Roles And Responsibilities of a Project Manager

From creating a project team in order to have planning and controlling all the tasks in a project, a project manager plays an essential role in deciding the course of action for the successful completion of a project. So, Project management, as the name suggests is the domain of project managers. They are also responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. In this article, let’s take a closer look at the roles and responsibilities of a project manager.

During the 1950s, we observed the beginning of the modern project management era, in which fundamental technical fields began to collaborate and function as a team. With the development of the engineering model, project management was recognized as a unique profession distinct from managerial disciplines. Prior to the 1950s, projects in the United States were managed on an ad hoc basis, with the majority of them being managed using Gantt charts and other informal approaches and tools.

The development of project-scheduling models occurred at the same time as the advancement of technology in the areas of project cost estimation, cost management, and engineering economics, thanks to the pioneering work of Hans Lang and others. When the American Association of Cost Engineers (now AACE International) was founded in 1956, it was comprised of early practitioners in the fields of project management and the allied specialties of planning and scheduling, cost estimates, as well as cost/schedule control, among other things (project control). AACE’s pioneering work continued, and in 2006, the organization published the first integrated process for portfolio, program, and project management (total cost management framework).

The Project Management Institute (PMI) was established in the United States in 1969. Project Management Institute (PMI) publishes the first version of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) in 1996, with William Duncan serving as the primary author. The guide describes project management practices that are common to “most projects, most of the time,” according to the PMI.

It is now well recognized that having a basic understanding of project management can be beneficial to persons who work in a variety of roles across a wide range of industries and undertakings. Skills in project management can assist a young student working on a research project to achieve success, or a corporate CEO resolve personality conflicts inside his or her own organization.

Who is a Project Manager?

Project managers are the people who are responsible for making and handling the responsibilities and requirements of an ongoing project of any company. This allows them to think beyond the essential management skills required, and it is the project manager’s role to guide teams and team members over the finish line. When the fay ends, the project manager is responsible for all the credits and downfall of the project. In addition, the project manager holds all the project’s outcomes from the start to complete the goal.

However, to keep the project going forward, they require both technical know-how and first-hand experience of the duties they give to others.

Most of the busy tasks are handled by project managers only. However, as they are experts in particular project management fields, the firm provides primary targets to complete within the stipulated time. Their major goal is to use the knowledge in a better way to give the best outcomes.

What does a Project Manager do?

A project manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of a project and has the necessary project management techniques and knowledge to carry out six essential aspects of a project, i.e. schedule, scope, finance, risk, quality, and resources.

The project managers have to focus on delivering the expected outcomes of a project, within a specific time limit and budget. There are several tasks that a project manager has to perform depending on the project, but the common tasks for every project are as follows:

• Creating a project team
• Planning what tasks are to be completed and by whom.
• Coordinating among the team members to ensure smooth operations at all times.
• Creating a schedule
• Managing the budget for the project

Skills of a Project Manager

Since the project manager has a wide range of responsibilities, they must possess all the relevant skills to help them propel through the process. Here are some skills of a project manager.

• Clear and concise communication
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Budget management
• Budget forecasting
• Delegation
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Strategic thinking
• Stress management
• Creativity
• Decisiveness

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Roles And Responsibilities of a Project Manager

In today’s corporate climate, project managers should be aware of all the creative project management systems and industry language they can pick up.

Today’s project management trends have expanded to encompass various industries. One of the most critical tasks and responsibilities is to link higher management and those accountable for the project’s implementation. They must make confident that the project works well and on time. They must keep upper management informed about the project’s development.

Planning the activities and resources

The first and foremost responsibility of a project manager is planning the project from its initiation till its closeout. A project manager defines the scope of a project and creates a roadmap of all the activities and resources that are important for the successful completion of the project.

Planning the activities and resources for a project beforehand helps project managers to deliver the project within the specified time. Since projects are unpredictable, good project managers can easily make changes to the project schedule. Along with different phases of a project.

Ensure stakeholder satisfaction

One of the most important roles of any project management is to reduce uncertainty, avoid any unexpected surprises, and involve their clients in the project to the greatest extent that is reasonably practicable. The project manager’s responsibilities also include communicating with and coordinating with clients. Clients and stakeholders must be involved in the project’s requirements negotiation so that data documentation and job allocation may be completed successfully.

Solve issues that arise

During the course of any project, problems develop that must be resolved. Project managers are the first people that clients and team members turn to when something goes wrong, therefore it is in their best interests to foresee and avoid any potential snags. Maintaining control over a project requires the ability to adapt and solve problems.

Risk Management

As a project manager, managing and mitigating the project risk is one of the most crucial responsibilities in order to meet the desired outcomes of a project. A project manager is responsible for identifying, evaluating, monitoring, and mitigating all the potential risks of a project.

To effectively manage risk, it is necessary for a project manager to have a clear understanding of the project objectives. The motive is to identify various barriers that can impact the ability of the project team to meet the desired results.

Organizing and motivating a Project Team

Rather than burdening the project team with elaborate spreadsheets, whiteboards, and long checklists, a good project manager is responsible for laying down clear and straightforward plans that help the project team to work efficiently without any hindrances to their performance.

It is the duty of a project manager to ensure that the team is organized and motivated enough to reach its full potential.

Delegating the teams

In the case of large and complex projects, a project manager is responsible for wisely delegating the teams to specific tasks or activities of a project. However, it becomes important for the project managers to first assess the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the project team. This will ensure that a project manager can accurately delegate the tasks as per the team member’s strengths and weaknesses.

If a wrong team is delegated to perform a specific task in the project process, then it can affect the project outcome. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of a project manager to rightly assess the skills of each team member. Assign tasks accordingly.

Controlling time management

Meeting the project deadlines determines the success or failure of a project. A good project manager is responsible for achieving the deadlines and discussing the schedule with the team. A project manager has to make sure there is smooth operation within the team. All the defined tasks of a project are met within the set duration.

Cost estimating and developing a budget

A good project manager is responsible for keeping the project within the specified budget. Even when a project meets all the requirements of a client and is delivered on time. It will be considered a failure if it wildly went over the set budget. Therefore, it becomes necessary for a project manager to keep reviewing the budget and planning ahead to avoid budget overruns.

Monitoring progress

A project manager is largely responsible for taking care of and monitoring the progress of a project. Most of the time, a project manager has to keep track of whether the project is progressing as per the set objectives and timeline.

The initial stages of the project have clearly laid down tasks, but towards the end line, a project may encounter unexpected events. In such a situation, a project manager has to constantly monitor and analyze both the project budget and team performance to ensure the smooth progress of the project.

Establish regular meetings

In order to ensure whether the project is going as per plan, a project manager is responsible for scheduling regular meetings. It is on schedule with the project team. A project manager may schedule team meetings according to the type of project. Hence, A project team might require one team meeting per week or daily standup meetings for clearly communicating the project rules and determining the goals that are to be met.

A project manager usually schedules and keeps a track of team meetings with the help of meeting calendars.

Communicate a vision with the team

A project manager is also responsible for communicating the future vision of the project to the team. It means that a project manager has a vision of how the project is going to progress. So, The project manager is able to understand the bigger picture related to the project.

This way, a project manager has to convey the same vision to the entire team for better coordination. It also ensures that the team understands the importance of their role to achieve the goals of the project.

Managing reports and necessary documentation

Lastly, during the completion phase of a project, a project manager is responsible for providing all the necessary reports and documents to the clients. The two functions of managing the reports and necessary documents are as follows:

• To keep a record of everything that has been done in the project.
• To ensure that the project meets and satisfies all the requirements of a project.

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Do we really need a Project Manager?

Project management provides direction and leadership, which is extremely crucial to have in place. A team without a project manager can be compared to a ship without a rudder; it can be moving but without direction, control, or a clear goal. Team members are able to perform at their highest levels because of effective leadership built by project managers.

Project managers are essential components of practically every type of organization, from tiny agencies with only one project manager overseeing a limited number of projects to multinational information technology businesses with highly skilled project managers in charge of large-scale initiatives.

Why is Project Management important?

Project management is essential because every firm requires a person capable of handling multiple projects within the given deadline and maintaining the efficiency and quality of the work. These people are present in 89 percent of high-performing firms and provide a great way to enhance the world. A visionary project manager is responsible for all the necessary vision. Prospectus, abilities, and requires proper knowledge for handling the project. This provides an innovative approach to the firms, and hence they prefer hiring PMP certified people. During the difficult loophole project, project managers are essential to any firm because they can solve any problem quickly due to their high expertise and knowledge.

Project Management job description –

The functions and responsibilities of the project manager may range from one project to the next. It may vary depending on the size of the organization and the industry. However, the following are some of the most typical project management responsibilities in every organization:

• Ensure that all projects are completed on schedule and within the budgeted scope.
• Led the project’s commencement and planning and its technical feasibility.
• Create a precise strategy to track and monitor the project’s development.
• Regular update with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure that projects are completed on time.
• Maintain client and stakeholder connections.
• Using the right project management tools, you can track the progress of your project.
• Reduce project risks by doing a risk management study.

Project Manager salary

Project managers are highly competent individuals with a diverse skill set, and their work is well compensated as a result. In the United States, the average compensation for a project manager is $93,053. However, project manager salaries can range from $35k to an impressive $231k per year, depending on the industry and skill level

Conclusion

The role of a project manager is to help offer solutions to the project team. It ensures overall efficiency and productivity. Every organization irrespective of the industry requires skilled project managers in order to carry out the projects. According to a report by PMI, about 89% of high-performing organizations have a project manager in order to meet the goals and objectives of every project.

At the end of the day, every business wants timely and smooth completion of projects. This is where a project manager comes into the picture. Since project management and project manager are two sides of a coin, for successful project management. There is a need for highly-skilled project managers with the right skills, and knowledge.