8 Essential Skills Every Project Manager Needs

While the complexity of project management is daunting, it also offers many benefits to your business. By delegating responsibility and goals to a team, you can ensure long-term success with higher quality results at a reduced cost.

When faced with an overwhelming task like launching a new product or improving processes in every department for increased efficiency, all that needs to be done is to overwhelm most managers. To perform the project manager duties successfully, you must enhance your skills and work more efficiently.

Project management skills are essential to project managers because they have so many roles that need to be taken care of. For example, they must know how to manage budgets, project schedules, and project risks for a project to succeed. In addition, project managers also need the skills necessary for leadership, such as conflict resolution, decision-making, and communication. In this blog post, we will go over eight essential skills every project manager needs.

Essential Skills for a Project Manager

Every project manager needs to have several skills to be successful and achieve the project goals. The project manager's responsibilities may vary from task management, time-management, budgeting or risk assessment. Your interest and skills will answer the question why choose a project management career.

Some of the essential skills for a project manager include:

1. Effective Leadership skills
2. Communication skills
3. Organization skills
4. Negotiation skills
5. Adaptability skills
6. Risk Management
7. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
8. Patience 

1. Effective Leadership skills

Project management is all about how you motivate your team and see the project to completion. You're leading a group of people, which means making sure they stay on track so that you can achieve success. Project leadership comes in different styles, and one might work better for you than another, depending on the personality.

As a team leader, you must bring in excellent results from all the team members involved in a project. Thus, project management is about more than just the allocation and organization of quantifiable resources.

Project Management is also about building relationships with people. Project managers understand how to get the best out of their team members to achieve that big goal: to see a project through completion.

2. Communication skills

A project manager must be able to communicate efficiently for their operation and team members to succeed. Of course, listening will help them understand what needs improvement, but conveying instructions is the most critical role of all, with success or failure.

Clear communication is one of the most critical aspects of leadership. It helps to lead a team effectively because it allows you to articulate what needs to be done and how your project can succeed. Clear communication also ensures that stakeholders, vendors, contractors, etc., are all on board with where the work will go.

3. Organization skills

Being a competent project manager can be a challenge when you handle multiple facets of a project. Organization and delegation skills are essential to ensure the delivery of an accurate, timely product or service.

While managing a project, it is essential to keep organized and on top of every task. An excellent way for managers to do this would be by creating documents outlining all the jobs they have been assigned. It will help them stay in control and prevent last-minute mishaps that might arise from not being prepared. As a project manager, if you cannot manage your schedule effectively, it reflects poorly on the team.

4. Negotiation skills

Negotiation is not just about haggling, and bargaining with vendors to get a better price or managing deadlines. It can also be about conflict resolution between two parties that are equally vital to the success of your project. Negotiation skill is comprehended with your mastery of communication.

The art of negotiation is an invaluable skill for project managers to possess because it allows them to negotiate the terms with clients, stakeholders and other allies, which could save their company a lot of money. Although this requires practical experience before one can be effective at negotiating tactics, it would benefit any new or aspiring project manager if they could familiarize themselves with what has proven successful in past negotiations. Managers can carry out already mapped out strategies without having to waste time experimenting.

5. Adaptability skills

People in managerial positions determine how well their departments will adapt to such challenges. Even if situations get chaotic and out of hand, they must tackle them with a calm and optimistic approach to not let the organization fall apart.

Changes in industry standards are common, and they can result from many adaptations. For example, it could be the emergence of new technologies, strengthening market trends, or changing user demands.

The ability to adjust and change course during a project is one of the most essential skills of project leaders. Instead of starting from scratch when problems arise or changes need to be made, decide what is best for that situation, not hurting other parts of the plan.

6. Risk Management

There are risks inherent in any task, plan, or project. It is your job as a professional to identify them before they become problems. You must have the skill to identify, assess, and control risk.

Risk management is about being flexible and accommodating quickly to any shift in circumstances. You can put countless warnings and plans in place, but you will always suspect unforeseen factors. In addition, it means that as the primary person responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly. It may be necessary for the project managers to readjust their thinking while monitoring team members, progress reports, and other input sources.

7. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Critical Thinking is simply analyzing and evaluating an issue or situation so that you can form an unbiased judgement. It prevents acting on rage, emotions or a received answer. Project managers must be able to use critical thinking skills to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a situation and plan strategies accordingly.

It also required them to know how their analytical abilities can forecast the results of any strategy they come up with. Both convergent and divergent thinking is required when developing strategies.

8. Patience

A project manager is somebody with the ability to reorganize tasks as needed, stay on top of deadlines without getting stressed out, and keep a cool head even when they're presented with a lot of work. Patience is a virtue, along with which humor goes alongside. It helps project managers ease tensions and create a tone and culture in the workplace.

To Sum Up

Project managers are responsible for overseeing and coordinating the activities of a project from start to finish. Therefore, they need polished skills to ensure that critical deadlines are met without sacrificing quality or accuracy. Furthermore, managing multiple projects at once can be challenging, so having good multitasking abilities is also essential. Through online courses, you can utilize The Tips for PMP Exams to pass the test successfully and pursue a career in project management.

Author Bio: Viswanathan G is a Professional IT trainer with extensive experience in training and project management. By academics, he is a Mechanical Engineer and also developed his skills in programming. His 25 years of teaching experience have brought in thousands of students across the world. He is an expert in designing training courses with technical content and real-time examples. He is now working as a trainer in Edoxi Training Institute.

 

5 Ways for Fostering Innovation in Your Workplace

In business, it’s critical to adapt to and create change to stay ahead of the competition. When you foster a culture of innovation in the workplace, the payoff can be greater business achievement.

It can’t just be the members of your leadership team who are tasked with coming up with ideas to do things better or faster. It requires a commitment and input from all levels of the company.

Cultivating a workforce of innovators may be your business’s best growth strategy ever.

Here are five things to keep in mind for fostering employee innovation.

Set the example. Let your staff see you challenging current methods and assumptions. This gives team members the freedom to express their seemingly crazy ideas, too.

Encourage ownership. Challenge your team to take ownership of problems presented. Identifying and taking ownership of problems empowers you to innovate your way around them.

Find hidden gems. Look beyond the top ranks for creative direction. Let ideas flow from all levels of your organization. 

Embrace failure. Innovation involves experimenting, and in experimenting, there is no guarantee of success on the first try. Fear of failure hinders the creative process. Help your team cultivate a positive attitude about failure so they see it as an opportunity for learning.

Act on great ideas. Your team members may not see the point in creating or presenting ideas if most suggestions are never acted upon. They will be inspired if it’s clear they can create a legacy in the organization through their creative ideas.

It’s up to you, the leader, to create an environment where the creative potential of your team members is unleashed. This is not only great for your company, but for the self-reliance and performance of your employees as well. Everyone wins when you allow your team to bring all their great ideas to the table.

Lean Quote: Work Place Stress and Anxiety

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time."   —  Leonard Bernstein

Workplace anxiety broadly refers to work-related stress that causes anxiety, or the impact of having a diagnosed anxiety disorder at work.

Regardless of the source, addressing anxiety at work can lead to more positive outcomes for both employees and employers.

Similar to general anxiety, symptoms of workplace anxiety can include the following:

• Excessive worrying
• Trouble sleeping
• Fatigue
• Racing heartbeat
• Dry mouth
• Feeling jittery
• Difficulty focusing 

Employees struggling with workplace anxiety may also exhibit the following behaviors:

• Decreased performance and productivity
• Increased number of sick days or time away from work
• Appearing disengaged or struggling to meet goals

Anxiety at work can be vastly different from one person to the next. However, long work hours, high-stress situations, or feeling a lack of support from managers and coworkers can heighten anxious feelings. Giving presentations, tight deadlines, or being tasked with a big project are other anxiety-producing situations.

HOW CAN I COMBAT ANXIETY AT WORK?

If you are feeling anxious or stressed at work, try the following tips:

• Organize your physical workspace. If you’re dealing with a cluttered desk, unfiled documents, and more open internet browsers than you can count, it’s time to take a break and get organized. Cleaning up your physical work environment can do wonders for clearing an overwhelmed mind.

• ​Be honest and ask for help. If you do not have the time or bandwidth to take on that huge new project without sacrificing your mental health, speak up and be honest about what you can handle. Letting your peers or manager know that you need help early on is better than missing a deadline later. Having regular 1:1 meetings with your manager can also ensure that your workload is being discussed regularly, helping to increase transparency and avoid surprises.

• Recognize small wins. Sometimes we are so focused on moving from one task to the next, we forget to celebrate our accomplishments. Before diving into your next project, take a minute to reflect on the items you’ve completed so far.

• Plan ahead. Big projects with multiple components and deadlines can be overwhelming. Divide larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps and tackle them one at a time.

• Avoid negativity. Listening to others complain can make you feel even worse so steer clear of negative conversations and focus on the control you have to complete your own work.

• Take breaks. Time for yourself is vital. Get outside, exercise, call a friend, read, or utilize your vacation days if you need more time to reset. 

• Lend a hand. If you are not personally struggling but notice that your colleague is showing signs of anxiety, check in with them, offer to help and/or bring the issue to their manager’s attention. Caring for each other is a team effort.  

While this list is not exhaustive, hopefully applying a few of these tips to your daily routine will provide some relief.

5 Steps to Facilitating a Great Lessons Learned Session

Real learning comes from a period of reflection. Lessons learned are an informal conversation where you look at a project in retrospect. It is done after project completion, usually conducted as a meeting involving the project manager and key representatives within the project. During the lessons learned meeting everyone shares their perspective on what they thought about the project, what they would have changed, what they learned and what could have been done better.

Lessons learned workshops are performed for three reasons: The first is to learn from mistakes and to avoid these mistakes in future projects. The second is to gather best practices — that is smart ways of doing something — and to pass on this knowledge to other project leaders. The third reason is for trust building with your stakeholders and team members. Involving people in the process and giving them the opportunity to share their perspective will make them more supportive towards project management as well as future projects.

The lessons learned process involves 5 steps with activities that will capture and use lessons learned. The five steps are:

Plan ahead. You could just sit down at a round table with all the key stakeholders and go around the room. The problem with that is what should take 1-2 hours could go on all day.  Decide in advance on when and where you will hold the lessons learned meeting with your schedule. Write and distribute a simple one-page agenda for the lessons learned meeting in advance. This agenda will include items such as ground rules, idea starting questions and lessons learned to follow up. It will help them come to this sometimes awkward session more prepared and more understanding of the overall focus of the meeting… making the meeting and information to be shared more helpful, focused and productive.

Get feedback. Prior to meeting with the project time, set aside 15 minutes to identify lessons learned for yourself. This activity will prime you on how to reflect on your performance and give you examples to share in the meeting. Elicit feedback in advance. If you can collect and send out the combined notes before the meeting, participants can analyze the input, identify common patterns and focus team time on the nuances and specifics.

Set the Ground Rules. To start the meeting, take a few minutes to explain the meeting’s ground rules. The purpose of defining lessons learned to improve performance in the future. Second, encourage participants to use facts to illustrate their comments so that everyone can understand the point. Finally, explain that you will seek their assistance in implementing these ideas into the organization. It also makes the meeting much more efficient because you won’t be wasting valuable time brainstorming from scratch.

Conduct. Let’s face it. Lessons learned sessions can be unappealing if they’re viewed as overcomplicated and time consuming. The essential lessons learned collection process really boils down to three questions:

What went well?

What didn’t go so well?

How can we do more of what worked and less of what didn’t work?

Anything more than that and you’ll likely find them so cumbersome that everyone will want to abandon the exercise.

Take great notes or have someone on the team take great notes – it has to be someone who went through the project and experienced the ups and downs so they understand the discussion and any comments being made. There will be lots of head nodding – or head shaking.

Follow up. Integrate the lessons learned into your organization. Always follow up any important meeting or discussion with the notes from the meeting and send those out to all attendees and proposed attendees who weren’t in attendance. The key is always to make sure everyone has a say and that everyone is on the same page at the end of the day. Ask for feedback with 24 hours, revise the notes, and send back out one final time.

Review those lessons the next time you launch the same phase in a subsequent project. Before you even get into the specifics of a new project or project phase, remind yourself of the positives and pitfalls from prior efforts. Commit to maximizing the productive aspects of previous projects and minimizing repeat mistakes.

Lessons learned is all about understanding what you all did “right” and what you all could have done “better.” It’s not about finger pointing. It’s about learning. To become better. As a project manager and as a team but also as an organization. This learning effect only materializes when action is taken in response to the lessons learned.

If you follow these five steps, I can’t guarantee that you’ll execute perfectly on every critical success factor. I am confident, however, that you’ll start to notice a gradual change over time that, in sum, will lead to new efficiencies and a culture of continuous improvement.

Happy Labor Day - 2021!

Happy Labor Day to all my American readers! For a lot of people, Labor Day means two things: a day off and the end of summer. However, Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women and acknowledges the value and dignity of work and its role in American life.

Labor Day originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living.

Americans need today's holiday, since we work more than anyone in the industrialized world. We also take fewer vacations, work longer days, and retire later.

Statistics show that Americans work longer hours than citizens of most other countries — 137 more hours per year than Japan, 260 more per year than the U.K., and 499 more than France. And our productivity is high — 400% higher than it was in 1950, to be exact. So we totally deserve that day off.

Labor Day is a time to celebrate the benefits we enjoy at our jobs — including weekends off. The concept of American workers taking days off dates back to 1791, when a group of carpenters in Philadelphia went on strike to demand a shorter workweek (10-hour days, to be exact). It wasn't until 1836 that workers started demanding eight-hour workdays. So nine to five doesn't sound so bad after all.

In honor of today's Labor Day holiday, here are five facts you should know:

1. It’s on May 1 in other countries

Most countries around the world celebrate Labor Day on May 1, and it is called International Workers’ Day.

2. Stores remain open

While most schools and offices are closed on Labor Day, retail workers and shopkeepers don’t get the same break, as the holiday is huge for sales and shopping.

3. Third most popular holiday for outdoor cookouts

Labor Day is right behind the Fourth of July and Memorial Day in being the most popular holiday for barbecues and cookouts.

4. Labor Day marks the unofficial NFL kickoff

99.4% of the time, the NFL’s first official game of the season is on the Thursday following Labor Day.

5. Union members today

In 2017, there were 14.8 million union members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while in 1983, there were 17.7 million.

Although the day’s focus on organized labor has diminished over the years, the holiday has become the last hurrah of summer—with a barbecue and day off work for many Americans.

And even though the American work force has changed dramatically since the industrial revolution, many Americans still work more hours and take less vacation than our western counterparts. We are constantly connected to our jobs with little respite; we all desire a good standard of living.

So, whether you work on a farm, at a plant, in an office or at a home business, we hope that you will take this day of honor, find some work/life balance, and reflect on your good work. After all, at work is where and how we spend the majority of our time!

Also, take a moment to reflect on this history and the many American workers who came before us—to build our railways, roads, infrastructure, and more. Then go to a picnic or barbecue as our ancestral workers did so many years ago!

Lean Quote: Hard Work and Labor Day

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things."   —  Theodore Roosevelt

Any form of achievement, big or small, always begins with work. Personal and professional relationships won’t progress if we don’t pull our weight.

There may be stress and exhaustion at times, but it is through work that we constantly rediscover and motivate ourselves to be better. It is also through work that we feel pride in our abilities to use our skills, contribute, and maybe even make a difference.

If we love the work that we do, our duties even give us a sense of purpose and meaning.

The idea of work provokes deep thought on this Labor Day. Labor Day encourages us to honor all the workers who toil for a living —  sometimes overnight while the rest of us sleep. We honor the visionaries working to help us all enjoy better, healthier and safer lives. Let’s be thankful for the folks who work in seemingly mundane tasks that make things so much easier. Please know that your efforts make a huge difference in the success of your team. 

Labor Day is a special occasion to honor all workers with a well-deserved day off. It's also a time to fire up the grill, take a trip to the beach, shop for bargains, or simply relax while enjoying a cold brewski or two.

Lean Tips Edition #176 (Tips #2851 - 2865)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #2851 – Managing and Leading are Not the Same Thing

Some successful managers are not good leaders. The art is in knowing when to delegate. You will be developing your staff if you delegate leadership experiences. You will still retain overall control because you will always retain accountability, so learn to trust your staff – they don’t have a choice with you.

Lean Tip #2852 – Encourage Creativity in Your Team

Look to your team for the solutions to problems rather than try and solve them for yourself. People like problem solving and will be motivated by you involving them. Creativity is in all of us. It just needs encouraging out. They will probably come up with better solutions than you could have anyway.

Lean Tip #2853 – Set Clear Standards and Then Model Them

Set clear standards and then model them – always. People respond positively to certainty as they generally don’t like surprises. Everyone needs to know what is expected of them and clear standards will help them understand that this is the way we are going to do things around here. It doesn’t have to be dictatorial either. Why not ask your team to put together their ideas on what the standards should be and then agree them with you. That way they have the ownership so you don’t need to motivate them to live by the standards.

Lean Tip #2854 – Don’t Try to be Someone You Are Not

The temptation is to emulate the previous manager. This is bad news as you are not the previous manager, you are you. Think about successful managers you have enjoyed working for and identify what it was they did that gave you that feeling. Also, think about managers you have not enjoyed working for and identify what it was they did that gave you that feeling. These two activities will give you a framework from which to start your career towards becoming a successful manager.

Lean Tip #2855 – Understand Your Role

To be an effective manager, you must understand your role and how it fits within the larger organization. If you’re a new manager or you've been in the position for a while and are focused on becoming a better manager, evaluate your strengths and which areas you should focus on improving.

Remember, managers also have supervisors. If you need to gain more understanding of the nature of your role and how to grow in it, you can turn to them for direction and support.

Regardless of how long you have been in a managerial position, continuing to learn, educate, refresh and hone your skills is an ongoing process. Take advantage of management training opportunities that provide comprehensive development skills in the areas of time management, planning and organization, employee management and leadership skills.

Lean Tip #2856 – Leaders are Consistent and Reliable

Employees need to know that their leader is stable, secure, and reliable. They will come to you for clarification regarding organizational objectives, views on their work, and advice. And more importantly, employees should feel comfortable approaching you when they are struggling and need help. Employees need to know that their manager is a level-headed person who won’t fly off the handle at a moment’s notice. Otherwise, they won’t feel able to open up to you and their trust in management will weaken.

Lean Tip #2857 – Leaders are Willing to Change

The world of work is constantly shifting. The ways we operate in terms of technology, motivating employees, and reviewing performance are processes constantly subject to change. From year to year, your business will look different — and this is a good thing. It means you’re staying relevant and competitive, which means you’ll be around for years to come.

Managers stuck in their ways stagnate, while good managers are adaptable and flexible. They are ready for change and they plan for it, seeing disruption as an exciting challenge rather than a burden.

Lean Tip #2858 – Leaders Admit Their Mistakes

Trying to appear perfect implies you expect perfection from your team, and nobody can live up to that.

Be honest and set an example.

Never pass the blame down the hierarchy to try to appear infallible – whether they’re brave enough to say it or not, your team will know if something was your fault.

Don’t lose their respect by shirking responsibility; show them how to own mistakes, learn from them and move forward.

Lean Tip #2859 – Be Open to New Ways of Looking at Things

The people that make the best of managers are flexible, adaptable and attached to the environment closely. They are good listeners and always on the lookout for opportunities.

The ideas that work best for process improvement are those which come from the employees who are closest to the work that is being done. Rigidity is the opponent of the progress and do not get stuck on doing the things the way they have been done always. Do not be afraid to shift the paradigm.

Lean Tip #2860 – Recognize a Good Job Done

If you wish to build a culture that is great and dynamic, it is important that the employees are given their due. It should be ingrained in the team culture and it takes time.

Recognition of work done good or good efforts undertakes fosters a sense of positivity, togetherness and gratitude amongst the employees. Not only big wins, even small efforts should be appreciated.

Lean Tip #2861 – Identify Your Training Strategy

Your approach to training must be aligned with the business, and this must be shared with your leadership team. Mutual buy-in must occur. If you are not informed on your company’s strategy, this is your starting place.

Tying a training program to a business objective, goal or challenge will identify you as a problem solver that can generate results. Make sure you develop goals and metrics for your training program before presenting it to leadership. Doing this work beforehand shows how serious you are about using training and development to impact the bottom line.

Lean Tip #2862 – Promote Collaboration Among Peers

Today, most strategies require heavy levels of cross-functional collaboration and teamwork to succeed. A recent survey from the AMA found that 97 percent of executives think that silos have a negative effect on organizational health, performance, and customer experience.

While organizational silos can foster powerful subject matter expertise and focus, executives who want to fuel high levels of company-wide growth complain that silos lack the necessary levels of transparency and permeability between functions to maximize synergies.

Whenever possible, encourage collaboration across functions.  Use whatever means work best at your organization to communicate what matters most – all day events, town halls, team meetings, webinars, videos, corporate newsletters, etc.

Lean Tip #2863 – Assume Resistance To Change

Employees don't fear change; they fear the unknown.

We are an adaptable species that doesn't like to change. Although we will change, given an appropriate amount of reasoning or adoption of the new thing by influencers. Resistance to change is a natural reaction. Change is uncomfortable and requires new ways of thinking and performing their job.

So, when starting to consider employee buy-in assume there will be some resistance to change and proactively identify major employee objections. Once you understand potential objections, you can find ways to acknowledge and overcome them.

Lean Tip #2864 – Ensure Your Team Has The Proper Training

People are only as effective as the tools that they have available. Ensure that your team has the proper training, ongoing support, and the resources they need to get involved with your improvement initiatives.

The impact of offering training to your staff is two-fold. First, it ensures your teams have the proper training, ongoing support, and the resources they need to get involved with and contribute to your continuous improvement initiatives. Second, providing your employees with training that will further their skill-sets demonstrates the organization’s willingness to invest in them and their careers.

Lean Tip #2865 – Recognize and Reward the New Way

High performing companies effectively recognize and reward the behaviors and results that they seek to best execute their strategies. Effective reward and recognition components are also co-created with key stakeholders and are perceived as proportionate, fair, meaningful, relevant, and aligned.

If you want to encourage buy-in to your strategic direction, make sure that employees feel like it is worth the struggle to improve and change both their performance and their behaviors.