10 Top Qualities of A Good Project Manager with Great Outcome

(Last Updated On: September 20, 2021)

What are the top qualities of a good project manager? You are ultimately accountable for keeping the project on schedule as a project manager, especially when the stakes are high. In this article, I am going to talk about some of the top qualities of a good project manager.

You must be able to balance deadlines, a budget, and the quality of work to be a good project manager. Even the simplest jobs may be stressful, and this is where organizing skills come into play. Any project suffers from a lack of structure, but there are several strategies to guarantee you do what you set out to do.

Qualities of a good project manager

Here is a list of ten qualities of a good project manager:

1. Create an efficient filing system

Managing a project might include a deluge of paperwork, with several papers being generated and modified. This can be difficult to keep track of, and you can waste time looking for the most recent version of a document.

A consistent approach to project artifact storage will be ensured via a suitable file system with explicitly specified document naming standards.

See whether your company has an established name convention. If you don’t know where to start, there are several best practice examples you may look at. Just make sure that any strategy you choose is consistent.

2. Use a template

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to project management. Source document templates that you may use as a great starting point if this is your first project.

It will make your job a lot simpler, and you will have a series of useful templates to refer to in the future. It’s also a good idea to keep a work log or diary, as well as comprehensive notes on how you solved difficulties. You’ll have something to turn to if a similar problem happens later.

3. Establish time constraints

Setting realistic timelines against individual project tasks is the best approach to ensure that things get done on time. According to MIT research, students work more effectively when a major project is split down into smaller assignments with clear deadlines.

You must ensure that anyone you allocate each work to has the necessary skills and resources to execute it on time. Setting unreasonable deadlines can put unnecessary strain on project resources, resulting in poor job quality and team fatigue.

4. Delegate duties effectively.

One of the most crucial talents a project manager may have is the ability to distribute work. Effective delegation is an art, but once you’ve perfected it, you’ll relieve yourself of stress and offer your team members a sense of ownership and accomplishment. Break things down into smaller jobs rather than giving each worker a huge amount of work to accomplish.

When giving orders, be specific and make sure that everyone on the team understands what they’re doing and when it has to be completed. You should also double-check that the individual you’re assigning the work to has the necessary knowledge and skills to execute it.

5. Establish expectations early on.

You should communicate your expectations for the project to your team or personnel from the start. These should include the level of work you anticipate, who is in charge of specific duties, and how your team communicates with one another.

The sooner you clarify what is expected of your team members, the simpler it will be to guarantee that everyone is working toward the same objective and that any misconceptions or assumptions are eliminated from the start.

6. Be aware of potential problems.

We all hope that no problems emerge, especially when there are severe deadlines to meet.

Unfortunately, in the project world, this is rarely the case. Developing and maintaining up-to-date risk and problem registers, as well as resolving concerns as soon as feasible, can aid in the prevention of your project plan going astray.

A planned procedure will minimize anxiety and make it much simpler to address the situation rationally and find an acceptable solution whenever a big issue threatens to derail your project. Regular two-way communication with important stakeholders is also essential to avoid unpleasant shocks.

7. Evaluate progress in relation to the project plan.

A project plan is essentially your project’s road map, and it should include specific information on the project’s authorized scope, cost, and timeline. Ask yourself the following questions to assess your progress:

Are duties being done in a timely and efficient manner?
Are the original timelines still feasible in light of the current pace of work? If not, are there any chores that require extra attention?
Are you still in possession of the required resources to execute the project?

It’s critical to keep track of your progress utilizing updates and comments from your team. Make this a top priority at team meetings so you can deal with problems as they emerge and change the plan as needed.

8. Take use of project management software

Last but not least, in today’s primarily web-based world, good project management software is vital to project managers. If you want to save all of your important papers in one location, communicate information with your team, and manage projects in one spot, online software solutions are unbeatable.

9. Have frequent meetings

Meeting with your team on a frequent basis to check the base and discuss project updates, including achievements and concerns, is important as a project manager.

People are most acceptable to a meeting on Tuesdays at 2:30 pm, according to a survey of over 500,000 meetings. Find a time that works well for the majority of team members if you’re working on a virtual project team.

Working across various time zones might be difficult, but rotating meeting hours will guarantee that the same individuals aren’t forced to the same late-night conference call.

10. Define the scope of the project

The first stage in the project planning process for a project manager is to define the scope of the project. To Tweet, simply click here.

The first stage in the project planning process for a project manager is to define the scope of the project. To do so successfully, you must first comprehend the projects:

What are the intended outputs and outcomes, and what are the deliverables?
Is there a budget in place?
How much time do you have to finish the project?
What physical, human, and financial resources do you have available?
Stakeholders: That are the people who are participating in the project? Who are the decision-makers, influencers, and recipients?