In any successful company, you’ll find a set of individuals who truly make a difference. These are the people who can transform a mediocre product into an exceptional one, secure crucial business partnerships, and ensure timely product launches. At the heart of this success often lies a great project manager.
While some companies, like Microsoft, combine product and project management roles, having separate roles often proves more effective. Project management goes far beyond using tools like Microsoft Project. It requires a specific set of skills that can make or break a product’s success.
7 Skills Project Managers Need
Intensity is crucial, as great project managers keep small talk brief and quickly get down to business, instilling a sense of purpose and urgency in the team.
Being concise is equally important. Meetings should have clear objectives, with problems and obstacles clearly identified to ensure productive discussions.
Being clearheaded is another vital skill. Business issues often involve multiple underlying causes, mixed with politics and personal agendas. A skilled project manager can untangle this complexity, isolate separate issues, and guide the team towards solutions.
Analyzing is yet another important skill for project managers, relying on facts rather than feelings to make critical decisions, especially in time-sensitive situations, filtering irrelevant fluff and focusing on what matters.
Sensitivity is key, particularly as project managers often need to drive decisions without having direct authority over team members. They must know when to collect input from the team and when to escalate issues to senior management.
Good judgment, while harder to teach, is crucial in knowing when to push, when to step back, and how to handle various situations. This skill alone is enabling project managers to have an impact on the team.
Finally, attitude makes a significant difference. Great project managers are problem solvers at their core. They don’t make excuses; they make things happen. They’re tireless and unstoppable, overcoming countless obstacles to ship the product.
In conclusion, these seven skills—intensity, conciseness, being clearheaded, analyzing, sensitivity, decisiveness, good judgment, and a positive, problem-solving attitude—are what set apart great project managers. In the fast-paced world of product development, these skills can truly make the difference between success and failure.
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