As a Project Manager, your project team and client rely on your leadership skills to guide them towards project success. When provided with quality leadership, team members will respond more positively and rise to meet the challenges that occur in all IT projects. Providing IT Solutions to our clients for almost 30 years, FYI Solutions understands the importance of good Project Management.
We recently read a nice article about Project Management Leadership skills written by Claudia Vandermilt of Villanova University. In the article, Ms. Vandermilt highlighted essential leadership skills that Project Managers should have. While there are numerous skills a good Project Manager should possess, let’s start with the five that were outlined in the article.
1. Provide Structure
From the very beginning of an IT project, a Project Manager must have a structured outline of his/her vision for the team. Each team member should be clear on the mission, the Solution, the timing and how they plan on achieving project success.
A project-specific document should be created that outlines project roles and responsibilities and Key Performance Indicators. Additionally, each team member’s performance should be tracked regarding specific assignments and their overall-project contribution.
2. Communicate Effectively
Effective communication is essential for your team and project success. When communicating, a Project Manager should keep all project stakeholders in mind and may need to adjust their language to their audience. While it may be effective to use technical terms with a Business Analytics Specialist, that language may not be the most effective for a Business User on the client side.
The mode of communication is also important. A Project Manager can communicate via the phone, email, Instant Messaging, video conferencing, etc. The Project Manager needs to determine what the most effective mode of communication will be for the project team/stakeholders. The communication mode should be technical viable and culturally accepted by project stakeholders.
3. Lead by Example
All Project Managers must foster a positive environment. In order for project success, all members must feel confident in executing their responsibilities; you must project a winning attitude and make decisions based on the best interest of the team. As a Project Manager, you must make yourself available to team members, and always deliver on your assigned project tasks on time (or early). A top project manager once said, “I would never ask my team to do anything that I would not do.”
4. Encourage Trust
Trust between team members is vital to the success of any IT Solution. The most important factor in building trust is based on completion of commitments. Whether commitments are based on planned tasks or verbal promises, team members must be encouraged to follow through in order to gain trust within the group dynamic.
5. Motivate
All teams need a strong leader to motivate them through a project, regardless of the size or length of the project. It is Project Manager’s job to find the best ways to properly motivate the team. Recognizing team members for going above and beyond the scope of their responsibilities creates a cyclical response; your positive reinforcement motivates their work ethic. Make sure to verbally thank your staff, and consider rewards such as a bonus, comp. time, team dinners or gift cards. Keep rewards simple, and make sure all team members who strive for success are recognized.
Whether it’s a large scale Business Analytics engagement, a QA project or Managed Services venture, FYI Solutions understands the need for strong project management on any IT Solution engagement. A strong project leader will help increase efficiency and overall team performance, leading to the successful completion of the project.
What leadership skills do you think are important for a Project Manager?
For more information on FYI Solutions, please feel free to contact us.
About FYI Solutions
FYI Solutions is an innovative, US-based IT consultancy that delivers better results through closer relationships with our clients and consultants. We specialize in business analytics solutions, software, and staff for the financial services, insurance, life sciences, media & publishing, and automotive industries.
