What are the most important ways to stand out in project management?
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Project management is a highly sought-after skill that can open up many career opportunities and help you achieve your goals. However, it is also a competitive field that requires constant learning and improvement. How can you stand out as a project manager and impress your clients, stakeholders, and employers? Here are some of the most important ways to do so.
One of the key traits of a successful project manager is proactivity. This means anticipating potential risks, issues, and opportunities, and taking action before they become problems or threats. Proactivity also means communicating effectively with your team, sponsors, and customers, and keeping them informed of the project status, changes, and expectations. By being proactive, you can demonstrate your leadership, initiative, and problem-solving skills, and gain trust and respect from others.
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Mario Marchese
Project Director, Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Production; Board Member; Mentor
In my experience, probably one of the most challenging tasks for any project manager, is managing its client. Once the project team has been established, the PM has to make sure his/her client is meeting its expectations, keeping them real, this requires not only flexibility, but also the capacity to negotiate and communicate, think ahead of Client needs, and develop an innovative approach to solve project requirements. There are PMs that are characterized for being highly technical, others for being more political, it all depends on the nature of the project and you need every person for each job. As PM you need to be a bit of everything, staying ahead of the curve and ready to react when needed, proactivity in a PM is a must
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Badr Albasiri, PMP®, MPM
Project Management Professional | PMO Specialist | Driving Successful Project Delivery with Expertise in PMO, Risk Management and Project Control | Management Consulting
Here 5 traits that make a project manager stand out. • Keep learning • Communicate like a pro • Be your team's biggest fan • Set expectations and never abandon them • Know when to pull in a subject matter expert
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Kathy Dunkin
Senior Creative Marketing Project Manager | Print Production | Traffic | Increased Cross-Functional Productivity 60%| Retail Display & Package Design | Direct Mail | DTC | Workflow Specialist | Inventory Management |
To stand out as a PM, all of the standards apply: communication, leadership, adaptability, technical ability, risk management and results driven. However, the kingpin is to think, act and be the innovative solution strategist.
Another essential skill for project managers is adaptability. This means being able to adjust to changing circumstances, requirements, and expectations, and finding creative solutions to overcome challenges. Adaptability also means being open to feedback, learning from mistakes, and embracing new technologies and methods. By being adaptable, you can show your flexibility, resilience, and innovation, and deliver value to your projects.
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Abdullah Ali - MBA
Marketing || MBA || Retail || Advertising || Media Planning || Pricing || Project management || Business Development || Operations Planning
Adaptability is a crucial skill for project managers, enabling them to adapt to changing circumstances, requirements, and expectations. It involves being open to feedback, learning from mistakes, and embracing new technologies and methods. This skill demonstrates flexibility, resilience, and innovation, enabling project managers to identify potential problems and opportunities, develop creative solutions, and deliver value to their projects. Adaptability also necessitates being innovative, thinking outside the box, and implementing new ideas to overcome challenges.
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Ganesh DG
Top Data Engineering Voice | VP - Sr Technical Manager with Expertise in Financial and Manufacturing Domain | Mentor | Views expressed are my own
- Adoptability also includes fostering an organizational culture that embraces innovation and change as a part of the project management process itself. Not just handling issues. - A less-discussed aspect of adoptability is the ability to recalibrate the project's goals and objectives based on evolving stakeholder needs, market dynamics, or emerging technologies.
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Akshay Makar
On a mission to help next-gen Entrepreneurs to build and scale their Business | Founder & CEO Climatenza Solar & Net0link | Business Mentor | Forbes 30u30 | TEDx Speaker | Shortlisted in Top 4 Commonwealth Awards
In the software development industry, project managers often encounter evolving client demands and technological advancements. A key example of adaptability is when a project manager, overseeing the development of a mobile app, must pivot from the initial design due to new market trends. By swiftly reorganizing the team's priorities and adjusting the development roadmap, the project manager ensures the project stays on track. Key takeaway: Adaptability enables project managers to navigate uncertainties effectively, ensuring projects remain successful even amidst changing conditions, ultimately leading to client satisfaction and project accomplishment.
A third important skill for project managers is organization. This means planning, executing, and controlling your projects effectively, and ensuring that they meet the scope, time, cost, and quality objectives. Organization also means managing your resources, tasks, and documents efficiently, and using the right tools and techniques to track and report your progress. By being organized, you can show your professionalism, competence, and reliability, and achieve your project goals.
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Abdullah Ali - MBA
Marketing || MBA || Retail || Advertising || Media Planning || Pricing || Project management || Business Development || Operations Planning
Project management is a crucial skill for project managers, ensuring successful completion within scope, time, cost, and quality objectives. It involves efficient resource management, tracking progress, and effective communication. Project managers must prioritize tasks, delegate effectively, and establish systems for timely completion. They should also monitor progress, make necessary changes, and use analytical tools to identify areas for improvement. Problem-solving and handling unexpected issues are also essential skills. By being organized, project managers can ensure timely and cost-effective completion, keeping stakeholders informed and achieving their project goals.
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Akshay Makar
On a mission to help next-gen Entrepreneurs to build and scale their Business | Founder & CEO Climatenza Solar & Net0link | Business Mentor | Forbes 30u30 | TEDx Speaker | Shortlisted in Top 4 Commonwealth Awards
In the construction industry, effective organization is paramount. Project managers must meticulously plan, execute, and control construction projects to meet scope, time, cost, and quality goals. Efficiently managing resources, tasks, and documents is crucial. Using specialized construction management software and techniques, like Building Information Modeling (BIM), helps track progress and optimize workflows. Key takeaway: Through precise organization and utilization of appropriate tools, project managers in construction ensure seamless project execution, timely delivery, budget adherence, and high-quality outcomes, enhancing overall project success.
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Davinia Martin
The Netflix of Neuroscience | Ex-Apple | Marketing Project Manager | Dubai
Organisation is key for keeping multiple project components moving at pace effectively and efficiently and allows you to have the birds eye view you need, to keep on top of your milestones for maximum and successful impact 🎯
A fourth vital skill for project managers is collaboration. This means working well with others, both within and outside your project team, and building positive and productive relationships. Collaboration also means involving your stakeholders in the decision-making process, resolving conflicts constructively, and leveraging the strengths and diversity of your team members. By being collaborative, you can show your interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills, and foster a culture of teamwork and trust.
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Paul Radgens
Program Director
How to stand out? Build great relationships. There's a quote that is absolutely true in my experience: People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Project Managers can't accomplish anything without their team and the support of their stakeholders. Building trusting relationships is the foundation of a productive and effective team. You don't need to be best friends with everyone (boundaries matter), but you need to treat everyone with respect and see their value as a teammate and a fellow human. Find a way to authentically connect with your team and they will find a way to get things done when you're out of ideas. Find a way to make people feel special and they will find a way exceed your expectations.
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Ganesh DG
Top Data Engineering Voice | VP - Sr Technical Manager with Expertise in Financial and Manufacturing Domain | Mentor | Views expressed are my own
One aspect that is often overlooked is: - In some industries, particularly in research and development, collaborating with competitors can be beneficial. Sharing knowledge, expertise, or resources with competitors, under certain agreements, can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes - As a project manager one must work on collaborating with clients or stakeholders. Instead of a more traditional model of client-vendor relationship, actively involving clients in project decisions
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Jonathan Davidson
You are taught in PM 101 that Project management is 90% communication. Project Managers are always in a matrixed environment in which everything you do is connected to someone else. You engage at every level of the organization, from the project sponsor, the end users, the developers, testers and everyone in-between. Getting stakeholder buy-in is critical to any success for the project. A good project manager can communicate the status of the project at any moment to any stakeholder. They know when to escalate, when to allow the team to stay heads down, and when to bring everyone together to fix a bottleneck. They know who in the organization can help address an impediment. And they know how to celebrate the success of the team.
A fifth crucial skill for project managers is ethics. This means following the standards and principles of project management, and respecting the values and interests of your stakeholders. Ethics also means being honest, transparent, and accountable for your actions and results, and avoiding any conflicts of interest or misconduct. By being ethical, you can show your integrity, reputation, and responsibility, and uphold the credibility and quality of your projects.
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Akshay Makar
On a mission to help next-gen Entrepreneurs to build and scale their Business | Founder & CEO Climatenza Solar & Net0link | Business Mentor | Forbes 30u30 | TEDx Speaker | Shortlisted in Top 4 Commonwealth Awards
In healthcare, ethical project management is vital. Ensuring patient safety and stakeholder trust involves adhering to project management standards while respecting stakeholders' values. For instance, in implementing a new medical technology, project managers must be transparent about risks and benefits. Ethical conduct, like maintaining patient confidentiality, is paramount. Key takeaway: Upholding ethics in project management fosters stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency, and ensures project integrity. By prioritizing honesty, accountability, and stakeholder interests, healthcare projects can achieve successful outcomes while upholding ethical standards.
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Davinia Martin
The Netflix of Neuroscience | Ex-Apple | Marketing Project Manager | Dubai
Applying 'Agile Ethics' allows you to still maintain the practices and procedures required as well as accommodating adaptability, which is enivtabilty needed throughout a project's lifecycle.
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Paramjit Kaur
Co-Founder and CEO - Hartek Design and Software Solutions| Entrepreneur| Project Management Professional
Being ethical is a crucial skill in every field, including project management. In project management it is critical to ensure the stakeholders are involved. When we have the environment of mutual trust, it keeps everyone involved. The stakeholders like it when the team and specially the project manager is transparent with them. Even if this means sharing status and information which is not so positive. Following the standards and principles of project management allow you to be successful technically. A project manager Is successful when the project meets the planned deliverables in time and with quality.
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Shen Kwang Ong
Head of PPMO @ GoToFinancial | Dual Hatting Program Director @ Tokopedia Squad
Seriously, just be authentic and humane. Everyone else might already be trying their best and the least we could do is to push without understanding why things don't move. Offer help. Remove these blockers. Add value. Progress as one.
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Darren Koh
Digital Transformation @ UOB | Strategy | PMO
Some of the most skilful project managers that I’ve seen possess a couple of similar traits. 1. Strong communicators - they are able to convey their message and more importantly, their intention in a clear and concise manner to stakeholders 2. Skilful stakeholder management - this begins with identifying the right people who will be enablers and advocates that go a long way in easing many difficult conversations 3. Highly adaptable - they are quick learners, taking on often foreign subject matters but not allowing that to stop them from driving a project to fruition; they are seemingly able to navigate the people, organisation and subject matters with ease and obtain stakeholder buy in
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Sunny T.
Senior Manager | Group CI Practitioner
Do what’s ethically necessary to deliver the project from the organisation for the customer to accept it in a satisfactory manner. Acceptance goes beyond the Scope, Time, Cost. It includes managing the Quality, Risk, and other issues from the perspective of the customer and not solely from own organisation’s perspective.