, testing, environments, data integration, performance measurements, and implementation. It is a project manager who needs to stop the development if a program is running in the wrong direction. It is a project manager who also points out the risks for the project.
A project manager usually knows less about the technical side of the product than the members of the team do. Very often, the “techies” do not take the project manager seriously and consider him a fraud because he is not an architect, programmer or a tester. If this will help the project, let them think that way. Just continue to do your job and prove that you have the broader vision and can coordinate everyone’s work.
User/Customer Advocate
No matter how much a project manager wants his company and his project to be successful, he has obligations to the customer. A project manager must be the client’s advocate and fight for product quality. It makes an organization more successful in the end.
Working Days (and Nights)
What does a project manager’s day look like? First, a project manager prioritizes his own job for the day. Very often, a project manager is responsible for several projects that are constantly changing because of many different factors. It requires everyday awareness to priority issues. The rest of the day should be filled with planning, writing project documentation, leading project team meetings, interviewing customers and checking performance metrics.
A project manager cannot be a person who constantly puts out fires. Planning is the key to a project success. Of course, people are human even if they are members of the project team. In any situation, a project manager should be a kind and caring person that can minimize damage to personnel as well as project impact. A project manager is a lot like a conductor in an orchestra. Software can have unpredictable bugs and problems, and the nights of the project manager in IT could be as productive as the days are.
Professional Rewards
It is the most wonderful feeling when your project was completed on time and on budget. Users are happy, the project team is proud and camaraderie is in the air. In some organizations, the project manager’s role is underestimated and they are not recognized as much as they should be. You still get the reward of work well done and are proud to be a part of the victory. Any frustration from cancelled projects, wrong management decisions and incompetent team members are gone and forgotten on a day like this.
Good News
Even during the era of IT off-shoring and outsourcing, project managers are needed more than ever here in the U.S. to interact with customers and coordinate efforts.
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