What is Project Manager? (With Definition)

What is Project Manager?

A Project Manager plays the lead role in the execution of a project.

He is responsible for planning, monitoring, and tracking the project from start to finish.

They are accountable for the project’s scope, team, work, resources, and success or failure.

A project manager differs significantly from a product manager. Even the tools they use are not the same as product management tools.

What does a project manager do?

We can divide any project into five phases. It is the project manager’s responsibility to make sure that every stage of the project goes smoothly.

They should have first-hand experience and be well-equipped with skills to deliver results associated with their jobs and responsibilities.

A project manager should have the temperament to manage these five phases correctly.

Initiation phase

After a project has been deemed feasible, a project manager should prepare a Project Initiation Document (PID) outlining the project charter, its requirements, and the stakeholders involved.

Planning phase

During the phase, the project manager must develop an outline of the project and how their team would go about it. The manager should determine the resources needed for the project and the risks involved. Then, they should be able to estimate the project’s duration roughly.

Executing phase

While the project is going on, the project manager should always have an idea of the quality of work. Ensure that there is always enough communication between all the teams.

During this phase, they should also keep in touch with the stakeholders to understand their expectations from the project. And make sure that everything goes accordingly.

Monitoring phase

The monitoring phase can be assumed to occur side-by-side with the execution phase.

The project manager must regularly validate and check for the project scope. They should have control over things and make any changes they deem fit.

During this phase, they should ensure that the resources involved in the project are not being wasted but used judicially.

Closing phase

The project must be completed and handed over within the stipulated time limits.

After the project has finished, a project manager should have a meeting to analyze the good and bad points of project execution.

This analysis could help them in the future and could also be helpful if the project gets handed over to a different team now.

What qualities should a Project Manager have?

We got to know project manager definition and their responsibilities. Let’s talk about the qualities needed to be a project manager.

A Project Manager must have:

• Good leadership skills: A Project Manager should guide their team efficiently from the start to finish and ensure flawless execution of the entire project roadmap.

• Patience: A project manager must recognize that patience enables them to take stock of the situation, understand it fully, and take whatever appropriate action they feel.

• Practical communication skills: Good project management requires clear and competent communication with the team members about their roles and responsibilities in a project. They must be made very clear about their manager’s expectations of them. For seamless team collaboration, you can also make the best use of top product management software like Chisel.

• Sound decision-making abilities: A project manager must be able to make tough decisions with utmost maturity. There could be times in the project when they would be required to choose between two options. The manager should be able to make the right call in the project’s best interest.

• Inspiring: A project manager must always inspire their teammates to do good and honest work.

• Team-building skills: Any team first starts as just a group of strangers. The project manager’s job is to make that team gel together as one unit. A manager should be able to keep the team spirits up.

• Calm under pressure: A good project manager must never be intimidated by the magnitude of the situation. They should back up their decisions and continue to work on them despite facing obstacles on the way.

• Good negotiation skills: An efficient Project Manager must have the ability to negotiate. There may be conflict during the project due to a difference of opinion. The project manager’s job is to sit with both parties, settle the issue, and negotiate what’s best for the project.

• Delegation skills: The project manager should be able to recognize the skills of their team members and should delegate tasks to them accordingly. This is essential for a project as it ensures that the best man for a job is always on it.

• Integrity: The project manager’s actions set an example for the other team members. They should be honest, loyal, and committed to the project. They should be the ones to set the ethical standards for the team to follow.

How to become a project manager?

You must first determine whether or not project management is the appropriate profession for you before you start. Read about other project managers’ experiences, contact them, ask them questions, or consider a project management internship. 

You can also enroll in any online beginner classes to better understand the subject. These courses typically include tasks and assignments aimed at getting you to interact with this company division and see if you can handle its duties.

Make a list of everything you don’t want to engage in your next job before looking for a project manager position. Do not take a job only to work. If you’re a beginner project manager, look for a workplace where you can advance through the project management ranks and learn from your colleagues.