Project managers are jugglers and great problem solvers. They are planning and scheduling masters. They monitor progress and evaluate risks, all while assessing team members and communicating effectively with stakeholders. In other words, the project manager’s role is vital to the success of any project.
In addition to credentials, technical knowledge and experience, project managers need a specific skill set. This skill set is tied to core responsibilities. We’re not only talking about planning, assigning tasks, reviewing progress reports and other well-identified tasks and responsibilities in the five process groups of project management. In this article, we will discuss critical duties for project success.
Before you get swamped in timetables, project plans, and documents and logs, consider the following five critical responsibilities.
- SET THE DIRECTION
- PROTECT THE PROJECT SCOPE FROM SCOPE CREEP
- KEEP A KEEN EYE ON COSTS AND TIME CONSTRAINTS
- MANAGE DELIVERABLE QUALITY
- ELEVATE THE TEAM’S MORALE
As a project manager, you are captain of the ship and need to keep sailing on course. Think of it as your responsibility to keep hold of the ship’s rudder to maintain direction throughout the project.
There is nothing worse than scope creep to ruin the progress of your project. When you clearly define, effectively plan and manage the scope, you will prevent your project from straying from its original mandate.
You probably know the magic recipe of project success: on time, within the budget and according to quality standards. To achieve this, it is critical to continually analyze cost and time to make sure your project remains on track and within constraints.
Your project might have several quality aspects that you need to manage. Failing to keep track of the quality of deliverables in any phase might affect the overall quality of the final deliverables.
You are not only a manager, but also a leader, which means you need to keep your team motivated. Pay close attention to team feedback and understand what drives each of them.
