What Is a Project Manager? A Career Guide
Whether you are interested in construction, architecture, fashion, design, computer science, robotics, or something else entirely, chances are you will be able to use project management skills in your career. And since it is such a versatile career, you can leverage these transferable skills to enhance your resume, no matter where your career takes you. In a perfect world, projects would run flawlessly, with all tasks executed on time and on budget. The project manager role was invented to make the world just a tiny bit more orderly. If you’ve worked directly with anyone in this profession, hopefully, you’ve noticed they have an uncanny way of keeping everyone informed, pushing through obstacles, and getting the job done on time—even when problems arise. When deadlines are looming, the project manager has to make sure that everyone is on top of their work and feels comfortable asking for more hands if they need them.
- Confluence is the premier project management solution for PMs seeking to overcome the common PgM challenge of fragmented communication and scattered data and documents.
- Before this certification, a project manager can gain experience through getting involved in initial planning and budgeting, as well as participating in cross-company communication.
- A project manager is the point person for all of the company’s major goals by implementing important plans and managing teams.
They may use pre-existing frameworks, such as Agile or Waterfall methodologies, to help guide the process. Additionally, a project manager will be able to communicate with leadership and tell them what they need to know at the top line, as opposed to getting bogged down in too many specific details. A project manager acts as a chameleon between teams, making sure everyone has what they need to get pieces of the project done. As a company grows, one of the most vital positions to staff is a project manager.
Getting started in project management
A project manager is the point person for all of the company’s major goals by implementing important plans and managing teams. The APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition is a foundational resource providing the concepts, functions and activities that make up professional project management. It reflects the developing profession, recognising project-based working at all levels, and across all sectors for influencers, decision makers, project professionals and their teams. Starting Out in Project Management is your essential guide to the basics of project management.
Scrum provides a set of processes, rules, and roles that allow small teams to be more result-oriented and productive. In an organisation using Scrum, team members—the Scrum team—work together to reach a common goal faster. Agile is a powerful project methodology that emphasises teamwork and frequent deliveries to demonstrate progress. In an Agile process, requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration among self-organising cross-functional teams.
What can projects deliver?
Project management methodologies and approaches come with certifications that demonstrate your expertise as a project manager. Project management methodologies act as blueprints for navigating a project’s life cycle. Waterfall and Lean work better for projects with a defined sequence or a focus on minimizing waste. Tools facilitate smoother updates, collaborative problem-solving, and efficient coordination. At this level, a PMO administrator will provide support to the project, programme, or portfolio team through administrative and reporting activities. In this video explore what it means to start a project well and what you can be doing to make it happen.
- There is also scope to develop and adapt the profiles to the specific needs of your organisation.
- According to the Job Growth and Talent Gap report from PMI, employers will need to fill some 22 lakhs new project management-oriented roles each year through 2027 [2].
- A career as a project manager can be exciting, varied, fulfilling, and productive.
- If you’ve worked directly with anyone in this profession, hopefully, you’ve noticed they have an uncanny way of keeping everyone informed, pushing through obstacles, and getting the job done on time—even when problems arise.
- A career in project management is more than just juggling deadlines and budgets.
They don’t just coordinate and supervise tasks; they’re committed to the success of a project from start to finish and beyond. With this guide as your starting point, you’ll learn what a project manager is, what they do, and a little about how they do what they do. A PM is a leader who guides projects from the drawing board to the finish line. They gather necessary resources, unite team members, and work on continuous improvement. There are many routes to becoming a project manager, from gaining a qualification, to working your way up on the job. The APM Learning portal is an online resource which provides members with access to digital guides, modules and other digital learning resources as part of the membership benefit.
Learn
Let us take a closer look at what project managers do, why you should consider a career in project management, and how you can get started. A career in project management is more than just juggling deadlines and budgets. It’s also an opportunity to grow as a leader, learn how to resolve problems and make decisions under pressure, strategise over a variety of projects and priorities, how to become a project manager and to keep up with the latest software and technology. If you’re seeking a job that will keep you on your toes, look no further than project management. A program manager oversees a group of related projects, focusing on long-term objectives and the overall impact on the company’s goals. A project manager is responsible for the daily operations of a single project.