In this article, we’ll discuss how education and certain soft skills can kickstart your career in the field of project management, and which one is necessary in order to create future-fit project managers.
How To Create Future-Fit Project Managers
With the rise of robots, machine learning, and AI, the need for a wider array of education and skills-building programs are on the rise too. This means that businesses and individuals now have more access to education and skills-building programs than ever before. This is due to the need for constant upskilling in the workplace in order to stay on top of the curve and not be made redundant with the latest technology and software out there. With greater access to education and upskilling programs, it’s possible for both businesses and individuals to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the workplace thus securing their future. Without constant learning and development, we are all susceptible to being made redundant and replaceable.
Not only is constant upskilling needed in order to create future-fit project managers, but personal development in the form of soft skills is crucial for the success and longevity of a project manager's career. Without the appropriate set of skills, project managers will find it difficult to do their day-to-day job.
Some of the key responsibilities typically associated with project management are:
- Creating and leading a team
- Planning and executing projects
- Setting milestones, goals, and timelines for projects
- Job delegation within a team based on skills and personalities
- Managing meetings and presentations for different stakeholders and executives
- Maintaining constant communication between teams, clients, and stakeholders
- Writing and analysing progress reports for upper management and clients
- Resolving conflict
- The use of smart project tools and resource management
- Multitasking of multiple projects and teams
- Evaluating project performance
In order to be an effective project manager, you can see from above that there is a wide range of both skills needed in order to be both the best project manager you can be, as well as being able to secure a future in your chosen profession. But how do you go about gaining these much-needed skills?
Get Qualified As A Project Manager
Obtaining a qualification in project management is one of the quickest ways to improve your project management skills. Whether you choose to study full-time, part-time, or just pick up a few free online courses, acquiring industry insight and knowledge will only benefit you and your future in the field. With an endless amount of resources available at your fingertips, choosing the right course for you can seem daunting at first. If you’re looking to upskill in your own time and learn the basics of project management from the ground up, then UCT and GetSmarter have got you covered with a few online Project Management course options to suit you and your needs.
Choosing a course such as UCT’s Advanced Project Management will give you the practical skills you need to both learn the basics of project management, and help you secure a future in the field. Acquiring accredited project management skills training not only equips you with the right tools for the job that you can apply immediately to any project management position, regardless of the industry, but it also shows potential employers you are serious about your chosen career.
Work On Your Soft Skills
When it comes to securing a career in project management there are certain soft skills that are necessary in order to be able to do an efficient and effective job. Being a project manager requires a lot more than just knowing the theory behind successful project management styles and processes. In order to get the best out of your team, you will need to have a specific set of soft skills.
These soft skills include:
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong organisational skills
- The ability to effectively delegate
- The ability to work under pressure
- Being great at time management
- Being able to motivate a team
- Working towards clearly defined objectives and goals
- Team leader competency
- An eye for detail
- Great at problem-solving
- Good negotiation skills
- Adaptability
In order to successfully manage a team, have effective communication with clients and stakeholders, and handle any conflict and issues that may arise during the process of executing a project, a project manager needs to have the above soft skills in order to be successful. Managing people and overseeing projects is not easy and without the right set of skills will be near impossible. This is because it’s a fine art to effectively
manage a team of professionals and get the best out of them, especially when deadlines and budgets are running tight.
Managing a project and team of employees means communication is essential in every single aspect of your job. This is why it’s imperative that a project manager has excellent communication skills in order to get the job done, as well as being able to bridge any communication barriers between opposing stakeholders and executives, and work through any disputes or disagreements when they arise. When working with people, you can't expect there to be a few disagreements, especially in a high-pressure environment, and it is the project manager's job to resolve all of these in a professional manner.
So how do you go about acquiring these soft skills? There are many ways to obtain these soft skills, which include; getting a formal qualification, work experience, finding a mentor to pass on industry knowledge, job shadowing, and more. As with most things in life, practice makes perfect, so getting exposed to as much of the daily requirements of a project manager is a must to build on your interpersonal skills and make both you and your team thrive in every project, regardless of the industry.
Find A Mentor
As we’ve stated above, working with people is a fine art, and one of the best ways to learn the tricks of the trade is to speak to people in the same, or similar positions. This way you’ll get insights into how to handle different people and situations that may not be taught at educational institutes. This insight only comes with years of experience and the best way to get it is straight from the source, in the form of a mentor that’s been in the industry for years. Observing how projects are managed by your mentor and how they handle each conflict that arises can give you invaluable knowledge about the ‘ins and outs’ of project management. You will also have the opportunity to ask more in-depth questions and pick an industry expert's brain on everything project management related.
Final Words
For a well-rounded approach, obtaining a formal qualification in project management as well as continuously building on your interpersonal skills is the best way to ensure longevity in the project management field. In a people-centric career, soft skills such as communication and time management, among others, are of vital importance for a project manager to be able to do an effective job.
A two-pronged approach is best in order to create future-fit project managers, one that centres on education, and interpersonal skills that are needed in order to thrive in this fast-paced and ever-changing career field.
