16 Things That a Good Project Manager Knows and Practices Regularly

Project management profession has evolved and grown significantly in recent time. There are project management professionals striving for excellence, making it even better. Let’s look at how can a good project manager makes difference

1.Well Versed with Earned Value Management

Even if you are a project manager of new generation, it is always better to know that earned value management is quite useful to answer project sponsors (and other stakeholders) and becomes handy in explaining, justifying actions required to continue or stop a project.

2.Set Right Goals and Expectations for Stakeholders

Good project managers clearly understands what is expected from him/her and the team. Accordingly he sets right goals for organization (in the context of project), goals for a project manager, for team members based on functional specialty. In turn, sets a right expectations for stakeholders like customers (internal, external), vendors/partners, team members, senior management, etc.

3.Manage Good Relationship with Project Sponsors and Senior Management

A good project manager always maintain sound relationship with project sponsors and senior management so that he gets their right support if situation is not in his favor and he (and his team) gets right recognition for the good work performed. Managing good relationship with project sponsor & senior management requires, a project managers to bring in/show case – Small Wins as well as Early Warning Indicators.

4.Excellent Communicator – Sets Things in Perspective To Stakeholders

A good project managers is always a good communicator. And time and again (frequently), project manager needs to communicate with customers, partners, executive management, project sponsors, team members, etc; and gain a common understanding about project deliverable, project objectives, challenges, issues and so on.

5.Manages Varied Expectations of Large Group In Meetings

You might find this point being re-iterated, but my intention is to emphasize setting right expectations, clearly communicating those and in turn that helps in managing stakeholders effectively. A good project manager knows this well. A good project manager is able to manage different expectations of different project stakeholders in a project meeting.

6.Takes Charge, Ready to Get His/ Her Hands Dirty Whenever Required

A good project managers should understand what it takes to get things done. If situation demands, he should roll up his sleeves and be ready to get his hands dirty.

7. S/He Is Proactive, Takes Decisions & Initiative to Make Things Happen

If problem solver is an alternate word for good project manager then he has to be proactive to resolve issues/ problems. He ought to take initiatives to make things work.

8.Well Organized and Efficient Multi-tasking capability

Project management is messy business. A good project manager himself/ herself needs to be well organized. Since there are so many parties involved with different expectations, on need to be good multi-tasker to work on different fronts.

9.Methodical in Approaches, Sets Right Processes

A good project manager uses methodical approach to ensure business as usual gets pro-efficient. If it entails setting up right processes, he ensure, stakeholders understand and follows these processes for better success of delivering projects.

10.Continuously Improves Processes for Better Results

Being methodical or process oriented does not mean that, once the processes are set, they should be blindly followed. A good project managers is keen on improving existing processes so that his team can achieve better results. He has to be creative to improve these processes and rightfully communicating new processes as a change agent.

11.Good Listener & Adaptive to Situations

The fact behind – to be able to improve project team work, processes, manage stakeholder’s expectations, project manager needs to be a good listener. At the same time he needs to be adaptive to situations so that new surprises can be tackled effectively.

12.Has strong support of good team members

In reality, a good project manager’s results are recognized by virtue of the work performed by his/ her team; hence for a good project manager, he needs a strong support from his team whenever he sets new processes, encounters issues or just keep doing good work.

13.Earn Team Members’ Respect

To get strong support of the project team members, a good project manager has to earn team member’s respect. And earning respect is, in fact an exchange process. You have to give respect, to earn respect and be worthy of the earned respect. So a good project manager ensure, that he treats them well, respect their personal life, encourages them for their good work, supports when things go wrong.

14.Judiciously Recognize Team Members For Their Contribution

As mentioned above, a good project manager praises team member who makes their positive mark in project deliverable. At the same time, project manager needs to support team members who are unable to keep up with the pace or have encountered obstacles.

15.Keep Team Members Less Affected From Outside Pressure of Project Deliverable

This point is equally important. A good project manager ensures that the pressure to deliver project is percolated to team members in right amount. The pressure of expectations should be conveyed to judicious extent but not so much that it will bog them down.

16.Users Technological Solutions To Bring Right Collaboration, Visibility To Everyone

A good project manager always understand the benefit of technology and encourages adoption to maximum extent. They always know that technological solutions – like project management software such as ZilicusPM can improve collaboration, keep team members updated but most importantly, project management tools will make their own life – lot easier. No more phone calls, manually updating excel files, frequent team meetings can be avoided for better life.

Image Reference : TheCVRighter.

Additional readings about project management, leadership

• Avoid These 10 Most Common Mistakes That Leads to Project Failure
• Transition of A Good To Great Project Manager
• Looking for a robust task management software: Best of Both Worlds: Gantt Chart + Kanban Board?
• Project Management Tool for Software/ IT Projects
• 7 Reasons Why SMBs Prefer All In One Project Management Tool

Your life can be become easier with the right project management system. ZilicusPM is the right PM tool for you and your team. Get started now.

About Zilicus

Zilicus offers the best project portfolio management tool ZilicusPM, with robust project management tools capabilities and easy ways to track project management KPI,

Know more about project portfolio management, Gantt chart, best project management tool, project management office, project management tips, project planning guide, project risk management, project scope management, effective project management, project manager guides and know more about Project Portfolio Management Software, Project Management Software Guide.

Also published on Medium.