A Project manager performs an important function in a business. The demand for project managers is fast rising due to new business and projects. A variety of industries need project managers, especially when facing competition, and tackling challenges both internally and externally.
No matter what the industry is, the project manager tends typically perform the same tasks which are to help define the goals and objectives of the project and determine when the various project components are to be completed. They also create quality control checks to ensure completed components meet a certain standard.
If you are willing to begin a career in project management, this article will give you a clear understanding and expose you to the future prospects ahead.
Table of Contents
Who is a Project Manager?
A project manager is an individual who is in charge of planning, execution, supervision, and completion of a project. They ensure the smooth running of a project and oversee the affairs of the project. Project managers are also known as PMs. They ensure that these projects are on time, on budget, and within scope. They possess an excellent entrepreneurial mindset.
Project managers oversee entire teams, create project goals, connect with stakeholders, and oversee the completion of a project.
The project manager is responsible for the success or failure of the project, whether it be executing a marketing campaign, building a building, designing a computer system, or introducing a new product.
Responsibilities of a Project Manager
A project manager is involved in all stages of a project which includes the initiation stage, the planning stage, the execution stage, and the completion stage. They perform several duties for the adequate actualization of a project.
Here are some of the duties of a project manager
- Resource planning
- Organizing a project team
- Time management control
- Estimating and developing a budget
- Ensuring customer satisfaction
- Analyzing and managing project risk
Resource planning
One of the most pivotal aspects of a project is planning and meeting deadlines. Most project fails due to poor planning. They create a clear and concise to execute and monitor the progress of a project. Project managers identify the project’s scope and determine available resources. Project managers understand how to make realistic time estimates and analyze the team’s or teams’ capabilities.
Organizing a project team
Project managers organize team members that effectively and efficiently execute projects. They develop clear, straightforward plans that stimulate their teams to reach their full potential.
Time management control
Time management is an essential factor in a project. Some projects’ success or failure is usually evaluated by whether it was delivered on time. Hence, meeting deadlines is important to a project manager. Project managers understand how to create realistic deadlines and convey them to their teams regularly.
Estimating and developing a budget
Every project has a budget plan and part of a Project manager’s duty is to know how to keep a project within its set budget. A project manager constantly reviews the budget of a project and plans ahead to avoid massive budget overruns. Irrespective of meeting clients’ expectations and delivering on time, a project could still fail if it goes wildly over budget.
Ensuring Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is a pivotal aspect of every business. Ensuring that your clients are satisfied with their projects is part of the duties of a project manager. This can be achieved by minimizing uncertainty, avoiding unwanted surprises, communicating with clients, and involving clients as much as possible in every aspect of the project to keep them updated.
Analyzing and Managing Project Risk
Project managers are risk bearers, in every project, there’s bound to be some level of risk involved. And of course the bigger the project, the higher the risk. These are inevitable but a good project manager can meticulously identify potential risks before the start of a project and during a project.
Necessary Skills of a Project Manager
Project management can be a challenging role as project managers play a role in organizational success. In other to excel efficiently and effectively in this career path, there are some necessary skills that one must possess.
Here are some of the skills to possess as a Project manager
- Leadership: Project managers are leaders, they lead a team of workers to achieve a common goal. They must be able to manage teams, make decisions, and delegate responsibilities to team members.
- Effective Communication: Communication is a means of interacting with clients. Hence, it’s important for a project manager to communicate effectively as they are the first to have contact with clients and also with team members. Good communication between team members may increase work productivity and efficiency.
- Ability to organize: Having the ability to organize and ensure that all project activities are in order will help in making the project a success.
- Problem-solving skills: Project managers are proactive in finding new, potential problems, analyzing them, and developing a solution to the problem.
How to become a Project Manager
- Obtain a bachelor’s degree
- Choose a Specialization
- Get Certifications
- Gain experience
Obtain a bachelor’s degree
To become a Project manager having a bachelor’s degree in either Project or Business management is usually the minimum requirement for this career path. Other related degrees include Marketing.
Choose a specialization
Project managers can work in a variety of industries and for a variety of companies. Choosing the field in which you want to work might help you determine the next steps to take to become a project manager. If you want to work as a project manager for a construction firm or an electrical firm, you might need to take time to learn about these fields.
Get Certifications
Earning certifications is an added advantage in obtaining the role of a project manager in the organization. Certifications help you to be an outstanding applicant above others. There are various types of certifications with different requirements an intending project manager can get.
The following are a list of project management certifications:
- Certified Agile Project Manager (IAMP)
- Certified Associate In Project Management (CAPM)
- Certified Project Manager
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Professional In Project Management (PPM)
Gain Experience
Having an idea of what it entails to be a project manager will make you more prepared for the career. Experience is an asset in your resume as organizations are quick to choose those who are experienced in the field.
You could begin your project management career sometimes as an assistant or a coordinator. This will give you a proper insight into the job description.
Becoming a Project Manager without a Degree
Having a degree is not necessarily a prerequisite to becoming a Project Manager. There are several other ways to become a project manager without a degree. Some of these include
- Online Platforms
- Bootcamps
Online Platforms
There are online platforms at your disposal that help you build your career as a Project Manager. Platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, Lynda, etc. These platforms provide both free and paid intensive learning patterns that will master the fundamentals of Project management. They also provide professional certifications at the end of the training.
Bootcamps
Bootcamps are short-term, intensive training sessions designed to prepare individuals for their specific field of study. There are Bootcamps for various programs such as UI/UX, Digital Marketing, Coding, And so many more.
Project Management Methodologies
- Agile: This project management methodology works well for projects that require frequent innovation, collaboration, and modifications. This is why it’s highly popular in the field of software development, where technology and customer needs are constantly changing. A project using Agile methodology has several iterations or releases, providing plenty of opportunities to adjust along the way.
- Scrum: The Scrum methodology focuses on completing work in short cycles. Scrum project management helps managers carry out projects quickly while maintaining quality as well as flexibility for changes as needed. It emphasizes productivity and collaboration and is an especially effective system for small organizations.
- Waterfall: This is a straightforward method in which a project is divided into distinct phases, and the next phase cannot begin until the prior one is complete. The process and each team member’s responsibilities are clearly defined, and mapped out from the beginning and are not expected to change over the lifespan of the project. This is an ideal method for long, linear projects that require step-by-step phase completion, as well as projects with a static goal and scope.
- Kanban: Kanban methodology helps managers to visualize and organize their team’s workflow. It emphasizes eliminating wasteful work and inconsistencies to increase productivity and efficiency. This method divides projects into smaller tasks, allowing team members to focus on one actionable task at a time.
- Six Sigma: The Six Sigma method focuses on understanding the needs of the customer, eliminating waste, and continuously improving processes to deliver a high-quality project. It is all about the scope, time, cost, and quality of a project and also increases the efficiency and organization of the project. It has five distinctive phases; Define the project, Measure data, Analyze the root of the problem, Improve processes, and Control by implementing solutions (DMAIC).
- PRINCE2: The PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments) management method is concerned with the organization and structure through a project’s life span. With this method, projects must have a business justification, including a detailed cost assessment and baseline requirements before they are initiated. However, the highly detailed process involved in this method often requires extensive documentation and can be slower than other project management styles.
Types of Project Managers
There are four types of project managers and understanding the type of manager you are or want to become will help in making you succeed in your role.
Here are the four types of project managers:
- Technical Project Manager
- Adventurous Project Manager
- Expert Project Manager
- Supportive Project Manager
Technical Project Manager
A technical project manager has complete control over projects and teams. They will never compromise on key deliverables and key performance indicators of projects.
Technical project managers pay attention to detail and possess analytical and problem-solving skills combined with critical thinking and decision-making capabilities which distinguishes them from other project managers. You can expect detailed and insightful feedback from them each time.
Adventurous Project Manager
They are known as risk-takers. They are not afraid to throw caution to the wind and take risks. Adventurous project managers always keep looking for business opportunities. In some cases, the gamble might pay off but in others cases, it might not but that does not deter this type of project manager from taking risks.
The positive aspect here is that they always stay within the strategic boundaries even when they are taking risks so the risks they take are for achieving your strategic objectives.
Expert Project Manager
These types of project managers are focused on using reliable data in making important decisions regarding a particular business opportunity. With experience and knowledge on their side, they can easily identify which business opportunity they should go for and which ones to let go of.
This type of project manager knows their way very well and challenges the existing strategy. Expert project managers execute different project management methodologies to perfection in order to convert business opportunities into financial numbers.
Supportive Project Manager
They believe in motivation and delegation. Supportive project managers are good listeners but also great at providing sound advice. They believe in uninterrupted communication, and smooth team collaboration and are masters in the art of uplifting the morale of their team member despite failures.
They share a strong bond with their team members based on trust and team members return the favor by delivering exceptional performances.
Job Outlook for Project Manager
The demand for project managers increases as organizations seek more ways to improve and maintain productivity. No matter the industry, there’s always a need for qualified professionals to plan, control, and execute projects effectively.
The Project Management Institute projects 22 million new project management jobs and 88 million individuals in project management-oriented roles through 2027.
How Much do Project Managers make?
Project managers work in many different industries, and salaries depend on the following factors: location, industry, role, certification, years of experience, and the average size of projects, teams, and budgets managed. The estimated average salary for a Project Manager is $77,434 to  $102,303 per year in the United States.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is project management a good career?
Yes, project management is definitely a good career with high salaries and plenty of variety at work, but it's also a demanding job that can be highly stressful at times.
Which is the most important factor for a project manager to be successful?
For a project to be a success, a project needs these 3 important factors; careful planning, effective communication, and attention to detail.
Is project manager job difficult?
Project management can be incredibly stressful. it is one of the most challenging careers as no day will be the same, and you will need all your project management skills to solve every problem.
Conclusion
The road map to a successful project is having a good project manager. They extensively plan, control, and execute projects.
Becoming a good project manager and understanding what type of a manager you are, will help you succeed in this role. I’m pretty sure this article has provided you with all the necessary information you need to begin your journey as a project manager.