Introduction to Project Management
January 11, 2013
Effective project management requires that the project manager possess the following characteristics: knowledge, what the project manager knows about project management; performance, what the project manager is able to do or accomplish while applying their knowledge; and personal, how the project manager behaves when performing the project activity (PMI, 2008). As Kay Roman (2011) discusses in Five Critical Skills for Team Leadership, leading a team involves the ability to provide direction and leadership, plan, meet goals and objectives, manage activities/tasks, and work with people. Planning and communication are critical to successful project management …show more content…
Project managers must possess a balance of technical, interpersonal, and conceptual skills to be able to analyze situations and interact appropriately. Primary interpersonal skills to assist the manager in effectively managing the project include leadership, team building, motivation, and influencing, decision-making, political and cultural awareness. (PMI, 2008). The leader must have the ability to develop people, be able to handle stress, be able to problem-solve, have negotiation skills, and effective time management skills (Gido & Clements, 2012). Key success factors for building high performance teams according to IBM’s Bill Smillie are: stakeholders committed, business benefits realized, work and schedule predictable, team high performing, risks mitigated, delivery organization benefits realized (2002). These factors are framed as actionable results. According to Smillie, project managers can use the seven factors as a guide to help keep a close check on the health of the …show more content…
http://managementhelp.org/projectmanagement/index.htm
Management Help – All about project management that discusses the foundations of project management, doing project management, and provides links to general resources and topics. This website seems to have a wealth of information and as well as additional links to sites such as helpful software. http://www.projectmanagementguru.com/team.html Project management Guru – Project team leadership tools and techniques. This site is more focused on the project team itself. For instance, Tuckman’s forming, storming, norming, and performing stages. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_60.htm Mind Tools – How good are your project management skills. This site has a quiz but is not a good resource due to needing to be a member. http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Publications/PMIEXEC06.ashx PMI - Executive guide to project management. Provides an outline of the project management process, benefits and considerations involved in implementation. Packed full of information. The last page provides a comprehensive list to help get the ball rolling when considering beginning a