Are you looking to get into project management and become a project manager? If so, you will need to understand the roles and responsibilities of a project manager to decide if it’s the right role for you. Becoming a project has many benefits such as great salary packages, flexibility and some creative control. However, these benefits do come with hard work as well as the pressure of making sure a project succeeds.
If you think you can take on the role of a project manager you will need to have the right skills and gain relevant qualifications to support you in succeeding. Here are the roles and responsibilities of a project manager to help you decide if it is for you.
What is the role of a project manager?
The role of the project manager is essentially to manage the project. The project manager will oversee the whole project from the very beginning of it to completion. Therefore, being a project manager can come with pressure as the success or the failure of a project will most likely be a reflection of the project manager. As a project manager, there are a number of roles that you will have to take on and these include the following:
- A manager
- A leader/coach
- A negotiator
What are the responsibilities of a project manager?
When a project manager takes on a project, the whole project is their responsibility and this includes the various components that come it. For example, this will include managing the project team, making sure the work produced is of the expected quality, keeping within budgets, mitigating risks and keeping all parties informed. The following are the main responsibilities of a project manager:
- Creating a project management plan with the right input from the team and the key stakeholders
- Setting/creating a project schedule and making sure that the team are meeting the deadlines
- Sourcing the resources needed for the project
- Keep organised and staying on top of the activity
- Motivating and leading the project team and helping fix any issues
- Developing a project budget
- Keeping the key stakeholders in the loop with the progress of the project
- Analysing and mitigating any potential risk
- Continuously monitoring the development of the project
What are the day to day activities of a project manager?
A project manager’s day to day activities will vary across the different stages in the project. However, these are the typical day to day activities you can expect:
- Plan your day and prioritise the tasks that need to be completed urgently
- Check on the progress of the project and optimise/make changes if necessary
- Prepare for meetings you may have with various people involved in the project
- Communicate and get updates from the project team
- Update and communicate with the key stakeholders
A project manager will face long hours and busy days especially during the peak of a project, however, it’s incredibly important to take time out and take breaks. Whether this is a 15-minute short walk around the block or actually taking a lunch hour and getting away from it all. Breaks will help you refresh and be better at work.
More on becoming a project manager and project manager jobs.