Project managers, what do they do?

No matter what you see happening in the world, there is always a project manager working behind the scenes and supervising the project from its start to its completion. This is true whether there is a new bridge being made, new software getting launched, or a new coffee house opening in your neighborhood. A project manager is always required to overlook the task, communicate with the parties involved, and check the budgets and plans to get the work finished on time, and efficiently.
 

What does a project manager do?

Every day a project manager:

• Check their emails to see updates and problems from clients and the team. It is important because it helps a project manager keep a track of all the delays and issues related to the project and the people working on it.
   
• Take several calls to communicate with all the stakeholders. Mostly they are on the phone as they are the go-to person for almost every problem related to the project, so a project manager needs to be patient and have a voice of reason to be able to solve the issues as they come.
   
• Uses different softwares to manage their projects. These softwares help them in planning, keeping track of the budgets, and risking access. Mostly it is on the project managers to use the softwares they are comfortable with or at times the company asks them to use the softwares they have already subscribed to.
   
• Attends meetings with the teams and more often than not sets up and manages them as well. These meetings are used to help the colleagues get together and brainstorm the issues or try to find issues that need quick attention, and sometimes to just catch up.
   
• Visit project sites if possible and if needed. It totally depends on the project they are managing, but if one has a manager role in industries like construction or infrastructure then this is a part of their daily life, for sure.
   
• Review the budget to check on how much money has been spent. By keeping track of the expenses, they will be able to keep the project moving successfully and within budget.

Skills needed to become a project manager

A project manager needs to have a range of skills under their belt to be able to do everything that is required of them. They need a combination of hard and soft skills to be able to manage and plan everything and keep the team motivated to finish the project on time.

The skills required to become a project manager are:

Hard Skills 

A project manager needs several hard skills like:

• Project planning

They need to be able to outline the project according to the goals of the client and scope of the project, and then divide the responsibilities to each team member while also having an estimate of the time required and budget.

• Risk management

They need to have a risk management plan to have responses ready for whenever the risks come. They need to have a clear idea of the risks involved in the project, their impacts, and how to respond to them.

• Problem solving

They need to be knowledgeable and experienced enough in delivering a solution to the several issues that might come up throughout the project.

Soft Skills

A project manager also needs several soft skills like:

• Communication

They need to be in touch with all the parties and for that they need to have all the necessary communication skills to ensure that the project gets done properly.

• Leadership

They need to have the necessary leadership skills to lead their teams and mentor the new additions. At the same time, they will need to be answerable to the clients if anything goes south and keep them updated of the progress.

• Motivation

They need to be able to lift the spirits of the team in times of need, especially when a project gets delayed or something goes wrong.

Industries where project manager jobs can be found

Loosely speaking, everywhere! But the role of a project manager is necessarily found in industries like construction, infrastructure, and information technology. These days more and more project manager job vacancies are also coming from the health, finance, entertainment, and hospitality industries as well. 

How to become a project manager?

Any management role comes with a lot of power, and with great power comes great responsibilities! So a project manager needs to be responsible and have a good understanding of what is required of the job and have some leadership and management experience.

One can even take a relevant degree in project management and start climbing the ladder from roles and positions like those of project coordinator or project administrator. Usually, one gets placed through their institutions only so that saves the trouble of hunting jobs in the market. 

Proper degrees and experiences gained at lower rungs of the ladder help build the confidence which eventually results in management roles like that of a project manager.