Project management is one of the most vital aspects of every organization, whether it is small-scale or large-scale. But what exactly is project management? Let us break the phrase into two words and understand the meaning.
A project is any short-term undertaking to deliver a product or service to clients and is not part of an organization’s day-to-day operations. On the other hand, management is an activity of planning and organizing resources and tasks to achieve a goal.
Well, project management implies planning and managing resources and leading the team to achieve all the project goals within the given time and budget constraints.
Each project has a start and end, a qualified team, a budget, a deadline, and specific requirements and expectations that the team has to satisfy at the end. And a project manager is the one who oversees the management of all the aspects above of projects.
Every organization needs a skilled project manager to make the project delivery process seamless and organized. The project manager job role can be a good fit for you if you're organized, fascinated by people, and prepared to take on a bigger role in your career.
This blog post will help you understand how to become a project manager. Also, we shall briefly discuss who a project manager is and their roles and responsibilities.
Who is a Project Manager?
A project manager is a professional accountable for planning, organizing, and implementing projects within the specified time and budget constraints. They are responsible for communicating with stakeholders, understanding their requirements, outlining project goals, directing teams, and overseeing the project throughout its life cycle.
The success or failure of projects depends on project managers, regardless of any kind of project.
Project managers create the objectives of projects and utilize their knowledge and experience to foster a feeling of teamwork among the project team members. They also thrive under pressure and are at ease with complexity and change in fast-paced workplaces. They can quickly switch between the "large picture" and the minute yet significant details, knowing when to focus on each.
What Does a Project Manager Do? [Roles and Responsibilities]
The following are the duties of a project manager that they need to carry out through the project life cycle:
- Defining a project's scope in accordance with the company’s requirements and objectives.
- Throughout a project, they plan and monitor each activity to ensure that it finishes on time.
- Managing the team's time and hours as well as the project's resources.
- Communicating with the appropriate stakeholders on each project status in an effective manner.
- Identifying and removing potential obstacles.
- Employing several project management tools to record each phase of the process.
- Conducting daily stand-up meetings, project status meetings, and retrospective meetings.
- Ensuring the success and high caliber of a project.
- Budgeting and cost control.
- Developing professional business relationships.
- Prioritizing the tasks of projects.
- Following up on project risks, progress, and opportunities.
- Focusing on customer satisfaction.
- Creating and constantly updating project documentation.
- Ensure all teams are on the same page to keep the quality of deliverables.
- Gauging project performance by leveraging essential tools, techniques, and systems.
- Conducting workshops and training team members.
Apart from the aforementioned tasks, project managers also sometimes interview candidates to hire new talents.
Types of Project Managers
Generally, project managers are classified based on their industry vertical. Let us peek into some types of project managers below.
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Marketing Project Managers
They are proficient at planning, organizing, and executing marketing campaigns. In addition, they find out the essential resources for implementing marketing projects within the time and budget constraints.
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Architectural Project Managers
They direct architectural projects from conception initiation to budgeting and implementation. They need to physically visit construction sites, perform the inspection, and provide recommendations to workers. In addition, their tasks include selecting contractors, procuring construction bids, and negotiating contracts.
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Electrical Project Managers
They are in charge of supervising large electrical projects for organizations or property managers. Some major tasks include assigning tasks to team members, managing the entire staff, overseeing resources, and maintaining electrical projects.
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Systems Project Managers
This type of project manager manages all the facets of networking projects. They have a crucial role in planning, designing, and implementing projects. Familiarity with operating systems and hands-on experience working with computer systems is a must.
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IT Project Managers
They are tasked with supervising an organization’s IT infrastructure and are responsible for outlining a strategy for the success of projects. Having a good grasp and hands dirty with software and hardware are essential requirements for IT project managers.
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Engineering Project Managers
They are in charge of planning and directing the entire process of application development or web development. Besides this, they create detailed plans for every phase of software development. Managing the team members, finding resources, and budgeting also falls under their responsibilities.
How to Become a Project Manager?
To become a project manager, there are many paths. Some individuals learn project management skills from colleges or universities and directly apply for project manager jobs. Meanwhile, some individuals may want to shift from their current job roles and become project managers.
Here is a step-by-step guide to becoming a project manager, regardless of the path you choose to become one.
1. Identify What Project Management Qualities you Possess
Have you ever planned and organized any event in your previous company? Have you volunteered for any meetings in your organization? Or Have you ever come up with new approaches to boost your productivity or business operations? If you performed any of these activities, you have done some aspects of project management though you might not have thought of it as project management.
If you discover that you already have a good deal of experience, you could be prepared to apply for project manager roles or contact your boss to express your interest in the position. You will also be qualified to apply to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) test if you have three years of cumulative experience, which might open doors for you in the project management industry.
2. Develop Essential Skills
As a project manager, you must possess technical and soft skills. Technical skills imply project management skills required to manage projects effectively. In addition, as you will be communicating with clients and stakeholders and managing team members, it is essential for you to hold interpersonal or soft skills.
So, let us highlight the soft and hard skills a project manager should possess.
Soft Skills
Some of the major software skills you should possess to become a project manager are as follows:
- Communication Skills: Good communication is the foremost skill for project managers. They communicate with various members of project teams, external suppliers, important stakeholders, and project sponsors using a variety of technologies and platforms. To effectively manage teams, good communication requires comprehending and recognizing nonverbal signals like body language and tone of voice, in addition to the fundamentals like speaking and writing.
- Leadership skills: You will lead or direct the team as a project manager. So, you always have to motivate and encourage team members and create an environment of friendliness in case of high stress. Also, you should be able to maintain all the team members on the same page.
- Decisiveness: To guarantee that a project moves forward, a project manager must be able to summarise the conversation and reach an informed conclusion when it's necessary. This is just as important as considering the opinions and contributions of all team members.
- Time Management: To ensure all tasks are performed, major project milestones are met, and the project progresses according to schedule, you must be able to manage the time and efforts of the team members. To do this, you must be able to reallocate resources as needed, have the vision to foresee obstacles, and schedule activities with enough time to spare in between.
Hard Skills
Here are some significant hard skills that every project manager should have:
- Budgeting: Project managers are accountable for ensuring a project stays within its allotted budget at every stage by maintaining expenses under control and reallocating resources as needed.
- Risk Management: Managing project risks is yet another significant task of project managers, along with managing resources and people. One of the most crucial aspects of project management is determining the team and project's weak points, estimating the possibility and effects of the worst-case scenario, and creating backup plans.
- Domain Knowledge: Project managers must be experts in their sector or domain to successfully manage projects. It is very hard to manage a project if you are unaware of the nuances necessary to see it through to completion.
- Project Management Methodologies: A project manager has to be knowledgeable about various project management frameworks and processes in order to ensure the effective completion of a project. These include SCRUM, agile, the waterfall framework, and PMI methodologies.
- Software Proficiency: Project managers must always stay updated on the latest tools and software for streamlining workflows. Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, facilitates the creation of project documentation. In addition, proficiency in project management software facilitates managing the work, resources, deadlines, team collaboration, and the creation of a repository for crucial documents.
3. Develop Project Management Experience
A lot of project managers begin their careers in non-management roles on a team. For several years, an IT project manager could, for instance, serve as an IT associate or a business analyst supporting the IT team. As they gain knowledge of the sector, take on management responsibilities, hone their organizational abilities, and become more adept at collaborating with team members, their positions may gradually grow.
If you want to improve your project management abilities, consider looking for chances at your current job. Regardless of any industry you work in, whether it is a tech company or a restaurant, you will definitely find some management opportunities. Look for those opportunities and grab them to showcase your skills. Also, you can approach your manager and let them know that you are interested in developing a project management experience.
4. Earn a Project Management Certification
Pursuing project management certification is one of the best ways to impress employers. Project management certifications demonstrate your knowledge and skills in project management. An accredited institute named Project Management Institute (PMI) issues project management certifications, from entry-level to advanced.
The following are the two common certifications that individuals prefer earning the most:
1. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
This certification helps individuals develop the essential expertise required for entry-level project management positions. To earn this certification, one needs to possess a secondary degree and 23 hours of project management training. Furthermore, the certification exam comprises 150 questions and lasts 3 hours.
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is the appropriate certification for you if you want to manage bigger projects, take on more responsibility, or enhance your present career with project management abilities.
2. Project Management Professional (PMP)
This certification validates an individual's competencies in managing people, procedures, and business priorities of projects. Professionals from any industry vertical, whether healthcare, construction, business, or IT, can take this certification.
PMP is a professional-level certification that requires you to undergo 35 hours of project management training, possess 36 months of experience leading projects, and hold a bachelor’s degree. The certification exam has 180 questions, and the duration is 3 hours and 50 minutes.
Explore more project management certifications here.
5. Build a Resume
As you grow in this field and gain experience and skills, spend some time updating your resume. See what businesses are looking for by looking through job posts for project managers at various levels.
Make sure to highlight in your CV any qualifications that fit the position's criteria. When discussing the responsibilities you had in previous roles, emphasize any measurable outcomes and utilize action verbs.
6. Apply for Jobs
After you develop skills, earn a certification, and build a resume, you are now ready to apply for entry-level project management positions. Some of these positions include Project Coordinator, Junior Project Manager, Associate Project Manager, Operations Coordinator, and Administrative Associate.
You can take help from various job portals, such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster India, and many others, to apply for jobs. Along with applying for the job positions, make sure to prepare for interviews.
Project Manager Salary
There is no denying that the project manager job role is one of the highest-paying across the globe. This is because project managers are the mastermind behind every project of an organization.
With their wide range of skills, they manage product owners, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams. They even make sure to keep everyone on the same page through constant communication. In short, project managers are essential assets to organizations.
According to PayScale, an entry-level project manager (1 to 4 years of experience) in the IT industry receives an average pay scale of INR 6.6 lakhs per annum. A mid-level project manager with 5 to 9 years of experience earns a median monthly salary of INR 14 lakhs. One with over 10 years of experience gets an average pay of INR 18 lakhs annually.
When it comes to the United States, an entry-level project manager (1 to 5 years of experience) earns $74k per year. Further, a project manager with 5 to 9 years of experience receives a median salary of $90k per annum, whereas one with more than 10 years of experience earns $1 lakh annually.
10 Best Interview Questions for Project Managers
Here are some of the best and most frequently asked interview questions for project managers:
1. Introduce yourself.
This question allows you to describe yourself in your own words.
The best way to introduce yourself is to start with the present, describe your past, and then highlight what you want to do in the future. Further, explain what you do and your role in previous companies. Finally, tell what kind of work you want to do and why you are interested in the role you have applied for.
2. What was the last project you worked on?
This question aims to know what kinds of projects you can work on, what different project management techniques you know or has used, how is your teamwork quality, and many other aspects.
Initially, give information about your project, like what it was, its goals, what approach you have used, and what team members were. Highlight what you have learned from the project and what went wrong during the implementation.
3. Have you gone wrong while leading any project?
The hiring managers will definitely ask this question as they want to know how you handled the projects previously and what you did to overcome your mistake. While answering this question, make sure you are very true.
4. How do you prioritize tasks?
In project management, the major aspect is prioritizing tasks to accomplish the given project within the given deadline. You can take any of your projects as an example and explain how you have prioritized tasks.
5. What was your most successful project?
By asking this question, hiring managers check what success means to you. Apart from meeting deadlines, goals, and budgets, the ability to make project changes is an important facet of the project’s success.
You can speak about your strengths here. Highlight all those points on how you led your team to make it efficient and measures that you and your team took to make the project successful.
6. Have you done budget management before?
Hiring managers may ask questions about different skills, such as budget management. They try to know where you stand exactly.
Budget management includes various facets, such as cost estimation, funds allocation, keeping a record of expenditures, and planning for unexpected expenses. If you have experience, it is better to explain by taking your past project as an example. However, if you don’t have experience, be very clear about it. You can simply talk about the basics of budget planning.
7. What is a project plan?
This question tests your technical knowledge of project management.
You can define a project plan as a collection of documents that describes all the stages of development and execution of a project.
8. What tools do you use to plan a project?
This question tests your familiarity with different project management tools.
Make sure to enlist all the tools that you have used previously. These tools may be project management and collaboration tools, like Asana and Trello. Highlight what you like the most about the tools and how you used them in your project.
9. How will you deal with stakeholders?
Hiring managers will surely ask this question to validate your skills in managing people. Dealing with stakeholders is a crucial skill of every project manager.
Your answer can include your team’s needs and availability of the resources. Also, communication and negotiation skills play a vital role in dealing with stakeholders.
10. Which project management method do you prefer?
You can list different project management methods that you have used earlier. Explain why you used those methods and how they helped you in accomplishing the project.
Check out: Top Project Manager Interview Questions
Conclusion
This is the most conventional path to becoming a project manager. Being a project manager is one of the most lucrative career options. However, you must invest your time developing essential skills and gaining management experience. There is no way to become a project in one night.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What qualifications do I need to become a project manager?
To become a project manager, you need to hold a bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, or any other related field. Also, many companies require candidates to possess a master’s degree in administration and management. After a degree program, earning a certification is a good idea to demonstrate project management abilities.
2. How should I start my career as a project manager?
To start your career as a project manager, you can opt for a certification program. Alongside certification, try to volunteer for events in your current organization and approach your manager to tell them about your interest in project management.
3. How much time does it take to become a project manager?
Becoming a project manager requires you to invest a lot of time, especially in years. You will definitely need four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. Next, if you opt to earn a certification, you will need some more time, perhaps six months to one year. Some certificates need a certain amount of prior project management experience as a requirement. So, becoming a project manager is not a game of one night or a few months.
