Guide to become an effective & efficient project Manager

It’s tough to tell what qualifies someone as a “Successful” project manager.

The position and title are described differently in each organisation. Project managers, on the other hand, are needed in almost every industry. As a project manager, you can work on small or large teams, with responsibilities ranging from budget and schedule management to everything else under
the functional sky.

You may not have the designation of “Project Manager” specifically, but you are in charge of overseeing work tasks. Whatever role you take, there are some stuff you’ll need to know and want to learn when you begin to manage all of these issues. If you are or you want to be a PM, you have arrived at the right place.

Responsibilities of a Project Manager

Estimating project work, creating project schedules, and tracking project scope and progress are all traditional project manager duties. They also ensure that everyone on the team understands the project’s status, meet weekly/monthly goals, as well as organize and facilitate project meetings.

However, maintaining relationships with those involved in a project is perhaps the most critical role a project manager has. From the scratch to the end of a project, a successful project manager works hard to keep team morale up and ensure that stakeholders are satisfied.

Characteristics of an Effective Project Manager

We will go into both the soft and hard skills that any project manager requires. We will also address project preparation, balancing scope and goals. Continue reading if you want to learn the fundamental project manager skills and responsibilities. We’ll go through the basics of what a project manager does, as well as what sets them apart.

• Awesome Communication Skills
• Set high standards for your team & yourself and never let them down.
• When to enlist the help of a subject matter expert
• Become the most avid supporter of your own team.
• Continue to read/learn/grow.

Excellent Communication is the Key

It’s widely assumed that successful project managers are easygoing communicators who are unfazed by the prospect of engaging with their team and clients. This entails talking to people face to face about a wide range of subjects, both simple and complex in nature. Project managers must also be fearless to keep lines of communication open at all times and understand that not everybody in a team interacts in the same way. It’s a fact: Without
effective communication, every project would fail. When it comes to project coordination, being straightforward, succinct, and truthful is crucial.

As the PM, it’s not just about you and your methods. It all comes down to you and the rest of the team moving ahead with a structure that works for all.

Make Your-self adaptive

When trying to motivate a team and meet deadlines, or even basic goals, getting to know the people you work with and understanding how they work and interact is critical. To accomplish this, a PM frequently needs to be like a project chameleon.

Creating a communication strategy for your team may be beneficial, but imposing a communications structure on everyone will not always work. You must find out how to deal with the different personality styles on your team as a project manager. You can set appropriate goals, but if you disregard your team’s wishes and do it your way, you’ll encounter more roadblocks to success.

You may wonder - why would you change your communication approach from project to project? This method can be perplexing to you. Consider this: If you invest time and effort in knowing your team and developing a strategy with them, everyone will be on board. As a result, they’ll connect in a way that feels natural to them, and they’ll complete your tasks with less effort, confusion, and fear.

Always keep an eagle eye on the status of your project

As a project manager, status meetings and weekly status reports are important. They assist you in the organisation for planning next steps, action items, and project risks. Use a weekly progress update to keep the budget and process clear, as well as to prevent unwanted discussions about the need for more time or resources to finish a project.

Regrouping on a regular basis to discuss what's going on and what the team is responsible for at any given time is beneficial. It is also a good project management technique to communicate project information and schedule changes in writing on a weekly basis if you’re dealing with clients. Even talking about a progress update on the phone will help strengthen project
deadlines and create rapport. Remember, picking up the phone is never a bad idea! If you choose to communicate through email, phone, instant message, mail, or carrier pigeon, it’s critical that you find a way to get your message across.

Set high standards for yourself and never let them down

One of the most difficult skills for a project manager to master is setting and managing goals. There are many unknowns at the start of a project. You should set clear goals for your team and set clear expectations from clients as you develop key project management deliverables including a scope, deadlines, and a project plan.

Setting and managing standards is one of the most challenging tasks a PM must complete in order to succeed in their role.

Define the scope of the project

A well-written scope of work would set the standards for any project. Build documents to support a particular project request if your organisation lacks it. It doesn’t need to be a formal, fancy report! However, having an indication of a scope will assist you and your group in establishing standards and goals about what the team will achieve.

It’s also a good idea to sit at the table with your team and customers at the start of a project and go over the scope as well as the timetable. This means you’ll have to illustrate the different levels of effort required for different tasks.

Having this sort of discussions initially would ensure that your clients are aware of the amount of commitment that your team will bring into all aspects of the project. It will also keep them interested in what you’re doing. Basically, they will be always in the loop to know status of their project.

Organize frequent check-ins

Check in on forthcoming document or delivery goals in between deadlines. Take the time to discuss what each task entails with the team. Are there any deliverables that have changed as a result of previous work? Will this have an effect on the reach and timeline?

Check-ins enables you to provide timely, positive, and supportive input to the team in order to improve end deliverables. When it comes to setting goals, remember that there’s nothing wrong with repeating yourself as long as it’s positive and well-timed!

When to enlist the help of a subject matter expert?

There will inevitably be occasions in every project where you will be confronted with unexpected concepts, new specifications, and questions. , Proceed cautiously, PM! If a client, associate, or team member approaches you on any of these topics, make sure the suggestions are in line with your project’s requirements. Since the end result isn’t always the documentation, it’s better to be honest about any concept or discussion.

When it’s necessary, enlist the support of the team to help lead the discussion and the decision-making process. Is the client asking for something unique to design or production, for example?If that’s the case, enlist the help of the necessary individuals. They may be able to assist you in answering the query, and may even be able to do so better than you.

Recognize that you are the project manager, not the project manager, designer, or consultant. It’s all about taking ownership of your position and being transparent about your expertise.

Don’t act as if you know everything

If project problems are unique to budget, scope, and pre-determined guidelines, a successful project manager should never be left to deal with them on his own. After all, the team is made up of professionals who are in charge of answering questions that pertain to their field of expertise. Your responsibility is to ask them questions without interfering with their work.

If you don’t know the answer and can’t get anyone in the room right away, take good notes and follow up later. When the time is right, there’s nothing wrong with following up on a discussion.That’s when you go from “Just the PM” to a good project manager.

Become the most ardent supporter of your team

While you might not be a charismatic cheerleader, every project requires a leader who owns and supports the operation. A successful project manager will stick to the process and ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page. Timelines, schedules, and deliverables must all be balanced, but a project manager who still respects the process, the team, and the client
adds real value to the project.

You might encourage your team by exclaiming “Wow, this is very nice!” . “Wonderful work!.” Celebrate the victories and inspire the rest of the team to do the same. At the same time, don’t be afraid to be the one to ask, “Did you consider option Z?” to ensure the project and your team’s success.

Be open to learning

Project management is without a doubt one of the most demanding and satisfying career paths available. A successful project manager may assist a company in defining its objectives, streamlining procedures, and the sales. It’s no surprise that PMs are in high demand across a wide range of industries.

However, no matter where you take your PM skills, you must maintain the core competencies that will allow you to be “good.” To be a better project manager, you must be well-organized and process-oriented, as well as a laid-back, adaptable person who enjoys a good challenge.

Hence, in still these qualities in your personality and be the Project Manager every employee wants to work with!