Master the art of project management with a balance of soft skills and technical skills.
Are you a project manager facing prolonged project delays, or even failure, due to a lack of crucial skills? Or a professional looking to break into the project management field?
Becoming a successful project manager requires a specific set of proficiencies that vary by industry. If you’re wondering what project management skills it takes to become a well-rounded project manager or to just break into the industry, you’re in the right place.
As per a 2021 Capterra survey*, emotionally intelligent project managers are about 11% more successful at managing processes, engaging stakeholders, avoiding scope creep, and efficiently using resources compared to those who lack this essential skill. Another Capterra survey** suggests that 70% of project managers use project management software as their primary method for managing projects.
So, to be successful at project management, you should master both soft skills (how you deal with people) and technical skills (how good you're with tools and processes). In this blog, we highlight the soft and tech skills you need to become a good project manager.
Important soft skills for project management
With great soft skills, you can foster good stakeholder relationships, build trust, and motivate the project team. Here are some of the key soft skills you should develop to succeed at project management:
1. Communication skills with emotional intelligence
Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful project management, and when combined with emotional intelligence (EQ)—i.e., the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and others—it becomes even more powerful.
Hone your communication and EQ skills to communicate clearly and honestly with stakeholders, relay project information effectively, give clear instructions, and present data in a meaningful way.
/ Tips to improve your communication and EQ skills
Practice active listening skills, such as making eye contact, not interrupting, and reflecting to ensure understanding.
Think before you speak. Weigh the possible implications, and plan your response.
Be aware of your emotions and how they might affect a conversation.
2. Problem-solving skills
No matter how easy a project looks on paper, it could still have unexpected hiccups or problems. You must identify and deal with such issues quickly and efficiently to keep the project on track. And to do that, you need strong problem-solving skills so you can come up with creative solutions, develop contingency plans, and effectively manage risks.
Problem-solving skills make you a confident, competent leader who makes the right decisions under any circumstance to ensure stakeholder trust and project success.
/ Tips to improve your problem-solving skills
Ask questions and gather relevant data to understand the root cause of a problem rather than only its symptoms.
Consider different perspectives and brainstorm multiple possible solutions.
Use critical thinking to evaluate the pros and cons of each possible solution before making a decision.
3. Leadership skills
As a project manager, you’re not only responsible for leading the project but also for motivating and inspiring project team members to work together to achieve the project goals.
With leadership skills, you build trust, foster collaboration and teamwork, delegate tasks, establish clear expectations, and create a team-based culture. You must also recognize and reward team members’ efforts, which can positively impact project performance.
/ Tips to improve your leadership skills
Create a safe and open environment where everyone’s contribution is valued.
Encourage healthy collaboration and team-building activities.
Set clear expectations for everyone and provide timely feedback.
Coach and mentor team members to help them develop their skills.
Important technical skills for project management
In addition to soft skills, you need technical skills—also known as hard skills—to be more effective in your role. These hard skills include subject matter expertise and knowledge of tools used for project planning, execution, and monitoring. Let’s discuss the key technical skills you need to become a good project manager.
1. Knowledge of project management tools
Projects involve managing multiple tasks, deliverables, timelines, and stakeholders. Project management tools help track all of these moving parts (e.g., budget, timeline, resources) so you can meet the deadlines for all deliverables.
As a project manager, you should be well-versed in the features, functionality, and capabilities of project management software tools to make the most of them and showcase your proficiency and technical skill to project stakeholders.
/ Tips to gain proficiency in any project management tool
Take an online training course or attend a local seminar to get familiar with different project management tools.
Gain hands-on experience by undertaking small projects and managing them using different tools.
Practice using different project management tools to get comfortable with their workflows.
2. Well-versed in project management methodologies
No two projects are the same, especially if you work at a small business. Every project has its own set of requirements, objectives, and constraints, necessitating a tailored approach for each. Therefore, you need a good understanding of different project management methodologies such as Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, and Kanban.
For example, you can use Agile for short-term projects that need rapid decision-making and change management, Scrum for complex projects that need significant collaboration and communication, Waterfall for linear projects with clear deliverables, and Kanban for projects that need continuous improvements and optimization.
Knowing when to use which methodology will help you deliver projects in an efficient and cost-effective manner, ensuring maximum client satisfaction and project success.
/ Tips to understand project management methodologies better
Get well-versed in their uses, benefits, drawbacks, and best practices.
Try managing projects using different methodologies to gain experience in handling all types of projects.
Develop a strategy to combine different project management methodologies and maximize their benefits.
3. Proficiency in risk management
Let's get this straight: No matter how well you plan a project, it’ll still have some associated risks. You must have the knowledge and skill required to identify, assess, and mitigate such risks to avoid any last-minute surprises during project execution.
To become a successful project manager, you should also know how to develop practical strategies tailored to the project requirements. This technical skill will help you minimize potential harm or loss and execute your project within the defined scope and budget.
/ Tips to improve your risk management skills
Understand the various types of risks involved in project management.
Develop and practice risk assessment techniques to identify and prioritize project risks.
Create a risk management plan to address and mitigate the risks.
Use risk management software to implement a system of checks and balances for addressing the risks.
4. Expertise in budgeting, tracking, and monitoring
As a project manager, you’re required to track, monitor, and control all project activities to ensure they get completed on time and within budget. This involves creating (and sticking to) a realistic project timeline, estimating costs for each task or activity, tracking progress regularly, and making adjustments as needed to stay on track.
Once project completion is within sight, you also have to review performance against the set objectives to determine what worked well and what needs improvement.
/ Tips to master budgeting, tracking, and monitoring
Use project planning software to create a project plan, keeping the scope, timeline, budget, and quality in mind.
Develop an effective budgeting strategy to manage project costs.
Monitor progress regularly to identify potential risks and take corrective action.
Conduct a post-project review to identify areas of improvement.
Keep honing these skills to stay competitive
Project management is a highly demanding profession that requires constant upgrading of skills. Having the right project management skills will set you apart and open up several opportunities.
Take time out to sharpen your skills, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a project management pro. Just remember to stay organized, proactive, and focused on delivering the best results!
Want to learn more about project management? Check out these resource for tips and insights: