b. List and explain in brief the qualities of a Project Manager.

* The Project Manager is the person responsible for managing the project. * The Project Manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the project objectives within the constraints of the project. He is responsible for the outcome(success or failure) of the project. * The Project Manager is involved with the planning, controlling and monitoring, and also managing and directing the assigned project resources to best meet project objectives. * The Project Manager controls and monitors triple constraintsproject scope, time and cost(quality also)in managing competing project requirements. * The Project Manager examines the organizational culture and determine whether project management is recognized as a valid role with accountability and authority for managing the project. * The Project Manager collects metrics data(such as baseline, actual values for costs, schedule, work in progress, and work completed) & reports on project progress and other project specific information to stakeholders. * The Project Manager is responsible for identifying, monitoring, and responding to risk. * The Project Manager is responsible to the project stakeholders for delivering a projects objectives within scope, schedule, cost, and quality. * The reporting structure of a Project Manager changes depends on organizational structure. He may reports to a Functional Manager or to a Program Manager.

Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager

What qualities are most important for a project leader to be effective? Over the past few years, the people at ESI International, world leaders in Project Management Training, have looked in to what makes an effective project leader. With the unique opportunity to ask some of the most talented project leaders in the world on their Project Leadership courses ESI have managed to collect a running tally on their responses. Below are the top 10 in rank order according to frequency listed.

Inspires a Shared Vision

An effective project leader is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. It was once said that a leader is someone who "lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change." Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. According to Bennis "They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organisation." (Bennis, 1997)

Good Communicator
The ability to communicate with people at all levels is almost always named as the second most important skill by project managers and team members. Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback. There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. The project leader is also the team's link to the larger organisation. The leader must have the ability to effectively negotiate and use persuasion when necessary to ensure the success of the team and project. Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and team achievements by creating explicit guidelines for accomplishing results and for the career advancement of team members.

Integrity
One of the most important things a project leader must remember is that his or her actions, and not words, set the modus operandi for the team. Good leadership demands commitment to, and demonstration of, ethical practices. Creating standards for ethical behaviour for oneself and living by these standards, as well as rewarding those who exemplify these practices, are responsibilities of project leaders. Leadership motivated by self-interest does not serve the well being of the team. Leadership based on integrity represents nothing less than a set of values others share, behaviour consistent with values and dedication to honesty with self and team members. In other words the leader "walks the talk" and in the process earns trust.

Enthusiasm
Plain and simple, we don't like leaders who are negative - they bring us down. We want leaders with enthusiasm, with a bounce in their step, with a can-do attitude. We want to believe that we are part of an invigorating journey - we want to feel alive. We tend to follow people with a cando attitude, not those who give us 200 reasons why something can't be done. Enthusiastic leaders are committed to their goals and express this commitment through optimism. Leadership emerges as someone expresses such confident commitment to a project that others want to share his or her optimistic expectations. Enthusiasm is contagious and effective leaders know it.

Empathy

What is the difference between empathy and sympathy? Although the words are similar, they are, in fact, mutually exclusive. According to Norman Paul, in sympathy the subject is principally absorbed in his or her own feelings as they are projected into the object and has little concern for the reality and validity of the object's special experience. Empathy, on the other hand, presupposes the existence of the object as a separate individual, entitled to his or her own feelings, ideas and emotional history (Paul, 1970). As one student so eloquently put it, "It's nice when a project leader acknowledges that we all have a life outside of work."

Competence
Simply put, to enlist in another's cause, we must believe that that person knows what he or she is doing. Leadership competence does not however necessarily refer to the project leader's technical abilities in the core technology of the business. As project management continues to be recognised as a field in and of itself, project leaders will be chosen based on their ability to successfully lead others rather than on technical expertise, as in the past. Having a winning track record is the surest way to be considered competent. Expertise in leadership skills is another dimension in competence. The ability to challenge, inspire, enable, model and encourage must be demonstrated if leaders are to be seen as capable and competent.

Ability to Delegate Tasks

Trust is an essential element in the relationship of a project leader and his or her team. You demonstrate your trust in others through your actions - how much you check and control their work, how much you delegate and how much you allow people to participate. Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micromanagers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. As one project management student put it, "A good leader is a little lazy." An interesting perspective!

Cool Under Pressure

In a perfect world, projects would be delivered on time, under budget and with no major problems or obstacles to overcome. But we don't live in a perfect world - projects have problems. A leader with a hardy attitude will take these problems in stride. When leaders encounter a stressful event, they consider it interesting, they feel they can influence the outcome and they see it as an opportunity. "Out of the uncertainty and chaos of change, leaders rise up and articulate a new image of the future that pulls the project together." (Bennis 1997) And remember - never let them see you sweat.

Team-Building Skills
A team builder can best be defined as a strong person who provides the substance that holds the team together in common purpose toward the right objective. In order for a team to progress from a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit, the leader must understand the process and dynamics required for this transformation. He or she must also know the appropriate leadership

style to use during each stage of team development. The leader must also have an understanding of the different team players styles and how to capitalise on each at the proper time, for the problem at hand.

Problem Solving Skills

Although an effective leader is said to share problem-solving responsibilities with the team, we expect our project leaders to have excellent problem-solving skills themselves. They have a "fresh, creative response to here-and-now opportunities," and not much concern with how others have performed them. (Kouzes 1987)

Qualities of a Great Project Manager

25/05/2008 For those of us that have worked on numerous projects, it doesnt take long to tell when a project is being managed well or poorly. But what in particular makes one project manager better than another? What is it about those project managers that make a project work as smoothly as possible but with other project managers, everything is a struggle? Theres not one specific quality that makes a great project manager but a collection of qualities that needs to be balanced to meet the needs of each project. Theres no specific order to these qualities, they all play an important role. For those of us that have worked on numerous projects, it doesnt take long to tell when a project is being managed well or poorly. But what in particular makes one project manager better than another? What is it about those project managers that make a project work as smoothly as possible but with other project managers, everything is a struggle? Theres not one specific quality that makes a great project manager but a collection of qualities that needs to be balanced to meet the needs of each project. Theres no specific order to these qualities, they all play an important role.

Attention to detail
I cant imagine a project manager worth their salt that doesnt have attention to detail. As they say, god is in the details. There are so many aspects to a project that can cause delays and issues that a project MUST be on top so that these issues are dealt with BEFORE they become a problem. For instance, in almost every web based project, the client will be required to supply content or data. To have an item on the project plan that states client to supply product data is not enough. You need to specify details such as the volume, format, structureetc of the data. If you dont, it will cause delays when the data arrives. This is just one of those details that can cost time, by not paying attention to these types of details, days and weeks of time can easily be lost.

Its not good enough to rely on your developers or other team members to be aware of these details ofcourse they should, and a good developer will remind you of these details ahead of time if they dont youre bound to loose time trying to make up for lack of preparation.

Knowing What Really Matters

Even though attention to detail is important, also important is knowing which details are going to make or break the project. There isnt always enough time to deal with every detail before development starts (even though it would be ideal, its just not always practical), therefore it comes down to knowing what details will have the greatest impact on the project and which details can be worked out along the way. Some details can be dealt with adequate during the project, some we need to know ahead of time. This is in line with the agile mindset that focuses on delivering working software. Using this mindset, having a completed contract is a detail that can be sorted out during the project whereas confirming database designs mid way through a is definitely going to impact on productivity. Now its important to note here that in an ideal world, we sort out all of the details up front so that we know exactly what we are doing, ie. take the waterfall approach to development. But, in reality, we dont always get all the details and to try to do so can lead to what seems like a never ending documentation stage. So, the key is to be able to identify when we have enough detail to move forward. Naturally its a risk, but so too is trying to perfect documentation at the risk of the project never getting off the ground.

Guts
This is probably one of the hardest qualities to find in any manager, the guts to say it as it is. Too many times, we sit in meetings listening to the goings on while inside we are shaking our heading and thinking to ourselves that the situation is crazy, its just never going to work. But we dont say it there and then, we wait until after the meeting and say it to our co-workers and friends and go on about how the situation is absurd. It takes a lot of guts to stand up and say that out loud and to not back down until the situation is accepted for what it is. The most common situation I find is with deadlines. The project manager dutifully creates the project plan based on the information they have received from the appropriate team members (architects, developers, designers, testers..etc). Taking into account the various risks and issues associated with the project, the timeline is created. For example, lets say Project Guts is scheduled to take 112 days to complete and will be delivered on 8th August if the project starts on the 3rd of March (taking into account holidays, leave entitlements..etc). The deadline is present to the client, the client says thats not acceptable and that the project MUST be delivered by the 30th of June at the latest. This represents a reduction in the time line of over 20%. This is only possible if the other factors of the project, ie resources or scope are adjusted. The dilemma in this situation is the company that the project manager works for is keen to please the client, they put pressure on the project manager to meet the deadline regardless of the fact that the client doesnt want to adjust the scope and there are no more resources.

This is crunch time, this is when real project management starts. This is when the project manager has to have the guts to say no. That it cant be done without making changes to resources or scope. This is the way it is. The easy path here is to accept the revised deadline knowing its unrealistic and manage expectations at a later date. Sometimes this will work as once the project is well underway, the client is less likely to abandon the project. However, its more than likely to go over time which means as a project manager, you wont be delivering on time and on budget. This is when you have to have the guts to push back and say you wont do it. This is when you have to put your job on the line which is entirely likely, to back yourself and what you believe in as a professional project manager. This is not easy, this is why most project managers will take the easy path upfront and deal with it later. It takes real guts to stick to your guns and some companies will not accept this stance and you may need to find alternative employment, but then again, do you want to work for a company that doesnt trust and respect your decisions?

Determination
Detemination and guts go hand in hand, its one thing to have the guts to say something, its another to have the determination to follow it through. Having the guts to say in a meeting this is crazy is only half the battle, the other half is having the determination to follow through and convince management on both sides (yours and the clients) that something has to change for the new deadline to be accepted and that if its not, then it wont be delivered on time. Another aspect of determination is getting what you need to keep the project moving forward. There are all sorts of pitfalls that can befall a project. For instance, a developer may not have the right version of software required to commence a task and that needs to be organized. The usual process in my company is to submit an issue to the help desk and then it will be done in due course. Sometimes it requires a greater level of determination in order to make sure it gets done when you need it. Sometimes youll need to go to the IT department and speak to them directly, sometimes youll need to follow up every day to make sure it will get done, sometimes its a matter of sitting in the IT department and waiting until the technician actually performs the task. If its important, you need to be determine to make sure it gets done and not accept excuses or youll risk the project running late. Now that doesnt mean being rude or pushy (unless you need to be), quiet determination can be effective as well as being loud. The key is to make sure your intentions are clear, that you wont rest until you get what you want.

Empathy
So far, all the qualities Ive mentioned are not personable traits, ie. they are not the type of qualities that is necessarily going to help you make friends. Thats fine, being a great project manager is about earning respect first and foremost. However, that doesnt mean you can afford to be a tyrant. That will work against you. Whats important is to get people on side so that you can achieve what you need to. This might sound mercenary but its important. You need to

understand what matters to the key people on the project team (or all members for smaller projects). This is important as what matters to them will impact on the project and your relationship with them. You do need to really care about what matters to them, and that applies equally to the client. If you dont understand what matters to your team members then you cant effectively manage the situation. What appears on the surface as a minor issue might actually be a festering problem that will cause significant delays if not addressed. And these issues can take all manner of shapes, it can be about the project or about something personal. Just because we turn up at work, doesnt mean our personal lives are left at the door. If someone is going through a divorce, has had a recent loss in the family, has a sick parent/child/spouse, these things will impact on the project. That doesnt mean you become a counselor for the team but you must understand what is happening with each person to know how to deal with issues before they become a problem. Its not easy but truly caring does matter to both your client and team members.

Diplomacy
This is another one of the softer qualities that is important to be a great project manager. It takes guts to say that a deadline cant be met, it takes diplomacy to deliver the message in a way that is sensitive to the true reason behind it, that a team member is under performing because they are suffering from depression after having been recently divorced. These things happen and its important to respect the individual who is creating the delay but also to ensure the project is managed appropriately. Ideally, the team member is taken off the critical path or gets help to complete their task without being made to feel like a failure. Similarly a delay can be caused by the client, but stating so in an email to all team members may prove to put the client offside and make them difficult to budge on other issues. As long as they accept their hand in the delay, then thats what matters, making an example of the client wont help the project get done any quicker. The key is know when you need to be straight talking, open and honest and when to employ some diplomacy.

In Conclusion
A great project manager not only has to have all of these qualities but also to know when to employ them and to what extent. As each project is different and each person different, the approach will have to vary to ensure you get the best out of that person in any given situation. Some people need tough love, some people need straight talk, some people need to be reminded on a daily basis of what they are supposed to deliver. The key is that a great project manager will instinctively know how to balance a situation and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Which if you want to it sum up is what makes a great project manager, ie someone who is willing to do whatever it takes.

What are the Qualities of a Successful Project Manager?

by Sukhpreet Kaur Posted on 24 February, 2010 Project Management is the process of planning, organizing and managing resources in a way to achieve the goal and objectives of the project successfully. It allows the project team to track a project and make the most of it to get client satisfaction. A successful project manager is someone having a vision of where to go and the ability to communicate it. Some of the qualities are mentioned below: 1. Project Requirement: A successful Project Manager helps in understanding the requirement of the client in first hand. 2. Communication: He is supposed to coordinates well with The Team, The Client and with The Management in order to get the project completed successfully. 3. Project Execution: He is responsible for the execution of the project. 4. Leader: Project Managers are said to be the leaders who are to lead everyone and give direction to the project. 5. Quality Management: The manager needs to take care of the quality of the process such that it meets the quality parameters set earlier.