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Project manager by choice or by default?

The reasons for assigning a project manager role to someone within an organization are sound: Knowledge of the company, its products, and people should by no means be underestimated. But whether that person has the necessary skills to lead a project is not always taken into account, and there can be just as many problems with internal promotion as with hiring an unknown, but experienced person from another organization that has specifically chosen this profession.

In fact, does the person interviewing for the position know what attributes to look for in potential candidates? The skills and attributes required of a truly competent project manager are wide and varied and go far beyond any qualifications she may possess. The candidate’s attitude, personality, and soft skills should also be considered, but these are often difficult to accurately assess in the interview.

Therefore, within an organization, many people continue to drift in the role or are forced upon it due to the growing need within companies for people to control the work, budget, and time of the many projects that are involved. start. Those who are promoted from within tend to come from a purely managerial background or a purely technical background and often lack the skills and competencies required to successfully manage a complex project. So along with the boom in projects has come a boom in the need for training so that these people can acquire the necessary skills.

Project management is still a relatively new profession, but increasingly, as in established professions such as law or accounting, professional credentials are available to recognize the stages, achievements, and milestones in this career path.

Many of these relatively recent accreditations recognize (and indeed require) practical experience, thus avoiding the problems associated with some project management courses in which candidates gain theoretical knowledge of processes and techniques but lack the hands-on experience necessary to fully understand the realities of a real project environment. Due to the considerable effort required to obtain these credentials, they are also indicative of a desire to continue within the profession.

An individual’s personality traits are those innate characteristics that are difficult to teach and learn, but are key factors in the success of a project. Personal values ​​and motivation also contribute to the success or failure of a project.

Skills or competencies, on the other hand, can be taught and learned: Project management, as with many roles, has a core set of skills required to perform the role effectively, including attributes such as:

  • ability to lead a team
  • composition
  • motivation
  • conscientiousness
  • expectation management
  • Problem resolution

Many of these attributes only come to light when an individual is exposed to an opportunity or experience (such as a formal training course) that allows them to learn them. Standard definitions of core competencies are published by organizations such as PMI, and your PMP Certification is widely accepted as recognition of professional competency. For those new to project management, the APM Introductory Certificate is a good first place to start your training. So, project manager by choice or not, it may or may not be the innate attributes and opportunities in training and experience that define success.

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