Skills required by a project manager Essay Example for Free

Skills required by a project manager Essay The project manager is normally given the authority and the sole responsibility of ensuring that the direction with which a specific project is followed. He works absolutely under the guideline and the goal of the designated project or the whole organization. One of the major responsibilities is to ensure that the end items of the project are met i.e. when, by whom, what, costs, resources, discipline etc within the firm. (Cable and Adams, 1989) Although the project manager usually reports to the general manager of the company, he or she has the authority of defining the organizational structure and ensures that there is effective management of all the sectors in the production units. Since the project manager controls the effectiveness of the tasks being undertaken, in most cases, he or she is able to assign and monitor the budgets within their jurisdiction. The project manager also communicates all matters concerning the company to the general manager or the president for clarification on any matter that is pending. The project manager also communicates with the customers directly especially when dealing with formal projects. In order to therefore perform the above tasks, a project manager should be able to possess excellent skills and qualifications. One of the skills that is necessary is the ability to communicate effectively both with the management and the customers thus requiring good communication skills. The project manager should also be able to organize issues and monitor their implementation especially by junior officers. (Adams, 1990) In cases when the project manager is required to appoint an assistant project manager, the project manager must be able to be fair and treat other people equally regardless of their age, gender, race or disability. Since project manager is able to plan and execute a project successfully, he or she must be able to possess a wide combination of skills both gained in an academic standpoint and in an experimental view point. The character of the person should also be absolutely dynamic in that the project manager must be able to have problem solving abilities. The factor of being hardworking, honest and dedicated cannot also be overlooked. With such qualities, the project manager will therefore be able to ask penetrating questions, resolve interpersonal conflicts and identify unspecified assumptions. A project manager is expected to have high degree of interdependence geared towards accomplishment of tasks available. He or she is expected to stand apart from the junior employees by virtue of position held and help those under them in elucidation of matters relating to the jobs and also advocating for employees’ rights where there is prejudice. (Adams, 1990) The overall responsibilities for the project manager would be; risk analysis, time estimating, quality control, benefit realization, resource planning, and customer liaison. Managing risks and issues, planning and defining scope of the project, documentation, activity sequencing, team leadership, budget development, developing schedules, tactical influencing and creating charts and schedules (Cable and Adams, 1989) High level posting Since the company needs to have a project manager from the production department, the following are the requirements for this position. The person should have at least ten years experience in the position of project management in a busy manufacturing company. He or she must be a great team player who is ready to work with other people in the company. The person should also have a proven track record of hard work especially with the support of relevant academic background. Reference Adams, J. (1990):   Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Manager, Project Management Institute Cable, D., and Adams, J. (1989): Organizing for Project Management, Upper Darby, PA: Project Management Institute, Dinsmore Paul C., (1990):   Human Factors in Project Management.   New York: AMACOM,