Project Manager - The Buck Stops Here

A project manager, quite simply defined, is an individual who is responsible for the entire project. He or she is not responsible for completing every task. Indeed, it is unlikely that the manager would even have every skill needed to complete all the work. He or she is simply the final decision maker. This person will usually be considered responsible for the success or failure of a project, unless other reasons for the outcome are blatantly obvious.

What skills, then, are actually needed by a successful manager? One critical skill is that of being an effective team leader. An inquiring mind is also quite a useful asset. One must be capable of gathering information from necessary sources, and to quickly organize the information to successfully make predictions and good business decisions. All these skills are needed to plan and implement a project. An extensive amount of planning and evaluation is necessary. Those who do not plan and schedule very well should consider another career. Moreover, because a manager sometimes must share the plan with customers and persuade them that the idea is a good one, he or she also requires excellent presentation skills.

After decisions have been made, the manager needs the vision and impartiality regarding the overall progress of the plan, makes necessary adjustments, and keeps the team motivated and focused -- while concurrently meeting budget and time constraints. To be decisive does not mean continuing to pursue a direction that is not working. Constant vigilance in quality assurance is integral to the success. Because quality is a product of teamwork, it needs to be incorporated in the planning and scheduling process of the overall project. Nearly all ineffective actions should be completely or almost completely eliminated through effective planning.

The project manager will also need to define a plan and manage any changes to that plan, all while keeping project goals in mind. The goals for the project must be created, as well as a plan of action for accomplishing them. The process of bringing these goals to pass must be managed without allowing them to go beyond the scope of the goals themselves. There must also be a contingency plan for identifiable risks should they come to be a problem. There must also be a determination of any changes to the scope of the project, as well as an estimation of costs, all of which must be put in writing with the customer.

Evaluation of a team's assets and liabilities is essential to good leadership. The good project manager will also be able to use this knowledge to achieve the most successful results from his or her team. Diplomacy combined successfully with assertiveness, rather than aggressiveness, is a useful combination of skills. Clear lines of communication to the team and among team members are important. It should be noted that, while maintaining the schedule is the manager's responsibility, team members should have input into developing this schedule.

The Project Management Institute also called PMI was created in 1969. Providing the project managers training so as to make them more successful and skillful, was the main objective of this organization. In order to achieve these principles, the directors created a set of standards and guidelines in 1981. This was known as the PMBOK, short for Body of Knowledge for Project Management. This is reviewed often and should be studied by those who wish to begin a successful career as a project manager.

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Daiv Russell is a marketing and management consultant with Envision Consulting in Tampa, Florida. Consult these resources to learn more about Gantt Charting, Pert Charting, and Project Management Software.

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