With the sudden shift to remote work imposed due to the COVID19 outbreak, the need for effective project management has surged substantially. This has increased the responsibilities a project manager usually handles.
Handling a remote team while coordinating multiple projects becomes difficult when a project manager has to work on strict deadlines. To successfully accomplish all this and ensure quality results, a project manager must possess certain project management skills.
Here are five important project management skills a project manager must have:
- Time management skills:
Time management skills are a must for every project manager to successfully handle multiple projects without delaying them. Effective project managers make use of project management tools to manage tasks well and deliver projects on time.
The best project management software comes with in-built time tracking tools to help managers understand exactly how much time a certain task takes. This helps in creating a realistic timeline for the team members in order to achieve the project goals within a given timeframe.
- Organizational skills:
A project manager needs to be able to multitask efficiently without causing confusion within the team. This requires strong organizational skills in order to prioritize tasks. Keeping all aspects of a project organized means designating tasks and documenting processes for future reference.
Organizing the workflow for optimum results is crucial to ensure processes run smoothly. Without organizational skills, your team may fail to line up and deliver work successfully. They may also find it difficult to deal with any unexpected challenges.
- Leadership skills:
Project managers delegate work to a team that is working towards a common goal. To guide and encourage a team, a project manager must exhibit strong leadership skills. They are critical to ensure everyone is motivated and performing to the best of their abilities.
Leadership skills come with the responsibility of setting goals for every team member and ensuring they are being met diligently. This makes it absolutely essential for a manager to walk the talk and not just dictate. Although leadership skills come with experience, project managers must keep giving their most sincere effort towards learning it.
- Interpersonal skills:
Also known as social skills, interpersonal skills help managers to connect with their team members and build strong work relationships. These skills test a manager’s ability to handle a social situation through verbal and non-verbal elements.
Interpersonal skills are important for a project manager in order to build a healthy work environment. They require personal interaction as every team member is different from the other. These skills also help in fostering engagement amongst team members leading to a united workforce.
- Risk management skills:
Having risk Management skills means being able to foresee, analyze and mitigate the effects of a risk that could adversely affect an organization’s financial situation or reputation. A manager must possess risk management skills to combat all possible risks that their team could face during a project.
Every business has risks, even though they may not be evident. A lot of times, a manager’s ability to detect and handle one shows how experienced he/she is. A manager should always value their team’s opinion in a risk-related situation. After all, the earlier a risk is detected the higher are the chances of minimizing its effects.
Conclusion:
It goes without saying that conflicts are inevitable in a team. Apart from all the above mentioned skills, a project manager must also have conflict management skills to ensure remote team members work in unison and produce quality work. It ensures a project is executed from start to end with more efficiency. Fortunately there are many remote team management tools to make the job easier.