A project manager is a specialist who is responsible for the successful implementation of the project: he controls the quality, timing, and budget. Tasks are diverse: somewhere you need to show yourself as an analyst, somewhere as a strategist, somewhere you need to be a good psychologist.

In this article, we will tell you about the main skills of a project manager. Check yourself or your employee against our list.

• Leadership and Management Skills

A project manager may not have actual power over people. But the ability to ignite the team, and to show interest by personal example will help the manager to lead the team.

Charisma is the key to a successful leader. A striking example is Steve Jobs. He liked to give his employees unsolvable tasks. Although employees admitted that it pisses them off, at the same time it spurred them on to incredible feats.

The most important skill of a project manager is communication skills. On duty, you need to communicate a lot: with the client, and with the project executors. The success of the project depends on how the manager presents the information on the project.

An experienced project manager knows how to build a dialogue in a team and can competently set the boundaries: the line between friendly relations and fraternization is very thin.

A modern project manager is a professional who is always open to new information. He can change his approach to project management if the business demands it. He is not afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.

There are dozens of tasks in development on a project. A manager with delegating skills will never burn out over deadlines because he knows how to focus on major tasks. He gives some of the work to others, saving work and personal time. If that’s what you want too, but don’t know how yet, read our article on how to learn to delegate tasks.

Project manager skills involve the ability to negotiate. The results of a project directly depend on how the negotiation goes.

Fortunately, this skill can be developed. Seminars, expert consultations, and books can help negotiate with suppliers, employees, and clients in the future.

Project work is dozens of processes: it is easy to switch from one to another. Knowing how to plan your work and personal time is also an important skill for a project manager, which directly affects the result of the work. Read our article on how to effectively manage your time, in which we detail how to master time management.

You know the ins and outs of a project, you handle time management, and you know how to negotiate, but something still went wrong. There are reasons for stress in any project, and they may not depend on you. But your reaction is subordinate to you. The project manager must be able to pull himself/herself together and solve the stressful situation.

• The ability to immerse yourself in the business

It’s important to understand the product. If the client sells dairy products, visit the plant, study the processes: understand the relationships in the business, and what happens behind what.

It is not enough to understand it yourself, you need to bring this understanding to the team. A project manager should be well-versed in any area in which his or her work is involved.

Being able to relax and have fun is a useful skill in a project manager’s arsenal. If employees enjoy their work, motivation, and productivity improve. There are always funny moments in the process that can be laughed at without going off track.

• Innate, personal qualities

While the above qualities can be developed, the ability to organize is more of an innate skill for a project manager. A good project manager has certain character traits that help to do complex work.