Project management roles
Depending on numerous factors such as industry, the nature and scope of the project, the project team, company, or methodology, projects may need the help of schedulers, business analysts, business intelligence analysts, functional leads and sponsors. Here is a comparison of the three key roles within the PMO or EPMO, all are in high demand due to their leadership skill sets.
Project manager | Program manager | Portfolio manager |
Plays the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing of individual projects. Organizations can have one or more project managers. | Oversees and leads a group of similar or connected projects within an organization. One or more project managers will typically report to the program manager. | This role is at the highest level of a PMO or EPMO and is responsible for overseeing the strategic alignment and direction of all projects and programs. Program managers will typically report directly to the portfolio manager. |
Effective project managers need more than technical know-how. The role also requires a number of non-technical skills, and it is these softer skills that often determine whether a project manager — and the project — will be a success. Project managers must at least have these seven non-technical skills: leadership, motivation, communication, organization, prioritization, problem-solving, and adaptability.
Project management training and certifications
Successful projects require highly skilled project managers, many with formal training or project management certifications. Some may have project management professional certifications or other certifications from the PMI or another organization. Project management certifications include:
· PMP: Project Management Professional
· CAPM: Certified Associate in Project Management
· CSM: Certified Scrum Master
· CompTIA Project+ Certification
· PRINCE2 Foundation/PRINCE2 Practitioner
· CPMP: Certified Project Management Practitioner
· Associate in Project Management
· MPM: Master Project Manager
· PPM: Professional in Project Management
· PMITS: Project Management in IT Security
· Certified Project Director
Project management steps
At the highest level, and before jumping into a project, project managers can help organizations set expectations and achieve on-time, on-budget, and goal-based project delivery by following seven steps. By aligning all of these areas, organizations can increase the likelihood of developing a sustainable competitive advantage:
· align company-wide strategic goals through an EPMO
· practice benefits realization management
· bridge the gap between strategy formulation and execution
· gain (and maintain) executive sponsorship
· hire (and retain) the right talent
· adopt agile practices
· tackle technology and business disruption
Project management phases
The five project management phases, or life cycle as it is sometimes referred to, intersect with 10 knowledge areas. The knowledge areas include integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, risk procurement, and stakeholder management. The phases and associated knowledge areas provide an organized approach for project managers and their teams to work through projects.
o 1. Integration management: developing a project charter
o 2. Stakeholder management: identifying stakeholders
o 1. Integration management: developing a project management plan
o 2. Scope management: defining and managing scope, creating a work breakdown structure (WBS), and requirements gathering
o 3. Time management: planning, defining, and developing schedules, activities, estimating resources, and activity durations
o 4. Costs management: planning and estimating costs, and determining budgets
o 5. Quality management: planning and identifying quality requirements
o 6. Human Resource management: planning and identifying human resource needs
o 7. Communications management: planning stakeholder communications
o 8. Risk management: planning for and identifying potential risks, performing a qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, and planning risk mitigation strategies
o 9. Procurement management: planning for and identifying required procurements
o 10. Stakeholder management: planning for stakeholder expectations
o 1. Integration management: directing and managing all work for the project
o 2. Quality management: performing all aspects of managing quality
o 3. Human resource management: selecting, developing, and managing the project team
o 4. Communications management: managing all aspects of communications
o 5. Procurement management: take action on securing necessary procurements
o 6. Stakeholder management: managing all stakeholder expectations
o 1. Integration management: monitoring and controlling the project work and managing any necessary changes
o 2. Scope management: validating and controlling the scope of the project
o 3. Time management: controlling the scope of the project
o 4. Costs management: controlling project costs
o 5. Quality management: controlling the quality of deliverables
o 6. Communications management: controlling all team and stakeholder communications
o 7. Procurement management: controlling procurements
o 8. Stakeholder management: controlling stakeholder engagements
o 1. Integration management: closing all phases of the project
o 2. Procurement management: closing all project procurements