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| 4 Essential Project Management Skills for The Modern World of Work |
In the modern world of digital technology – where the cloud, Big Data, and mobile devices are changing what’s possible – even the best project managers find their powers significantly restricted by poor technology; and on the other hand, the right tools can elevate them to new levels. In this blog post we are going to outline four essential project management skills that are required for success in the modern workplace and how technology can help. The four skills are: Leadership
Time management
Planning
Communication
We believe resource management is integral to each of these skills, making it a crucial aspect to the success or failure of any project. Resource management is the management of people, equipment, and budget – and it contributes significantly to how a project will turn out. Therefore, as we discuss these four key skills, we will focus on how they can help project managers stay on top of their resources at all times.
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Four essential project management skills
Let’s look at four essential project management skills that project managers need in the modern world of work:
1. Leadership
With so many moving pieces and so much at stake, every team needs a leader to weigh up the options and make the tough decisions. Almost by definition, a project manager is a leader and therefore needs strong leadership qualities to be successful in the job. Whether it’s making tough decisions about resource allocation or keeping a cool head when reacting to unexpected obstacles mid-project, leadership skills are incredibly important.
The influence of technology in this area:
You can be an intelligent leader, able to motivate and inspire the team, and always remain cool under pressure. But without 100% visibility over your resources, it can be difficult to stay on top of a project. A lot of the popular PPM tools like Microsoft Project do not offer viable options for resource management, forcing project managers to use outdated applications like Excel. Excel doesn’t offer the visibility required to get to grips with resource data in a way that can help great leaders lead from the front.
2. Time management
Getting projects completed on time is a key measure of success for project managers. Being able to schedule your resources so that tasks are completed on time is therefore fundamental. Great project managers must be able to manage their own time as well as the time of every member of their team. Priorities, schedules, and timelines help project managers deliver on time.
The influence of technology in this area: Optimizing resource allocation by making sure the right tasks are allocated to the right people is key to ensuring time isn’t wasted. Timesheets are a project managers best friend in achieving this goal. Using technology to input timesheet data which can be easily analyzed alongside resource data can really help a project manager boost the efficiency of their teams.
3. Planning
Looking at the big picture of a project is critical for project management. A project manager needs to be able to plan for all outcomes and eventualities in advance so that they can figure out the best option available. This can also help to deal with unforeseen obstacles. The influence of technology in this area: There are innovative solutions on the market offering next-level planning capabilities. For instance, real-time modelling and reporting allows project managers to move resources around in real-time and see the impact of their decisions on resource allocation. Also, what-if analysis is a powerful tool that can help you test possible scenarios in a risk-free environment, so that you are prepared for all eventualities.
4. Communication
Everyone needs to be clear on their roles and objectives. People need to know what jobs they have been allocated and the timeframes they need to abide by. Also, key stakeholders at the board level, or in the project management office (PMO), need to be updated on all resource and project data so that they can provide initial sign-off and then, post-project, measure success. The influence of technology in this area:
A research paper from the Project Management Institute indicated that 90% of a project manager’s time is given over to communicating with their team. With modern day trends for remote, flexible, and home-working stretching teams across the globe, communication is as important as ever. Cloud technology that allows everyone to access important information anytime, anywhere, and on any device is vital. Visual models and reports (which can easily be shared or attached in emails) make it easy for everyone to understand project progress.
To find out more about these four essential project management skills, connect with me on LinkedIn or get in touch with the ProSymmetry team today.
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About:
After selling SharkPro Software, the Microsoft 2012 Worldwide Project and Portfolio Management Partner of the Year to Projility, Greg joined Prosymmetry in 2013 to bring Tempus Resource to market. Tempus Resource the Gartner 2016 Cool Vendor for Resource Portfolio Planning - provides managers and stakeholders the ability to rapidly gauge resource over- and under-allocations, answer the question “when can a project start” or conduct what-if analyses by simulating
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Available standalone or integrated with the leading PPM tools. The next generation of Resource and Work Management. Greg Bailey has led international teams and partners for over 25 years including Founder and CEO of SharkPro Software. Greg was recruited from Platinum to start, hire and manage all direct sales and the global reseller channel as Vice President of eLabor’s Resource Planning Division until the Enterprise Project product was acquired by Microsoft. As Vice President of Application Lifecycle at Platinum technology he led a global team of 70 sales consultants to $130m in revenue. www.prosymmetry.com .
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