Project Management; Roles, Responsibilities, Duties & Buzzwords

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet the project requirements and achieve the desired outcome. Project management is valuable to businesses because it helps ensure that a project delivers the expected outcomes, both on time and within budget.

A project is a unique endeavor, and usually includes a set of unique deliverables. It’s also a temporary pursuit. It has a defined beginning and an end. A project is a series of tasks that need to be completed to reach a desired outcome. Reaching that desired outcome takes collaboration and careful planning that keeps the project on track and on budget.

Poor project management can lead to around 50 percent of projects missing delivery dates, around 45 percent missing budget targets, and around 30 percent failing to meet an organization’s goals.

Program managers, manage multiple projects for specific products, teams, or programs. Project managers usually follow a process that involves:

• Planning and organizing
• Managing tasks
• Budgeting
• Controlling costs and other factors.

Everything they do helps make sure the project can be completed on time and on budget.

A project manager also needs to make sure that the project outcome is bringing value to the company. A project manager can add value in many different ways. Whether that’s creating a new service for customers or modifying an old service so it’s more tailored to the customer’s needs.

It’s the project manager’s job to make sure that project is both valuable and successful. A project manager’s responsibilities can vary, depending on the project, the industry, and the company they’re working in.

A project manager’s daily responsibilities always include some version of the following:

1- Planning and organizing.

• An example of that might be gathering requirements from teammates or customers. This means figuring out what exactly your project’s trying to accomplish. Creating project plans is a key part of project management. It helps set the tone of the project, keeps everyone on pace and aligned, and helps move tasks along.

2- Managing tasks.

• Once the project is underway, the project manager helps manage tasks for the team members and communicates key milestones to the larger team or customers. This helps keep team members, and customers updated on how the project is progressing.

3- Budgeting and controlling costs and other factors.

• Managing the budget and controlling costs is a common responsibility that project managers have to understand to keep the project on track and within budget.

An internship is a short-term way to get hands-on experience in an industry. You get real work experience while simultaneously networking with people in that industry.

Contract work is working for companies on a contract means you’ll work with them on a project-by-project basis, but you won’t be a full-time employee.

• This kind of work is a great way to get your foot in the door and build your portfolio. Plus, it gives you the flexibility to try your hand at a few different projects at once, depending on the commitment level required for that.

Project managers work in many industries. The skills project managers learn in one industry can be applied in others. Project managers tackle a variety of projects from start to finish.

Introductory-level project management roles

Entry-level project management positions are a great opportunity to get your foot in the door and learn the ins and outs of how a company operates and manages projects. Some entry-level project management positions include:

• Junior Project Manager: Performs all aspects of being a project manager alongside a more experienced professional.
• Project Administrator: Assists the rest of the project team with administrative tasks.
• Project/Program Assistant: Supports team members working on a project and offers administrative support. May perform research or create training documents along with other jobs as assigned by program leaders.
• Project/Program Coordinator: Participates in hands-on project work and administrative tasks. Works under a project manager to make sure projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Project Support Specialist: Works alongside a project manager and team members to oversee assigned projects. May also be responsible for training and developing employees to perform designated tasks.

Traditional project management roles

Once you have gained some experience in introductory-level positions, you can explore traditional project management roles, such as:

• Project Manager: Responsible for the initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing of a project. Includes industry-specific titles like IT project manager, construction project manager, or engineering project manager, which utilize skills that are transferable among industries.
• Project Analyst: Moves a project along by sharing information, providing support through data analysis, and contributing to strategy and performance.
• Project Leader/Director: Drives core decision-making and sets the direction for the project. Usually knowledgeable about the product or deliverable.
• Project Controller: Primarily responsible for project planning. You are likely to see this job title in industries like engineering and construction.
• Technical Project Manager: Conducts project planning and management for identified goals within a company. Ensures that projects are completed to the requirements within a defined time frame and budget.
• Project Management Office (PMO) Analyst: Manages the progress of complex projects to ensure timely execution and completion.

Program and portfolio management roles

Project managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of projects. They shepherd projects from start to finish and serve as a guide for their team. Project managers must apply the right tools, techniques, and processes to complete the project successfully, on time, and within budget.

After you have carried out projects successfully and feel you are ready for a step up in responsibility, a program manager position may be the next step for you. While a project is one single-focused endeavor, a program is a collection of projects.

A portfolio is a collection of projects and programs across an entire organization.

Portfolio managers are responsible for portfolios of projects or programs for one client.

While project, program, and portfolio managers hold different types and levels of responsibility, they are all project managers.

• Program managers are responsible for managing many projects. Program managers: Manage a group of projects that are related or similar to one another and handle the coordination of these projects. They facilitate effective communication between individual project managers and provide support where necessary. They also help create and manage long-term goals for their organization.
• Portfolio managers: Responsible for managing a group of related programs within the same organization. They coordinate various programs in order to ensure they are on track and that the organization is meeting its strategic initiatives. Portfolio managers look at all projects and programs within the organization and prioritize work as necessary.

Operational management roles

In operational management roles, you will get the opportunity to experience several different departments and how they interact and operate. Operational management roles allow you to work alongside peers and management from various business segments, giving you an appreciation for what each segment does on a daily basis. Some operational management positions include:

• Operations Analyst: Manages and coordinates research, investigates workflows, creates business procedures, and recommends changes to improve the project and company.
• Operations Manager: Oversees strategic decision-making and rolls out plans of action based on financial, schedule, and resource reporting.
• Chief Operating Officer: Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of a business.

Agile roles

• Scrum Master: Coordinates and guides the Scrum team. Knowledgeable in Agile framework and Scrum and is able to teach others about the Scrum values and principles.
• Product Owner: Drives the direction of product development and progress.

Industry-specific management roles

As you search for project management roles, you may see positions with titles like “engineering project manager” or “construction project manager.” Keep in mind that the skills you learn in one industry can be applied to another industry.

Transferable skills are abilities that can be used in many different jobs and career paths. Your transferable skills can likely be utilized in project management roles in many other industries.

Some project management duties

• Creating monthly status reports
• Helping to implement new and necessary technologies
• Tracking work plans and performance metrics
• Assisting other members of the operations team on given projects
• Ensuring timely responses to requests for information.

Networking is when you meet other people in a professional setting with the goal of learning, sharing knowledge, and creating new business connections.

Using buzzwords in your job search

Buzzwords: words or phrases that are popular for a period of time or in a particular industry.

Similarly, many job descriptions list the specific skills they require candidates to have. These skills can become some of the terms that you use in your job search. Examples of these skills include:

• Coordination, or getting people and teams to work together. You may see responsibilities in job descriptions such as “coordination of efforts to achieve project deliverable” or “coordinate internal resources to ensure successful project completion.” Being a project manager is essentially managing the coordination of resources to achieve your end goal.
• Organization, or the ability to stay focused on different tasks. You may come across phrases like “solid organizational skills, including attention to detail and multitasking skills” or something as simple as “highly organized.”
• Leadership, or being able to lead a group of people. You may see phrases like “strong leadership qualities” or “ability to lead” in job descriptions. A project manager needs to display leadership in a number of ways, including effective planning, efficient task coordination, inspiring team members, and key decision-making.

You may also come across positions in your search that do not include the title “Project Manager” or any of the job titles we previously discussed, but you shouldn’t rule these positions out. In many cases, the job description will include project management experience and expectations, but the position may be called something else entirely.

• You will find that most project management-related job descriptions call for the ability to plan, organize, monitor, and execute tasks

Common project management buzzwords

Listing buzzwords and skills that are relevant to the position can also help recruiters and hiring managers identify you as a qualified and knowledgeable candidate. Some common project management-related buzzwords and skills you could include on your resume are:

• Analytical
• Assertive
• Assessing outcomes
• Assessing progress
• Attention to detail
• Conflict resolution
• Collaborative
• Coordination
• Communication
• Development
• Evaluation
• Executing plans
• Financial analysis
• Impact assessment
• Leadership engagement
• Managing meetings
• Managing client expectations
• Managing conflicts
• Managing relationships with stakeholders
• Managing vendors
• Meeting deadlines
• Monitoring
• Multitasking
• Planning
• Prioritizing
• Problem-solving
• Process development
• Process improvement
• Project coordination
• Project implementation
• Project initialization
• Project planning
• Project reporting
• Quality control
• Risk assessment
• Risk management
• Solution development
• Strategic planning
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong verbal communication
• Strong written communication

Project managers shepherd projects from start to finish and serve as guides for their team, using their impeccable organizational and interpersonal skills every step of the way.

Project managers usually follow a process that involves planning and organizing, managing tasks, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved timeframe.

Project managers add value to their teams and organizations in key ways that include:

• Prioritization
• Delegation
• Effective communication

Prioritization: Project managers add value to their teams and organizations through effective prioritization of tasks required to complete a project. They’re experts at helping team members identify and break down large tasks into smaller steps.

• There’ll be times when a project manager may not know which task to prioritize. To determine which ones are the most critical to the success of the project, they’ll connect with their teams and with stakeholders to gather information and make a plan.

Delegation: Project managers use delegation to add value to their teams and organizations by matching tasks to individuals who can best complete the work.

• So by delegating this task to the person with the right skills to complete the work and ordering the task appropriately, you’re applying knowledge of your team’s strengths to the planning of your project.

Effective communication: Project managers deliver value through effective communication, both with their team and with key stakeholders. This refers to being transparent, which means being up front with plans and ideas and making information readily available.

• Project managers keep in regular contact with their team about the progress of the work and help identify areas where a teammate may need support.
• In addition to keeping up with teammates, project managers keep in regular contact with people outside of the team, like company leaders who are invested in the project outcomes.

Stakeholders are people who are interested in and affected by the project’s completion and success, like the leader of an organization.