9 Essential Skills for a Project Management Role.

"Software has automated a lot of things, but not goals, resources and
products. That's something you can find in all kinds of work. Project
management is not just about getting things done but getting bigger
things done." Frank Ryle

Project management is about tracking, measuring, optimising,
allocating resources (human, capital, material and technology) to meet
objectives in the shortest time possible. Project management entails
unique tasks and time-bound specific goals. Think of project
management at its simplest form as a "to-do" list; having specific
things you'll like to get done before the end of your day.
In a typical situation, a project manager breaks down a big goal into
small bits and structures and defines what works best for each
structure, he's in charge of selecting the right people who'll be
assigned to carry out certain tasks. Every project has a life cycle
and the project manager is responsible for delivering the right
results with the required quality in order to satisfy his clients or
superiors (most project managers work on contract terms). See some
jobs that require project management skills here .
A good project manager has professional will , he's smart, energetic,
persistent and firm whennecessary; he also focuses on what matters
most in the project. The outcome of any project is dependent on what
the project manager did or didn't do in the course of carrying out the
project. A good project manager performs his duties using a Work
Breakdown Structure .
The project manager takes full responsibility for the successes or
failures of any project; since he is responsible for producing
results, hepays close attention to the processes too and influences
his team to provide quality through each project phase.
Basically, every human endeavor requires a project manager.
Project management is essential in any organisation; a lot of things
go wrong in an organisation without proper project management.
Effective project management saves cost, time, provides quality, and
proactively tackle bottlenecks in the organisation.
Skills required for project management vary but these are some of the
most sought after skills in project managers.
Effective planning/Project execution : this is quite obvious – every
goal requires a plan – but most projects fail due to lack of adequate
planning. Project managers are expected to execute projects, work with
timelines and adopt models that work best for each project. With this
skill, you can successfully lead your team through the project
management phase.
People management/ Interpersonal skill : although managing people is
about 10% of project management, it is crucial for increased
efficiency and overall output. Having the right people carry out a
project is a basic necessity in project management because they'll be
in charge of the other resources required to perform tasks.
A project manager with interpersonal skills knows how to deal with
people, he has a positiveattitude (which helps influence people to get
things done). People management is not all that an easy task, every
project manager is expected to coordinate people (with different
motives and personalities) and synchronise their needs to meet with
the objectives of the project. With this skill, you can engage people
to carry out their tasks without delay.
Source: jobberman