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Several businesses often debate the need for project management. It’s often thought of as an unnecessary burden on the budget and isn’t taken seriously. A majority of projects are complex and multi-faceted, which is why they require detailed planning, organizing and monitoring. Successful project management helps you run projects efficiently—timely delivery, navigating budget constraints and other ups and downs.
When businesses rely on clearly defined and well-structured project management processes, managers are able to deliver and drive desirable business outcomes. Project managers play a crucial role in planning, executing, monitoring and delivering projects. They’re responsible for the entire scope of the project—its successes and failures. Therefore, successful project management comes from choosing the right project manager.
Qualities Of A Good Project Manager
While a project manager should possess certain technical, business and management skills, they must also have the necessary attributes of a good project manager. These qualities go beyond their job description and are highly important for the project. Let’s look at the top qualities of a project manager that helps them close projects with greater efficiency.
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Can Inspire A Shared Vision
Effective project managers have a vision and direction to follow. They know how they want the project to shape up and they have the ability to articulate it. Visionary project managers are always invested because they pursue particular goals and inspire their team to envision similar goals as well.
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Can Communicate Effectively
One of the most valuable traits of a project manager is effective communication. The ability to build and foster interpersonal relationships influences the way a project cycle develops. Project leadership calls for clear communication about responsibilities, expectations and goals.
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Possess Leadership Skills
Being a project manager is a specific type of leadership position. Several characteristics of a project manager are rooted in the ability to manage teams, delegate responsibilities and show accountability. Motivating teams and maximizing their performance is a leadership skill.
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Possess Organization Skills
Creating a productive work environment is again one of the core characteristics of a project manager. To achieve this, managers must be organized and stay focused on the end-goal. They should prioritize responsibilities and have the capacity to meet deadlines.
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Display Grace Under Pressure
Despite good project management, a project has the risk of losing momentum. Both internal and external factors may interrupt a project’s progress and it’s likely to test the patience of a project manager. The ability to stay calm and resilient and persevere through changes and challenges are the necessary attributes of a project manager.
Enhancing The Qualities Of A Project Manager
While the aforementioned skills and qualities are instrumental for effective project management, here are several strategies to strengthen those qualities. The various ways include
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Effectively communicating with the team to avoid confusion and streamline the process. Regular updates, catch-ups and feedback loops to stay on track and improve the overall efficiency.
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Having an open-door policy and creating a safe space for ideation, discussion and constructive criticism. Encouraging everyone to speak up during meetings and listening to diverse perspectives respectfully.
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Setting realistic timelines and communicating every need and expectation in advance. Delegation of authority is instrumental in holding people accountable for their share of the work. Regularly monitoring progress will help the team stick to timelines and meet deadlines.
Final Thoughts
Project managers shoulder plenty of responsibilities and oftentimes, they can’t afford to make a mistake. Only a leadership mindset and practicing leadership skills will help them keep themselves grounded while meeting expectations and delivering projects on time.
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