There are over 16.5 million project managers in the world. Nearly every big company hires project managers in various locations.
However, simply being a project manager is seldom enough. To grow in your role, and more so, to be promoted through the ranks, you need to show results. The project you are in charge of handling must be successful and must get great reviews from your customers, and from the people working under you.
A disproportionate number of project managers can falter in this regard. A survey by PMI has shown that not valuing project management can lead to a 67% greater chance of a project failing. Here, we shall look into the various parts of a project and how you can truly succeed in your role in managing one.
The Parts of a Project
Project manager jobs require knowledge of how a project is structured, and what the various processes involved in project management are. Here is a brief overview of these processes.
- Project Initiation
This is the step when the senior management of the company approves the idea for a project. You are then required to put in place a project charter.
- Project Planning
A major part of project manager jobs is knowledge of project planning. This is the stage at which you plan how the project is going to proceed. You decide the resource and the amount of time you need and allocate work.
- Project Execution
In project manager jobs, it is the execution of your plan that matters. This is the phase in which the actual work is carried out, and is the longest process.
- Project Monitoring
You don’t really work hands-on on a project as much as you monitor how well your team members are doing. Monitoring and control are important parts of all project manager roles.
- Project Closure
This is the final phase of the project when you have completed your objectives and close the project out.
How to be an Effective Project Manager
In India the average salary for project manager jobs is nearly Rs. 14,00,000. At this price, companies generally expect you to have a perceivable impact on their bottom line. Here is some advice on how you can be an effective project manager.
- Be Communicative
Being communicative with the rest of your team is a basic principle of project management. You need to be in constant touch with those working in your team regarding the status of their respective tasks, any issues they are facing, and whether there is any way you can help them achieve their goals. A communicative project manager is significantly more trusted and hence has a significantly greater chance of success.
- Proactivity is Key
Monitoring and control are certainly important roles in project manager jobs. However, this does not mean that you get to sit back and relax while the rest of your team members do their respective jobs. You need to use your experience to work with your team, identifying areas of potential risk and working to fill in knowledge gaps. You should constantly be aware of the status of the project and never be afraid to approach the senior management or subject matter experts to aid you in fulfilling objectives better.
- Lead from the Front
In project manager jobs, it is often essential for you to be an example for the rest of your team. If you are working hard, your team is inspired to work harder. It is only when every part of the project fulfils their job as best, they can, that all project objects can be fulfilled.
Project manager jobs are not easy. You often need to devote disproportionate amounts of time and mind space to a single project over months and years. And that’s a good indication of the importance of the role and efforts one need to put to become a successful project manager.
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