Project Manager

A project is a unique endeavor, and usually includes a set of unique deliverables. It's also a temporary pursuit. It has a defined beginning and an end. To put it another way, a project is a series of tasks that need to be completed to reach the desired outcome. Reaching that desired outcome takes collaboration and careful planning that keeps the project on track and on budget. That's where project management comes in. Project management is critical to the success of projects both big and small.

Project managers usually follow a process that involves planning and organizing, managing tasks, budgeting, controlling costs, and other factors. Everything they do helps make sure the project can be completed on time and on budget. In broad terms, a project manager also needs to make sure that the project outcome is bringing value to the company. A project manager can add value in many different ways. Whether that's creating a new service for customers or modifying an old service so it's more tailored to the customer's needs. No matter what the task is, a successful project will always add value. And it's the project manager's job to make sure that the project is both valuable and successful.

A project manager's daily responsibilities always include some version of the following, planning and organizing. An example of that might be gathering requirements from teammates or customers. This means figuring out what exactly your project's trying to accomplish. You might have a kickoff meeting or send a survey. From here you may also work on creating project plans. Creating project plans is a key part of project management. It helps set the tone of the project, keeps everyone on pace and aligned, and helps move tasks along. This leads me to my second point, managing tasks. Once the project is underway, the project manager helps manage tasks for the team members and communicates key milestones to the larger team or customers. This helps keep team members, and customers updated on how the project is progressing. The third piece is budgeting and controlling costs and other factors. Managing the budget and controlling costs is a common responsibility that project managers have to understand to keep the project on track and within budget. This is a full-time job because the plan you've created and managed may change causing unexpected costs to come up. And that's just to name a few. I could go on for days. But the most important thing to know about the day-to-day of a project manager is this: You'll use different tools, techniques, and methodologies every single day.

• Coordination, or getting people and teams to work together. You may see responsibilities in job descriptions such as “coordination of efforts to achieve project deliverable” or “coordinate internal resources to ensure successful project completion.” Being a project manager is essentially managing the coordination of resources to achieve your end goal. Coordination is one of the top skills a project manager should have, so searching for this term can lead you to appropriate positions. 

• Organization, or the ability to stay focused on different tasks. You may come across phrases like “solid organizational skills, including attention to detail and multitasking skills” or something as simple as “highly organized.” The organization is key to being a great project manager. We will discuss many ways to sharpen this skill in the upcoming lessons.

• Leadership, or being able to lead a group of people. You may see phrases like “strong leadership qualities” or “ability to lead” in job descriptions. A project manager needs to display leadership in a number of ways, including effective planning, efficient task coordination, inspiring team members, and key decision-making. You are working on many of the skills needed to become a great leader in this program!

Common project management buzzwords

Including buzzwords and skills, you need to develop over time. Some common project management-related buzzwords and skills you could include on your resume are: