Main 4 Project Manager Responsibilities

All project managers have to start somewhere, years ago all I had was an idea of what project manager responsibilities actually are. The only thing I knew without a doubt was that, as a project manager, I would be in charge of making decisions critical to the success of my projects.

As time went by, I managed to organize my ideas better and clarify a few aspects that I will share with you in the following lines. Your success as a project manager will not depend on how well you understand or memorize the following. However, they may help you put order into your thoughts and organize your actions better, for effective project management and see your projects to success.

Core Project Manager Responsibilities

As a project manager, you must possess the combination of skills that will allow you to manage all the aspects of the project. Among them, I cannot overlook communication, attention to detail, broad view, teamwork, and, most of all, organization. This is all core to The 5 Project Management Process Groups.

You also need to be able to recognize and measure all the risks likely to impact your project throughout its lifetime. As long as you keep them in mind, you will be able to minimize them and prevent unwanted consequences.

Essential Project Management Tasks

• Defining the project management scope;
• Planning and sequencing project-related activities;
• Planning resources and developing schedules;
• Engaging the stakeholders in the new project;
• Time and cost estimations;
• Budget planning;
• Preparing the necessary documentation;
• Risk analysis and management;
• Tracking and reporting progress;
• Team building and leadership;
• Supplier relationship management;
• Quality control.

Main Project Management Responsibilities

A job like ours – a Project Manager – comes with responsibilities. Although many of these responsibilities vary with the specifics of the industry, company or project, some are common to all niches. They can be structured starting from the four main functions of a project manager: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning

One of the most common project manager responsibilities, planning will be one of your critical duties. Establishing the main course of action, the key players and the estimated time limits are an integral part of the planning process. Some of your key planning duties will include:

• Setting out the baseline project scope;
• Developing the master plan and schedule of the project;
• Developing procedures and policies capable of supporting the fulfillment of the initial project goal.

Organizing

You will need to set up the main organizational structure of the team assigned to carry out the project, taking into account the existing structure of the company. As such, some of your main duties will be:

• Identifying the team members’ roles and responsibilities;
• Don’t forget to identify you project manager responsibilities to the team;
• Identifying the outsourced services to be provided;
• Providing human resources adequate for the defined project roles.

Leading

Leading the project will be your biggest challenge. You will have to put together an impressive array of cunning skills, including communication, ability to motivate your team members, negotiation and conflict solving.

At this stage, your project manager responsibilities will be:

• Defining the team direction;
• Assigning tasks to your team members;
• Finding incentives to motivate your team;
• Coordinating the various activities performed by the main players.

Controlling

In the final stage of the project management process, you will get a chance to measure the project progress, assess the causes of departures from the original plan and take corrective actions to solve these departures.

Some of your main controlling tasks will include:

• Monitoring and reporting the project progress;
• Determining the root causes of deviations and taking the necessary corrective actions.

This is the 4 Main Project Manager Responsibilities. Make sure to read up on project management structure.

Of course, these project manager responsibilities are easier to assume than to actually keep up with. If at a certain point along the way you find yourself in difficulty, don’t hesitate to contact me. Two heads always work better than one, and I love brainstorming sessions!