Top Traits of a Highly Effective Project Manager

Project Manager is an all-encompassing profession that requires broad range of skills. As a PM, you deal with all levels of the organization, all kinds of personalities and individuals, various environments and management. What is it that is required other than talent and breadth of experience? Moomkin.com conducted multiple interviews with successful entrepreneurs and project managers in various industries and compiled a list of top traits of a highly effective Project Manager. Here are a few traits and skills that will help you develop as a project manager.

1. Clear vision and passion

The project manager is the one who knows most about the project, he/she should have a clear vision as they understand the big picture not just the task at hand. PM is also the captain of the team so he/she should be passionate about the project and committed to lead the project to its successful completion.

2. Personality Traits

Honesty and integrity, openness and process orientation are generic traits. Specific Project management traits include – Tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, assertiveness and decisiveness.

3. Interpersonal and Behavioral Traits

A project manager must be able to communicate efficiently – both oral and written. Moreover, being the leader of the project, the PM must have the leadership traits like – influencing, inspiring, negotiation and conflict resolution, delegation, coaching and mentoring and so on. Closely linked with the interpersonal skills are the behavioral traits like how personal conduct, leadership style, approach to people and processes. These are very important areas for a project manage to be balanced and well rounded in order to be successful.

4. Technical Skills

A project manager should be skilled enough to be a part of the execution team if he/she was not the project manager. PM should have the ability to develop cost and time estimates, ROI assessment, Scheduling the project and managing toll gates. These skills are not specific to a particular project but are part of project management and most courses or seminars on project management teach them formally.

5. Management Skills

PM must have the ability to manage the resources both human and non human associated with a project. He/she should have process management and development skills as well as master the art of delegation. Different management styles work effectively so there is no particular preference in terms of this for a project manager; however he/she should have strong team building capability.

6. Negotiating/Conflict Resolution Skills

Project managers often work with teams assembled specifically for the particular project from different areas of work. Many of them have not worked together. With tight schedules and work force not familiar to each other a project manager needs to have exceptions conflict resolution skills. Similarly for the external world he should have the ability to negotiate on behalf of his project team in cases of concerns on schedule or delivery

7. Coaching and Mentoring Skills

PM should be able to mentor and guide the resources so that they also see their vision for the project and work together on the common goals of getting the project completed

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8. Strong Organizational Ability

A project manager should be able to keep projects organized and within schedule. They should know that he/she is the master source of information so he/she needs to be organized and keep the flow of information related to tasks and timelines. PM should take regular updates on progress and document the same so that he/she is able to manage overall project schedule.

9. Versed in multiple PM Methodologies

Every organization follows their own project management methodology, whether it is standard Waterfall SDLC, Agile, Six Sigma, RUP, etc. As a successful Project Manager, it is rather imperative to have at least an understanding of key principles of each of highly visible methodologies. If you have been running your projects utilizing a single methodology for a long period of time (i.e. as a PMP), it might not be a bad time to freshen up your skills and acquire a certification in CSM (Certified Scrum Master) or a Six Sigma belt.

As a PM, what are some of the traits that you think need not to be missed? Share your comments below

From: http://ping.fm/CUo2H