Key skills for successful project managers & where you can learn them

management team

At one point, you would have expected that only dedicated project managers would need the skills to oversee the development of products and services.

You wouldn’t have expected that the day would come where almost anybody could be called on to see a project through from start to finish. Nevertheless, many employers look for these kinds of skills in people working in countless different types of positions. Some have referred to this as a side-effect of the so-called transformation economy.

If you’ve been having some difficulty getting ahead in your current career, then you might want to look into acquiring some experience in the field of project management as this can look very attractive on a resume or CV. While it’s often difficult to break into a new field, you can start by getting a high-quality certificate even if you lack a university-level education.

Earning a Project Management Certificate

Those who don’t currently have any sort of qualifications could look into getting a Prince2 Certification, which should only take around 45 hours of blended learning. Over 98 percent of people who apply for these programmes end up with a passing mark, which has given them something of a reputation for being a good programme for those who might only find time to study after work or on the weekend.

Depending on your specific situation, you might not need to do much more than log into a web-based resource on an occasional basis and make sure to keep up with lesson plans. Some students have remarked that this type of learning allows them to quickly apply the material they master to their own jobs as they do it.

Over time, a few employers have gone on to incorporate some sort of project management certification programme into their regular employee training system. You may want to ask your boss if something like this is available. In many cases, they’d be more happy to tell you about these types of opportunities that you’d imagine since they could help you to meet certain quotas by teaching you new skills.

Individuals who are still getting ready to enter the workforce might want to consider the exact skills they’re going to need.

Most Vital Project Management Skills

Key skills include scheduling, organization, task management and perhaps most importantly the ability to lead a team. Project planning is also very important, since you’ll need some way to figure out how long each step of the process is supposed to take. Some very large companies have been brought down because they don’t give themselves nearly enough time to bring something to market.

You may have already realised that each of these are something that could very much apply to your daily life every bit as much as your career. That means you have the chance to work on cultivating each of them simply by going about your normal business.

Take a few moments to better map out how you’re going to use your time each week. It shouldn’t take long before you realize that you actually have much more time than you ever thought you did. The vast majority of people grossly misuse their time and therefore have to rush later in the day to catch up with tasks they could have accomplished earlier, which is a problem that runs rampant in the world of business.

Once you find that you have some extra time, you can focus on gaining a few other key skills by yourself. Technical skills are of great importance to project managers, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to cultivate these. Representatives from Cambridge University have announced that they’re going to be providing all of their lectures online during the next academic year.

Those who might not want to take that kind of leap can always take advantage of free programmes offered by the Open University and other similar institutions.

Perhaps most importantly, though, you’re going to want to learn to master people skills.

Business Communication in Project Management

As certain conditions force more businesses to communicate exclusively online, there’s a growing need for people who can inspire confidence from those they speak with. While you might not have a chance to study this kind of skill in a classroom, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t volunteer for small projects at your current job to build up some extra business communication skills.

While it might seem a bit unnerving at the moment, chances are that you’ll be able to coordinate like a pro in no time. You might even surprise yourself.