Skills and Knowledge of a Project Manager

00:02 Projects encompass many different individuals and organizations, but the project manager is the face of the project and the point of contact for any questions or concerns about their project, including all tasks performed by other people.

00:17 But just try to imagine what project managers deal with.

00:20 They need to be able to manage work in which they sometimes do not have any experience with. They need to also manage the experts performing this work and ensure they deliver as per expectations.

00:32 On top of that, they need to successfully relate with professionals from all levels of seniority, from junior team members, through heads of departments to the high level managers like CEOs.

00:43 They must own their project and every cog working within it.

00:47 They are accountable for all of it.

00:50 And with that comes the power bestowed upon them to make decisions and take action.

00:56 But what makes them worthy of this power? Their skills, knowledge, attitude and practical experience.

01:05 There are countless attributes a project manager will have, both professional and personal. What we can do is look at the three major skill sets and essential qualities within them.

01:17 Developing these skills and this knowledge is not a linear progression, however.

01:22 Think of these skill sets as containers, each with a tap above them and connected by tubes they fill at different speeds and in varying orders.

01:31 But it's near impossible to fill only one.

01:34 Don't worry. You will see momentarily.

01:37 First, let's show you the kinds of skills and knowledge you will find in each container. The first container to fill contains project management and business knowledge, starting with project manager fundamentals, leading project work, addressing project situations and knowledge of the project lifecycle.

01:58 Then you've got planning quality management of project critical areas, effective communication, work with project management tools and documents.

02:07 Topping it off with business analysis skills, business acumen and awareness and knowledge of the project manager.

02:13 Industry Standards.

02:15 Good news. We will cover all these key attributes in this course.

02:20 You will be set up with a solid ground on which to build your future experience in projects. The second container is filled with people and workflow management skills.

02:31 Examples of these are business analysis, efficient organization of project work, defining who's responsible and the due date.

02:39 Issue resolution skills.

02:41 People skills.

02:42 Working with stakeholders and motivating the project team.

02:46 Good news here too.

02:48 You will experience the organizational, stakeholder related and issues resolution dynamics with this course.

02:54 Examples and case studies.

02:57 The last container has your strategy and leadership skills in it.

03:01 Some of these include negotiation, managing the program of projects and project portfolio, working towards the strategic objectives of the overall programme, influencing shareholders and promoting the values and benefits of the project or programme to the business strategy.

03:17 These more advanced skills usually start to grow once a project manager has accumulated experience and can connect the previously unseen dots.

03:28 Now let's fill these up.

03:29 It's important to remember that this is not a definitive order, just a rough example to show how a project manager skills evolve with time and experience.

03:39 So starting with the first beaker, a project manager is likely to gain the fundamental knowledge first.

03:45 Moving on to planning, then the second beaker starts filling up because they've learned to communicate through execution.

03:53 The project manager is gaining skills from both areas simultaneously until there are three beakers filling at the same time.

04:02 But maybe the project manager wants to focus on strategy and leadership so they fill this beaker up to influence.

04:09 But then they've just learnt people's skills.

04:12 It's near impossible for a project manager to stop learning and improve across all areas of a project.

04:19 Phew. That's a lot of skills and tons of knowledge.

04:23 But bear in mind that in project management, not everything comes down to skills.

04:28 We could have the smartest, most skilled project manager in the world, but if they went around making their team cry each week, the team would get very little done.

04:38 The attitude of the project manager and of course, their professionalism is paramount. The image of the project is another thing the project manager is accountable for.

04:49 The project manager has got to try a little tenderness.

04:53 They must stay positive and goal oriented, especially during challenging times with so many people in organizations involved in a project, so many expectations and constraints.

05:05 If team members see the project manager crumbling, how can you expect them not to? The project manager must make the right decisions and keep the project on the path to success. Being a business professional, no matter the challenges, they must show high morale, strong ethics and solid credibility.

05:28 Right. This might sound a little overwhelming, but a project manager needs to cover all these areas.

05:34 But don't worry.

05:35 We're going to go through these skill areas with you to give you a great understanding of a project manager's responsibilities.

05:42 But first, how about a brief history lesson?