You’re starting a new project. What are the most important skills you need to have as a project manager?

Beginning a new project, it's essential to prioritize relationships and alignment as the foundation. Once these are established, everything else tends to fall into place, as each project manager brings their own repertoire of tools and skill sets to the table.

Starting a new project requires crucial skills for a project manager. Effective communication is essential for conveying goals and updates. Strong leadership guides the team and resolves conflicts. Organization ensures tasks are scheduled and prioritized. Adaptability handles unforeseen challenges. Problem-solving skills tackle issues efficiently. Understanding project management methodologies and tools helps in managing resources and tracking progress. With these skills, success is achievable.

As a project manager, one of the most crucial skills is the ability to effectively manage project scope. This involves defining, documenting, and controlling the scope of work to ensure that the project stays on track and delivers the intended outcomes within the agreed-upon constraints. It requires the ability to prioritize tasks, manage changes, and communicate scope-related decisions to stakeholders.

Important skillsets to start a new project as a project manager include 1) Leadership: inspiring team and keeping them motivated 2) Excellent communication protocols on new project 3) Excellent organizational skills to manage the project 4) Problem solving and solutioning capabilities 5) Timeline management with accurate roadmaps 6)Stakeholder Management 7)Risk Management and mitigation of risk in time. 8) Financial approvals , budgeting, resource allocation and planning redundancies 9)Adaptability to changing project environments. 10)Technology Management : Accurate understandings of the skillsets, technologies, tools , framework and methodology to be used is of prime importance.

Scope! This is your Rosseta stone that will allow you understand every little detail on any project. Understand what and how deeply every task or activity have to be deliver, will allow you understand the E2E process, sequence, stakeholders, better timeplan approach, manage expectations, change management, estimate costs, etc. Understanding how your final solution must to work and how it deliver benefits, is your base for a great management.

Listening is by some margin the most critical skill in my view. And let’s face it, most of us are not very good at it. Chipping in or checking out, we skip like pond skaters over deep waters. Properly listening gets you to the heart of the matter, but its prime purpose is not actually for you. It’s for the speaker. Read that again. It’s for the speaker. When you listen with a genuinely curious mind and open heart, the speaker senses your receptiveness and considers it a safe space to walk into. I dare you to give it a go.

Effective communication is essential for ensuring everyone is on the same page. This includes clear articulation of goals, expectations, and feedback, as well as active listening to understand team members' ideas and concerns.

Communication is key at every stage in Project Management. If the scope is well developed and communicated to all stakeholders and becomes almost a cadence/drumbeat then scope creep is less likely to happen. Communicating the proper information to the correct stakeholders is key.

Strong communication skills are essential for a project manager to effectively convey ideas, instructions, and expectations to team members, stakeholders, and clients. This includes active listening, clear verbal and written communication, and the ability to tailor messages to different audiences. Effective communication fosters collaboration, alignment, and engagement among project stakeholders, leading to successful project outcomes.

All communication skills are very important, but there is one that shines when done well, and that's writing since a lot of communication is done asynchronously (emails, chats, getting briefs, etc) and also, what is not written, tends to be taken away by the wind, so it's important also to write conclusions from meetings, anótate product features in the backlog, etc. Writing is an art, so it's a good idea to dedicate time to read about good practices, actively seek improvement and promote it as an important skill to de develop in your team.

Project managers must possess robust risk management skills to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks that could impact project objectives. This involves anticipating potential challenges, analyzing their potential impact and likelihood, and developing risk response strategies to minimize negative consequences. Proactive risk management helps mitigate project delays, cost overruns, and quality issues, enhancing overall project success.

Leadership skills are vital for project managers to inspire, motivate, and guide their teams towards achieving project goals. This includes setting a clear vision, fostering a positive team culture, and empowering team members to take ownership of their work. Effective leadership involves coaching, mentoring, and resolving conflicts to create a collaborative and high-performing project team.

Leadership skills is the most important four me as project manager because you need to: - Make people believe in you project. - Convince people to join your project. - Build a team have the same vision of the project. - Observe and learn from every body.

While not always required, having a foundational understanding of technical concepts relevant to the project can be advantageous for a project manager. This could include familiarity with project management software, industry-specific tools, or technical terminology. Technical skills enable project managers to better understand project requirements, communicate effectively with technical team members, and make informed decisions.

Most of the implementation phase of a project will need a manager that really understands the technical details to both be able to lead the way by example when needed by coding and/or proposing architect solutions. But also actively participate in discussions/decisions where trade off are in play. A lot of good tech teams only give their respect to a lead who they see as a strong technical lead/manager.

For a manager it would be important to not lose sight of the team's morale. A motivated team of 5 can do more than a demotivated team of 10, so always keep an eye on how your team dynamics are evolving and what are the key points that make a positive impact on your team's morale that are within your scope of control, that along with a strong tech skills will inspire not only a good morale but respect and probably loyalty.

Cost control. In addition to completing the project on time and within a reasonable budget, managers can also view the project as a “venture” and observe how effectively it contributes to business revenue. Budgets can be created manually and modern project management software also provides budget setting features suitable for different sizes.

As per the PMBOK—Ver 6, project managers are advised to possess Technical and Leadership skills, along with proficiency in Strategic and business management. Ver 7 emphasises the evolving PM Talent triangle, incorporating Ways of Working- such as predictive, agile, and design thinking methodologies. Business Acumen- is crucial, as it enables professionals to comprehend both macro and micro influences within their organisation and industry, empowering them to make informed decisions. Power Skills - including collaborative leadership, effective communication, innovative thinking, purpose-driven orientation, and empathy, are also essential for successful project management.

When it comes to finding out most important skill, I believe communication skills are most important skills. Having done toastmasters myself, I highly recommend using your ears for deeply listening to someone. This includes listening and understanding both verbal and non-verbal cues. Once you know how to listen, your inner guide will show you how to respond. This self reflection mechanism will help you connect with fellow speaker which in turn help the conversation go in the direction which is innovative and productive. And you will create win-win.

Problem Solving and Decision Making: The ability to quickly identify problems, analyze options, and make informed decisions is critical for navigating the inevitable challenges that arise during a project.