Top 10 Project Management Skills

Projects can generally be categorised as either simple or complex but, more often than not, those that start out being relatively simple can rapidly become complex. A good Project Manager knows this and, as such, embraces two key project management principles: Keep it Simple and Adapt to Change. That alone, however, does not make for a good Project Manager, but it will certainly stand you in good stead when it comes to managing most projects.

To become a truly skilled Project Manager, one needs to have the following 10 critical character traits:

1.Understanding

Part of being a good Project Manager means needing to have a good understanding, not only of the project they are responsible for, but of everything associated with the project. From understanding the project scope, budget, and schedule, to the boundaries of their responsibilities, to the drivers of their clients and contractors, to the requirements from every member of their team. It is essential to have a good understanding of all of this, as it will help Project Managers stay in control and separate what they can and should be managing from what they can’t, and shouldn’t be managing. This may seem like an obvious statement, but there are many Project Managers out there who understand their project scope, budget, and schedule extremely well, but do not have a clue what their primary stakeholders’ priorities are. These priorities will normally always include keeping the project within budget, staying on schedule, and not incurring any health and safety incidents, but there are often more subtle (and some glaringly obvious) issues that need to be understood and managed as well. These include political agendas, community agreements, internal conflicts, design preferences, and vendor bias, to name but a few. When dealing with these issues it is crucial for the Project Manager to understand:

1. The boundaries of their responsibilities,

2. Their contractual, legal, and social responsibilities and,

3. Which issues need to take priority and be managed within their remit.

Whenever there is a lack of clear understanding about a Project Manager’s roles and responsibilities, it becomes very easy for them to get drawn into issues that are outside their limit. This may, on occasion, save the day for someone but, more often than not, it only serves to take the Project Manager’s focus off key issues that are their direct responsibility, and potentially disrupt the project as a whole.

2. Planning/Foresight

There are many clichés thrown about in Project Management. So much so, one could probably write a book about them. One of the most common you may have heard is, “Hindsight is 20/20 vision”, and this is normally uttered just after something has gone

wrong, which is an indication that either the plan was not followed, or it was flawed to start with. The best Project Managers try to anticipate key events in advance and look for ways to control the threats and exploit the opportunities without jeopardising the overall project plan. They give themselves the best chance of succeeding at this by investing time upfront to ensure they have all their critical project controls in place prior to kicking a project off. This includes (but is not limited to) having a detailed and approved project schedule, deliverables register, resource plan, cost control register, and execution plan. They also always keep their project risk register relevant and up to date. Most importantly, however, they make sure their plan is robust, and stick to the plan as far as possible.

3. Adaptability

The problem with projects is that they change. Having a plan, and sticking to it, is great. But no plan is perfect, and no project is static. Things will change, and good Project Managers know how to adapt to these changes with minimal disruption to their project. Therefore, it is imperative to have a concise (and not overly complicated) Management of Change (MoC) procedure in place on every project. Most projects will have one but, time and again, projects will still fail because their changes were not effectively managed. This is either because the Management of Change procedure was not followed correctly, or the procedure itself was flawed. Some MoC procedures are so complicated you may need degrees in law, logic, and literature just to follow one. Successful projects will generally have a concise and easy to follow MoC procedure. Not only that, but the process of applying and approving changes will be as straight forward as possible, and the same process will apply for client and contractor alike. When managing changes on projects, you may often have heard someone saying, “Just get on with the changes, and we’ll sort out the paperwork later”. This will inevitably be the case when the MoC procedure is either too complicated, or the approval process too drawn out, to control the changes while executing them in parallel. Good Project Managers keep on top of changes by acting on them quickly and efficiently, with the help of a good Management of Change procedure. In doing so, they ensure their project can adapt to changes with minimal impact to the project’s objectives and Key Performance Indicators.

4. Attention to Detail

Another cliché you will often hear in Project Management is, “The Devil is in the detail”. This is one cliché that is not only true but occurs frequently on almost every project. If there is one project management skill that has saved many a project from disaster, attention to detail must be right up there. Good Project Managers have an almost uncanny ability to spot things that either don’t fit or need to be exploited. It could be a contractual clause, an element of a safety plan, a schedule activity, design detail, or just a number in a report. Project Managers are seldom specialists in any one field, but what makes them good Project Managers is their ability not only to see the big picture, but also to spot the gems and the misfits. Projects are multi-faceted affairs and keeping on top of them requires support from a good team of discipline specialists. However, the Project Manager is responsible for making sure that all the elements fit together in the right formation, at the right time, all the time. Spotting a detail in any one of the deliverables which may have a legal, logistical, contractual, design, safety, or other impact is not something that can always be caught at discipline level. Good Project Managers are aware of this and are therefore always on the lookout for the small things that can either trip up or benefit a project.

5. Communication

Good communication on projects is paramount. Be it communication between your clients and contractors, your own team, your sponsors, or any other stakeholders on the project. The bottom line is, good Project Managers are good communicators. That does not just mean they are good talkers. There is a big difference between good talkers and good communicators. Good communicators do not waffle. They stick to the facts, and they stick to the information that needs to be communicated. One can often spot a bad Project Manager just by noting how much they say, and how much of what they say is both relevant and factual. That’s not to say there’s not a time or a place in Project Management for irrelevance, non-factual anecdotes and speculation. There certainly is, but those times and places are generally reserved for social, team-building, or other events in a more relaxed environment. Project meetings, briefings and reviews need to be relevant, factual and to the point. One of the luxuries projects do not have is time, and few things are more time wasteful than sitting in a meeting where you are either not needed or the subject matter is neither relevant nor factually based. This is linked to one of the key principles in project management which is to “Keep it Simple”. This principle extends to communication. The simpler you keep it, the more your communication will be understood, remembered, and acted upon correctly.

6. Passion

Also known as “Energy”. Projects thrive on energy, and a Project Manager who is passionate about their assignment will impart this energy to the rest of their team, clients, contractors, sponsors, and other stakeholders alike. There is no substitute for passion. Look at any successful sports team, venture, business, or social event and the common denominator for its success will be the passion, or energy, of the team and individuals involved. Not only does passion instil energy, but it also instils belief, and belief is an essential ingredient in the successful outcome of any undertaking. People will go to great lengths to highlight their educational qualifications, skills, and experience on their résumés, but if you ever interview someone for a job or position on your project, one of the first things you should look for is their level of passion for the job. Everything else can be learned, but passion comes from within. If a person is not passionate about what they do, that doesn’t mean they won’t succeed, as they may still have the necessary skills and experience to get them there, but they will struggle to excel. This attribute is even more important in Project Managers, Business Leaders, and Team Sport Captains, as it is their passion that acts as one of the primary motivators for the rest of their team, and instils the belief of success not only in the team but in everyone else involved, be it client, contractor, sponsor, or any other stakeholder.

7. Logic

Often underestimated, or taken for granted, logic is one of those character traits that most people pride themselves on having. But so often logic is overridden by emotion, prejudice, or preconception that the extent to which logic is usefully applied in decision making is greatly reduced. Good Project Managers have an ability to consistently apply logic by filtering out emotion and prejudice, and questioning preconceptions, whenever they are faced with decision making challenges. One could say that being a good decision maker is one of the key character traits of a good Project Manager, and this would not be wrong. However, an essential component in being a good decision maker is to have a strong grounding in logic as, without having a good grounding in logic, it is very difficult to be a good decision maker.

8. Resolve

Good Project Managers need to be resolute. Projects do not deliver themselves, and they are seldom delivered without a determined effort. Every project is likely to suffer a setback of some sort at some point, and most projects will suffer several setbacks at several points during their lifetime. Without resolve (or determination) many Project Managers will fail to achieve their project’s objectives while others will simply lose their ability to manage the project effectively. When faced with a setback, a good Project Manager will stay motivated and look for the best way out. There’s an old sporting term that goes; “It’s not about how well you play; it’s about how well you recover”. This is as true in sport as it is in projects. The world’s best sports people are the ones who consistently get themselves out of difficult situations, and still manage to win. This doesn’t just require skill, it requires resolve. The same is equally true of the world’s best Project Managers. They do not let setbacks get them down, and they actively find ways to turn setbacks into positive outcomes. Few people will sit up and take note of a project that runs its course without hiccup but, when a project is fraught with challenges and setbacks, and is still delivered on schedule, within budget, and without any safety incidents, that is when it stands out from the crowd.

9. Resilience

Being a Project Manager is sometimes like being a punching bag. Everyone wants to have a go at you at some point. Normally it’s the client, often the contractor, and occasionally even your own team! Good Project Managers are able to take the punches but, unlike punching bags, they occasionally punch back. No project is perfect and therefore no project is free from criticism. Project stakeholders normally only have one person they need to take aim at, and that is the Project Manager. If a Project Manager wants to deliver their project successfully, they need to be able to take criticism from all angles and bounce back from it. This goes hand-in-hand with being resolute, but it is also about having the confidence in yourself, your plan, and your team to not only withstand unwarranted criticism, but to adapt where criticism is warranted. When criticism is unwarranted, good Project Managers will defend their position, but not blindly or unconstructively. This is where two of the other key project management skills of Understanding and Planning come into play. A good Project Manager will understand the drivers of their project stakeholders and will have confidence in their own plan to be able to react productively and effectively. By doing so, they will not only keep their project on-track but may also win over the confidence of their critics. Conversely, if the criticism is warranted, then the skill of being adaptable comes into play. If change is required, good Project Managers are able to do so quickly and efficiently, with minimal disruption to their project.

10. Discipline

Sometimes also described as being “Methodical”, but having discipline is so much more than just being methodical. Projects are multi-faceted affairs, and keeping on top of them not only requires having a good team around you, but also requires a good deal of discipline. It is very easy to get side-tracked on projects by whoever is shouting the loudest, and this is where good Project Managers need strong discipline to keep their projects on track. Staying focussed, logical, resolute, and resilient all require a good deal of discipline so, without discipline, these skills can be seriously undermined. It is not enough to have any one of these qualities in isolation, as being a good Project Manager means having all the necessary skills required to successfully deliver your project. Discipline is therefore the glue that holds a project together and, in many ways, is also what binds all the other skills into a cohesive force that makes an ordinary Project Manager become a truly skilled Project Manager.