A mix of technical and interpersonal skills is essential to ensure effective project management. According to the Project Management Institute’s Pulse of the Profession 2020 study, business leaders cited organizational agility, choosing and using the right technologies, and securing relevant skills as effective project management key success factors. PMI provides Project Management Professional (PMP) valuable certifications that help you develop those skills.
Experts believe that the ability to be a « jack-of-all-trades » and the ability to work in a gray area are also crucial qualities of top project managers. Maintaining these traits requires a lot of stamina and energy along with the ability to manage conflict.
Experts in project management stress the importance of communication. They say that great project managers can effectively communicate with both internal and external stakeholders in an efficient way. They can also identify and address issues that could affect the team quickly.
The most successful project managers have a solid knowledge of their team members’ capabilities and abilities, and they are able to assign tasks according to their strengths. They also have the capacity to make good risk assessment decisions and quickly recognize alternative cost/benefit tradeoffs.
Achieving stakeholder consensus at the start of a project will help to avoid delays later. It also helps project managers to avoid bureaucratic friction and establish realistic expectations for project completion. Furthermore, effective project managers are aware of the importance of congratulating their team members for accomplishments and the importance of sharing the credit for accomplishments. This can help the team members feel at ease and motivated.