Project Management- The continuous process

Simply put, a Project manager is a person who responsible for the functioning and the successful delivery of the project. It includes each and every activity that takes place within the domain of the project, and the management of all these mentioned activities as a whole is known as Project Management.

Project management

Project management is a wholesome and continuous process, which is taken up for the success of a project. Innumerous activities are taken up for the project management, such as-

·         Conception- As the popular saying goes, “good start is half the battle one”, stands true in the case of project management as well. This phase concerns with the development of ideas for project based on the organizational goals. Brainstorming, weighing pros and cons of all the ideas so resulting and then zeroing upon the ones that suit the requirements of the project are included in this phase widely.

·         Planning & Design- This is the second phase of the project management and includes planning of the project from the scratch. Financial parameters are set and adhered to as well as outside data required for further implementation of project procedures is acquired.

·         Execution- The next phase includes the execution of the ideas decided in first phase and the project procedures decided in the second phase. The assignment of the tasks to different managers and their further delegation takes place here. Also the training requirements are met in the mentioned phase.

·         Control- In the fourth and penultimate phase of the project management, the controlling of the implementation of the already decided activities takes place. The schedule of the activities and their deadlines are adhered to. Additionally the cost defined in the former phases is also adhered to.

·         Closing & Evaluation- The last phase is marked by closure of the undertaken project when all the project requirements are achieved. Also if the deliveries are par with the accepted criteria or not is checked. After the closure, the evaluation of the project has to be undertaken. The shortcomings and mistakes of the employees are identified, so that they are not repeated in the future projects.
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      All the above mentioned phases keep on repeating themselves according to the project’s requirements, as project management is a continuous process.
    
      The project managers can be rated on the basis of their strengths and weaknesses at RateyourPM portal. This helps the reviewed project managers to work on their shortcomings and be rewarded for their good work.

The Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Manager

project manager

A project manager is an expert in the field of project management. He/she is solely responsible for the entire life cycle, from planning to execution to managing the risks involved and the closure of a given project. The position of a project manager exists in different disciplines. For e.g. a project manager in the field of information technology will be responsible from developing and testing information networks to the final financial systems. Moreover, the project manager’s function is characterized by a common set of duties and responsibilities. A project manager generally applies these duties to meet project requirements as follows

(i)          Determine suitable products, services and plans with clients or customers in order to define project scope, deliverable and requirements.

(ii)         To develop, modify and put in high level of inputs to make sure that the project plan is carried out smoothly.      

(iii)         Implementation of project plans in order to meet the requirements of clients and to attain the organizational goals.

(iv)         A project manager should able to coordinate and integrate various project activities with team members and also makes sure that the communication level is at the peak.

(v)          He/she should be able to manage, lead and administer different project resources

(vi)          He should possess the skills to monitor the right functioning of all the project activities and must be up to date with necessary resources to alleviate the risks.

(vii)         Maintenance of overall quality

(viii)        Great project managers should make improvements in the project, should be able to resolve problems and take corrective actions wherever necessary.

When it comes to pursuing a career in project management, a project manager’s job may be fascinating with high salaries and huge probabilities of career enhancement. In this profession, meeting and beating challenges are a considerable requirement. Team work plays an important role in executing projects. An effective project coordinator should be able to guide and direct the team to settle multiple projects. A project Coordinator requires definite skills which are as follows

(i)           Technical skills

(ii)          Analytical skills

(iii)         Risk solving skills

(iv)         Communication skills

In Rate Your PM, you can rate project managers as per their credibility and potentiality. One can give good feedbacks as well.     

Tips for Being a Better Project Manager

project manager

The personal traits of the most successful project managers tend to be very similar and all contribute to producing a great leader who can conquer difficulties and ensure that projects are delivered successfully. The power of persuasion of any leader or manager needs to be sharpened as there will be numerous occasions throughout a project where manipulation may be the only way forward. A great project manager should motivate his/her team members in a way that they give their all to the project and work hard to meet targets is an essential leadership skill. A motivated team will always produce better results than those who are just going through the motions and not giving that little bit extra. Motivation is the only factor in the quality of the final product and so the success ratio of any project.   

If a project manager has been assigned from outside the department then he/she can often experience intolerance from the project team. Knowing how to moderate such prejudices is necessary to avoid creating a situation where the project team members do not have adequate faith in the project manager’s abilities. Such a situation is guaranteed to result in project failure. Every project has issues of certain kind, so the way a project manager deals with problems and issues is critical to a project success ratio. They should be able to resist pressure from client or stake holders to modify the project plan through change requests, changing deadlines, reduction in budget, etc. Of course, a project management professional will have real-world experience on wide range of projects.

Rate Your Project Manager is a user generated online website where people can rate project managers as per their credibility, potentials, strengths and weaknesses. They can provide significant feedbacks as well.

Here are some basic tasks of a project manager

(i)                  Interpret plans

(ii)                Estimate the costs and quantities

(iii)               Plan constructive methods and procedures

(iv)              Prepare documentation

(v)                Proper implementation.