Exploring how a project manager adds value

Project managers: Sheperd projects start to finish serves as a guide for

their team, using impeccable organizational and interpersonal skill every
step of the way.
Project managers add value to their teams/organizations through effective
prioritization of tasks required to complete a project.
Project managers use delegation to add value to their teams/organizations
by matching tasks individuals who can best complete the work.
Project managers deliver value through effective communication, both teams
and with key stakeholders.

Value of a project manager Video Questions

1. How do project managers use prioritization to add value to their team?
They determine which tasks are the most critical to the success of the
project.
Ex: After identifying tasks and breaking them down into smaller steps, project
managers prioritize these tasks by speaking with their teams and with stakeholders
to gather information and plan.
2. How do project managers use delegation to add value to their team?

They match tasks to those who can best complete the work

Ex: Project managers match tasks based upon the skills and strengths of
their team members.
How project managers impact organizations
By using prioritization, delegation, and effective communication, project
managers can deliver value to their projects. The purpose of this reading is
to highlight how project managers contribute to projects and impact
organizations through their work, which include:
 Focus on customers
 Build a great team
 Foster relationships and communication
 Manage project
 Break down barriers
Focus on customer
Customers are key elements to success in any business. There’s no
exception to that in the project management field. Project management, the
word “customer” is referred to persons or an organization defined by
requirements of projects and sets important guidelines, such as budget and
deadlines. Projects, customers are internal or external. Internal customers
are stakeholders with an organization, such as management, project team
members, resource managers, and other organizational departments.
External customers are customers outside an organization, such as clients,
contractors, suppliers, and consumers.
Successfully delivered projects, meets customer’s standards. Meeting
customer standards, you clearly understand their expectations. Customers
are the center of successful projects. Project managers add a lot of value to
projects by building relationships with customers and taking time to make
sure customers are heard and satisfied with the results.
Asking customer questions (ACQ’s)
Discuss how to focus on a customer in a project. First, sit with the customer
and ask what problem needs solving. Ask if they have a specific vision of the
outcome they want delivered. Sometimes, customers lean on project
managers to find solutions to their problems. It’s a project managers job to
ask questions like:
 Would you like us to assist you with a specific problem? An example of
a response: The customer would like assistance in developing a new
process to make their company more efficient.
 Are you experiencing any impact from the problem? Customers are
losing clients due to their inefficient processes since they sometimes
fail to deliver orders on time.
 Why are you seeking help now? According to the customer, if they do
not improve efficiency, they may lose department funding.
 How do you envision this project's outcome? The client says, for
instance, that their main objective is to raise their order filling speed
without compromising quality.
Take time to dig a little deeper into the “why” behind projects can assist a
project manager with better support and understanding of the customer. The
more understanding customer goals, the more likely you produce what
customers seek.
Building a great team
The team is a project's greatest asset. An effective project manager
recognizes this and takes the time to understand each individual's
motivations, capabilities, and shortcomings. Project managers offer value to
a project by choosing the best team for the job and empowering the team to
succeed and make decisions.

When putting together a successful team, you must evaluate both the
abilities required for the project and the available resources. Understanding
the customer's needs helps shape the talents required by your staff. If you
work on a project that requires medical competence and hire people who do
not have a medical background, no matter how hard they work, the team will
not have the necessary skill set to execute the project. As project manager,
you should hire people with the necessary talents and make sure the team
understands that each member is respected, trusted, and appreciated. You
may show how much you respect the team by allowing them to contribute
and ask questions, as well as responding to their requirements as fast as
feasible.
Fostering relationships and Communication
Maintaining customer satisfaction and building a great team are two ways
you, as a project manager, can add value to a project. Both skills are built on
the foundations of relationships and communication. Project managers that
add the most value are the ones who take time to build relationships,
communicate, and treat others with consideration and respect.

Project Managers set tones for a project and build relationships within their
teams and stakeholders. Take time to check in daily with your team, see how
they’re doing, and ask if anything is needed to assist in making them feel
valued and heard.
Managing the project
When building teams, each person is generally assigned specific project
tasks. Once each task is completed, the person responsible for that task
hands over the project to the next person. Your team members don’t always
see the bigger picture and how impact other in a project. Successful project
managers oversee the impact of each process within projects and
communicate impacts with the team. It’s ensured that everyone working
understands the tasks and goal as well as the bigger picture for the finished
product. For example, if a graphic designer working on marketing materials
for your project does not understand the customer's overarching goal of
appealing to educators, they may fail to represent the campaign's vision.
Helping this team member grasp the big picture enables them to customize
their tasks to the needs of the project's aim.

Managing projects can be busy but take your time to build relationships and
maintain open lines of communication, it will increase chances of projects
success as well as customer’s and your team members’ satisfaction.
Breaking down barriers
When asked why something is done in a certain manner, you may receive
the response, "Because we've always done it this way." A project manager
offers value to a project by breaking down boundaries, allowing their team to
invent new methods of doing things, and encouraging people to share ideas.
As a project manager, you must demonstrate ingenuity and teamwork and
inspire your team to do the same.

How can you break down barriers on a project? You can provide support for
your team as they try new approaches to find solutions, and you can
advocate for additional resources for your team. If your team is having a
hard time getting an answer from another organization, you can reach out to
the organization yourself to keep the team on track and on schedule.
Question 2
Start by creating a list of 5-10 local and remote businesses currently
operating that you think would hire project managers.

Tekcom Resources, Inc

M.C. Dean
Google
Kingspan
MillenniumSoft Inc
Get It Recruit-Hospitality
Centene Corporation
Health Services Advisory Group, Inc
Department of Justice
Medius

Question 3
Consider the businesses on your list, and then add the types of
responsibilities you think project managers would have. Write a total of 2-3
sentences.

 Performing administration, organization, and implementation

 Managing
 Assisting in preparation of project documentation
 Coordinating and leading
 Developing a work breakdown structure
 Scheduling resources and maintain baseline project schedules

Question 4
Choose one of the businesses on your list and provide an example of how you think
a project manager can help that business. Write 1-2 sentences.

Google’s Project Managers do google tasks, Asana, Trello, and proof hub. The tools
help Google to stay organized, track progress, and collaborate efficiently.
Key project manager roles and responsibilities
(Video)
Project manager
 Planning and organizing
 Managing tasks
 Budgeting and controlling and other factors
Planning and organizing
 Making use of productivity tools and creating processes
  Create plans, timelines, schedules, and other forms of
documentation to track project completion
Budgeting and controlling costs and other factors
 Monitor and manage the budget
 Track issues and risks
 Manage quality
 Remove unforeseen barriers
Project task is an activity that needs accomplishing within a set period of
time by you, your team, or stakeholders.
Questions
Which day-to-day responsibility of a project manager includes maintaining
timelines and schedules to track project completion?

Planning and organizing

Ex: As a project manager, you will use timelines and schedules to ensure
your team completes the project on time.
Responsibilities that utilize interpersonal skills
What are core job responsibilities of project managers?

Project managers responsibilities are planning, managing tasks, budgeting,

controlling costs, and other factors that assist the project within budget and
on time.

What does it mean? Project managers are responsible for tracking day-to-day
detailed projects but will also have opportunities to step back and see the
bigger picture of the overall project.

Depending on the project and organization, you may have responsibilities to

utilize your interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are behaviors you use to
interact with others, such as communication, active listening, and leadership.
Let's review these responsibilities.
 Teaching and mentoring
Mentoring your team is one of the responsibilities of a project manager. A
thorough clarification of expectations reduces rework, uncertainty, and
irritation. Learning from your own mistakes and teaching others to do the
same allows you to make smarter decisions and build upon your expertise as
a project manager. You can also mentor your team by helping everyone
achieve their potential and exceed their expectations.
Building Relationships
It all comes down to relationships. Your team members are individuals, not
just employees, and you should spend time getting to know them. It is
equally important to make efforts to establish connections with your
customers, clients, vendors, and other stakeholders. Check in with people on
a regular basis. Observe their behaviors when determining how to
communicate with them, since they can provide information about their work
style. Following up on your conversation with them later will demonstrate
your interest in their life outside of the project. When you build these
relationships, everyone becomes more involved in the project's success.
Controlling Change
According to American novelist Louis L ‘Amour, "the only thing that never
changes is that everything changes." This also applies to projects. Projects
evolve when you gain a deeper understanding of your stakeholders'
expectations and demands. As a project manager, you must remain
adaptable and responsive to the needs of your stakeholders. However, it is
equally critical to safeguard your team against frequent change and rework.
A excellent method to achieve this is to describe the project's initial
expectations and explicitly specify the needed revisions. It is also beneficial
to understand the budget and schedule implications of the adjustments, and
to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of those implications. You are the
project manager, and it is your responsibility to defend your team.
Empowering your team
We all enjoy being heard and recognized in our professions. Giving your staff
the option to collaborate directly with stakeholders and their teams shows
them that you trust and believe in their abilities! One of the most beneficial
aspects of empowering your team is that it generates new ideas and
passionate employees who are eager to help solve challenges. Another
method to empower your team is to delegate duties to them, allow them to
make project decisions, and incorporate their feedback into the project's
planning and execution. Effective mentorship typically results in more
empowered teams.
Communicating status and concerns
Communication is essential in the role of project manager. Alongside
excellent communication, you can collaborate with your team to develop
answers to problems. The project manager establishes the tone for the
project. Maintaining an open-door policy and fostering trust within your team
and among stakeholders—all while remaining positive—will contribute to the
project's success.
A project manager’s role within a team (Video)
Project managers are not often direct managers of people working on a
project team.

Each person will be an expert on their portion of the project, but no one will
be experts on every aspect of the project.

What is the project manager responsible for on a team?

Guides the team and makes sure they have the support that they need

Ex: Project managers are responsible for guiding the team. To do that well,
they need to ensure that the team has the support they need to complete
the project.

 Hold all team members accountable for their assigned task

 Ensure issues and risks are tracked, visible, and established escalation
paths
 Understand and assist teammates to adopt the right workflows and
project management styles
 Collaborate with other teams of the organization to deliver solutions
that meet requirements based on project scope, schedule, and budget
Working with cross-functional teams
Project managers are likely to work with cross-functional teams. Cross-
functional teams include team members who have different backgrounds,
types of expertise, and job functions. Even though team members have
different skill sets, occupy different roles, and work in different departments,
working toward a common goal: successful completion of your project.

Sometimes members of cross-functional teams are referred to as” T-shaped

professionals.” Skilled collaboration and innovation with different job
functions across different departments but contribute their own specific
areas of expertise. Members of a cross-functional team have unique
perspectives and experience, bringing different ideas and strategies to
projects.
Exploring each idea in detail
Clarify goals
When working with cross-functional teams, it is critical to ensure that each
team member understands their position, how they assist one another, and
the project's overall goals. It is critical to establish clear goals for the team
and ensure that they comprehend them. Be direct and concise and minimize
unnecessary information and explanations. When describing task or project
goals, make sure to include critical terms like budget, deadlines, quality
criteria, and important resources. Encourage your team members to ask
questions and clarify facts so that they grasp the work and project goals. It
will be your responsibility to regularly check in with your team to ensure that
they are all on track, working toward their goals, and producing high-quality
work. Cross-functional teams may work in various departments, physical
locations, and under different leadership, yet all team members collaborate
with the project manager to support the present project. Your project may
compete with other objectives, so talking openly and frequently with your
team—and vice versa—allows you to spot possible difficulties or concerns
before they develop.
Get team members with the right skills
It is vital to ensure that your team members have the appropriate skill sets
for each of the project functions. If you're building an airplane and have five
engineers but no mechanics, you're missing a critical component of your
cross-functional team. As the project manager, you must ensure that your
team consists of the proper people with the necessary skill sets to complete
the project successfully. Later in the program, we'll go over several tools you
may use to assist you identify the skill sets required to complete your project
duties.
Measure progress
Displaying your team's accomplishments helps to keep them engaged. Take
the time to track and share project progress throughout the cross-functional
team. This allows everyone to see the big picture and appreciate their
contributions to the project. Progress can be measured in a variety of ways,
including meeting critical milestones, finishing project activities, and
achieving project objectives on schedule and within budget. Communicate
with your team members on a regular basis to ensure their progress. Inquire
if they anticipate finishing on schedule. If not, ask how you may assist them
in reaching their goals. Keep track of the team's progress throughout the
project by documenting when tasks and goals are done and communicating
with your team members if the project is on track or not. Make sure you
communicate accomplishments, delays, and difficulties to the team, so they
understand how the project is developing. Keeping everyone informed is
critical to the project's success.
Recognize efforts
When working with cross-functional teams, certain skills may be more
prominently acknowledged. A mechanic may receive recognition for solving a
problem inside the project, whilst the finance member who secured the cash
may be ignored. As a project manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that
each member of your cross-functional team understands the importance of
their contributions at all stages. You've learnt the value of developing
relationships with stakeholders; developing relationships with your cross-
functional team members is equally crucial. Learning what makes your team
members feel supported, giving and receiving feedback, and being aware of
each individual's background, personal characteristics, and work style can all
assist to buffer some of the disparities amongst team members.
Elita: A day in the life of a project manager (Video)
“The more organized a project manager is on their actions, the more
organized their team is with their thinking and their actions.”

“It’s important to make a decision to get yourself unstuck, follow through on

actions, learning some things and decide to take new actions once you’ve
learned something.”

The core skills of a project manager (Video)

Skills for successful project management
 Enabling decision making
 Communicating and escalating
 Flexibility
 Strong organizational skills
Industry knowledge
 Tools
 Templates
 Project management styles
Key Competencies: Flexibility and handling
ambiguity (Reading)
In the previous video, we addressed a project manager's four critical
competencies: enabling decision-making, communicating and escalating,
good organizational abilities, and flexibility. With time and experience, you
will master these skills, allowing you to succeed in a project management
capacity. In this reading, we'll look at why flexibility is necessary for efficient
project management and how you can assist your team deal with ambiguity.
First review other project management competencies you’ve learned about
so far.

Enabling decision-making
By making the decision-making process collaborative, you may make team
members feel empowered from the start. For example, outline the goals for
specific deliverables and solicit feedback from your team on how to achieve
them. You may have a notion of how you want certain jobs to be completed,
but other team members may have more innovative or efficient solutions.
Empowering your team to share their thoughts and make their own
judgments allows you to concentrate on the larger management chores and
prioritize them in order of importance. Allowing team members to participate
in decision-making also promotes a culture of responsibility, accountability,
and team cohesion.
Communicating and escalating
Project management necessitates a clear communication of project goals
and expectations, team member roles and duties, and constructive feedback.
Knowing how to successfully communicate and when to escalate issues to
management is critical for keeping you, your team, and your organization on
track for success. When escalation is required, strive to present management
with both the problem and a potential solution or solutions. This
demonstrates that you, as a project manager, are proactive.
Strong organizational skills
Demonstrate the importance for you, as leader, to stay organized through
efficient tracking and communications, your team follows suit. Utilizing
abundance organization tools available is one way, such as:

 Planning and scheduling software (templates, workflows, calendars)

 Collaboration tools (emails, collaboration software, dashboards)
 Documentation (files, plans, spreadsheets)
 Quality assurance (evaluations, productivity trackers, reports)

Experiments are different organizational approaches that determine what

works best for you and your team.
Flexibility
Project managers need abilities to adapt and overcome changes and
challenges. Further exploring why flexibility is such a critical project
management skill and discuss how it prepares your team for change,
mitigate risks, and handle ambiguity.
Flexible planning
Change is inevitable, and the more flexible you are as a project manager, the
more successful you will be throughout your career. Flexible planning
strategies can help manage projects during times of unpredictability:
 Assess external constraints.
Plan your project, take external events into account, national holidays and
team members vacations and sick leave. Leaving extra time in schedules for
inevitable events up front can help minimize impacts to projects.
 Plan for risks and challenges.
If you think about the potential hazards, you may be able to discover
solutions ahead of time. For instance, what if someone on your team
becomes ill or wishes to leave? Can you replace them within the company? If
not, are you able to hire an independent contractor? Make a list of people
who might be able to join your team if one of the members becomes
unavailable. You can also estimate hazards by examining historical data.
Examine your previous endeavors and the problems you encountered. Then,
determine whether comparable challenges may arise in this project and plan
accordingly. Later in the curriculum, we will go into risk management in
detail.
 Calculate “float” in your schedule
The amount of time you can wait to begin a task before it affects the project
timeline and jeopardizes the project outcome is referred to as float, or slack.
Identifying float in your schedule can help with resource management,
scheduling, and project completion. You will learn more about calculating
float in a subsequent course, when we explore constructing a critical path for
your project activities.
Handling Ambiguity
Ambiguity can be a significant barrier in project management. Ambiguity in
goals, requirements, timetables, vision, and other project-related areas is
common for project managers. Your team will look to you to lead during
times of ambiguity and change, so flexibility is especially crucial. Here are
some different ways to help your team deal with ambiguity:
 Keep calm
Uncertain times, handling ambiguity with grace and poise helps inspire
members of your team to do the same.
 Express empathy
Project managers need to understand what their team is thinking and
feeling, especially during ambiguity. Let team members know you care about
challenges they are facing and support them every step of the way.
 Communicate what you know clearly
Define the components of the project that are certain and will not change.
This gives your team a better idea of what to expect, regardless of whether
certain components of the project are still unknown or changing.

 Make decisions and stick to them

Avoid second-guessing your judgments in front of your staff, since this might
lead to more confusion. If you need to change direction, explain to your
colleagues why you did so.
 Trust the expertise of your team
Enhance clarity by having everyone on your team communicate what they
already know or think to be true about project components, such as what is
involved in certain tasks or the resources required, based on their areas of
expertise. Then, talk about what you still don't know and come up with new
approaches to learn more.
Reflection: Identify the essential skills of a project
Manager (Practice Quiz)
Question 1
In this exercise, you’ll practice identifying core project management skills.
Read the scenario below and try to identify the skills the project manager
uses. Specifically, you can identify the skills discussed previously, and
consider when the project manager:
 Enables decision-making
 Communicates and escalates
 Demonstrates flexibility
 Applies organizational skills

Question 2
Scenario: Planning a Corporate Retreat
An event planning team of five is tasked with planning a corporate retreat for a business with
85 employees. This retreat involves hundreds of to-dos, a large budget, client-initiated
changes, and important discussions with the client. The project manager knows there is a lot
to do, and they are ready to lead the way.
Right from the beginning of the project, the project manager creates a spreadsheet to track
what needs to get done in the project, and what teammates are working on. They also send
status update emails twice per week to the stakeholders.
The project has a $100,000 budget. There are many items to purchase and rent, including
venue space, retreat materials, food, chairs, and tables. The project manager allows each
one of their teammates up to $3,000 in expenses, with anything over requiring an approval.
Shortly after the project begins, the client decides they want to slightly change the theme of
the project to focus on the future instead of the past. The project manager has to work with
several team members to implement the changes which include graphic design, retreat
materials, and signage.
 Throughout the process of changing the theme of the retreat, the project manager works
closely with the client by phone, email, chat, and video to ensure that the theme updates
meet their expectations.
There is an award-ceremony dinner at the end of the retreat. The deadline to finish
scheduling the dinner is in two days. Several crucial decisions need to be made: the menu,
lighting, and presentation music. To make sure the deadline is met, the project manager has
a video meeting with the client to ensure the dinner choices meet their expectations.

Question 3
How did the project manager enable decision-making in the project? Write 1–
3 sentences.

The project manager enabled decision-making by working with several of the

team members to implement the changes which include graphic design,
retreat materials, and signage. Throughout the changing process of the
theme the project manager is working closely with the client by phone,
email, chat, or even video to ensure the theme updates met their
expectations. The deadline to finish scheduling is in 2 days, so several crucial
decisions need to be made like lighting, menu, and presentation music. For
the project manager to meet the deadline they have a video meeting with a
client to ensure dinner choices meet their expectations.

Question 4
How did the project manager communicate and escalate in the project? Write
1–3 sentences.

How the project manager communicated and escalated was by every step
out of the way even through the changes was in contact with the client to
ensure that everything met their expectations. Whether it was by phone,
email, chat, or even video.

Question 5
How did the project manager remain flexible in the project? Write 1–3
sentences.

The project manager remained flexible in the project because regardless of

the changes they remained calm and talked with graphic design, retreat
materials, and signage and still kept in contact with the client to ensure that
expectations were met, and deadlines were met as well.
Question 6
How did the project manager use strong organizational skills in the project?
Write 1–3 sentences.

The project manager used strong organizational skills in the project by

making a spread sheet to track what needs to get done in the project, and
what teammates are working on. They also send update emails twice per
week to the stakeholders.
Rachel: My journey to becoming a project manager
“Skills she polished as a bartender informed her everyday work.”

“You have to understand their unique needs.”

Skills you bring to the table (Discussion Prompt)
Think back to the project management skills you just learned about enabling
decision-making, communicating and escalating, flexibility, handling
ambiguity, and strong organizational skills.
 List 1-2 skills you already possess that are helpful for a project
manager.
 List 1-2 skills you look forward to gaining during this course that are
helpful for a project manager.

Thinking back on all the skills a project manager needs makes it easier for
me to know that I possess at least 2 or more of the skills needed already. I
know that I possess flexibility and strong organizational skills. Flexibility is
helpful for a project manager because it allows managers to consistently
organize workloads and resources. They use it to evenly spread-out peaks
and trough in demand and stagger start dates of different projects. It makes
their cash flow and schedules more consistent and their lives less stressful.
Strong organizational skills are useful for project managers because projects
need to run smoothly and in line with common goals, project managers need
organizational skills. It includes the ability to multitask, prioritizing tasks,
compartmentalizing projects and documenting everything for easy access
and future reference.

There are more than 1 or 2 skills that I look forward to gaining during this
course that are helpful for a project manager. Enabling decision-making and
communicating and escalating. Project managers enable decision-making in
projects by following structured decision-making process, it involves steps
like problem definition, gathering relevant information, evaluating
alternatives, selected best solutions, implemented decisions, and monitoring
outcomes. Communication in project management is the most significant
aspect in project management, because project managers majority of the
time are communicated to coordinate efforts. Escalation in project
management helps identify the problem, gather evidence, delegate
responsibilities, determine the correct authority, and make your
presentation. Projects need escalation when they are so severe that there is
no other choice but to implement an escalation plan.
Common myths about project managers (Reading)
The skills that project managers need to succeed in their position have been
discussed. Here are a few myths about what it takes to become an effective
project manager debunked.
 Reality
Benefits of project managers not having technical knowledge about projects.
Getting caught up in technical details when communicating with
management and stakeholders, the project managers look at different pieces
that cross-functional teams work and assess how each contributes to
successful projects. Project managers bring in the right team members with
different areas of expertise and trust to be able to focus on technical aspects
of a project. Handling communication, documentation, and organization to
get projects successfully to the finish line.
 Scenario
Jamar landed his first project management job with construction companies.
Managing construction of elementary schools in his city. He isn’t expected to
know how all technical skills work, like engineering, plumbing, and electrical;
he hired the right people for the job. He communicated his needs, timelines,
and expectations of projects to his team members and stakeholders to break
down barriers completing projects on time. Jamar helped engineers and
construction workers communicate with one another to ensure they are all
on the same page regarding the requirements. He makes sure materials are
in place as needed for plumbers and electricians.
 The bottom line
Project managers hire experts and help put pieces of the project together.
Project managers don’t need experts in every field.
Myth: You must always know every single detail
about the project.
Reality
Details matter in project execution, but project managers must focus on the
big picture and strategy for the project. What is the end goal? Do you and
your team have a clear direction? The whole team understands their
objectives and knows what they need to be successful in their tasks, they
can work on individual details and provides you space to supervise overall
project goals. Open lined communication helps ensure your team members
share any possible risks to budget or schedule with you.
Scenario
Yui is a project manager working for a clothing company. Company
development new lines of winter sleepwear is set to launch in late October.
Yui meets key stakeholders to determine their goal and timeline for projects.
Recruited employees from merchandising, exports, marketing, materials,
production, and quality control to be a part of project team. Yui meets her
team at the start of projects to clarify objectives for product lines and checks
in with them regularly to remove any barriers and find where additional
support is needed. Team members from material departments inform Yui the
fabrics they were planning on using for styles of pajamas increased in price,
Yui works with the team members to find new suppliers, so the overall
project budget is not impacted.
The bottom line
Project managers role is to communicate with stakeholders, clarify
objectives, and set expectations. Trust your team to handle details of each
project task and communicate with you when there’s an issue. Direct
communication and strategic approach to problem-solving, providing
solutions and help remove barriers for your team. This is where value is
added!

Busted three project management myths! Recognizing truths will assist in

being more confident and successful as you pursue your project manager
career.
Test your knowledge: Acquiring the core skills of a
successful project manager (Practice Assignment)
1) Which of the following is true of project managers’ experience?
 They need to know how to manage a budget
 They need to be familiar with project management tools
2) Which skill should a project manager use when dealing with change
and ambiguity?
 Flexibility
3) Using tools such as a digital calendar and a spreadsheet to track team
tasks is evidence of what project management skill?
 Effective organizational skills
4) Which of the following flexible planning strategies can help a project
manager during times of unpredictability?
 Calculate float in the schedule
 Assess external constraints
  Plan for risks and challenges
Leadership and team dynamics (Video)
Influencing without authority
Project managers’ ability to guide teammates to complete their assigned
work without acting as their direct managers.

Key interpersonal skills

 Communication
 Negotiation
 Conflict mediation
 Understanding motivations
Leading a team communication can include checking in with teammates to
understand how they’re progressing on tasks and providing clear feedback
on quality of teammates work.

Negotiation includes working with teammates to compromise on new

deadlines when they tell you the work won’t be completed on time.

An important skill is conflict mediation. Project plans change and issues

arise. It sometimes leads to tension and conflict within the team. Conflict
mediation is a great skill to practice and develop to ensure projects don’t
suffer as a result. It involves setting up 2 teammates who are struggling to
agree upon best way to handle a shared task.

Understanding motivations and getting to know your teammates and

figuring out what pushes them to do their best work. It also includes learning
how your teammates prefer to receive feedback, and how they like to receive
recognition for doing a great job. With that information use it to information
to motivate and encourage each person on the team.
Questions (Video)
Which interpersonal skill helps a project manager get to know their
teammates and figure out what pushes them to do their best work?
 Understanding motivations
Ex: Successful project managers should get to know their teammates. This is
important for learning how team members work best, how they prefer to
receive feedback, and even how to share praise.
Practice Quiz
Question 1
In this exercise, you will read a scenario and comment about how you would
react to the situation. Then, you will list and describe skills that make a
project manager successful. Start by considering the following scenario:
A co-worker is responsible for researching and providing you with a list of
potential venues for a retirement party. For the last three weeks, they have
been telling you they will complete the list by “the end of the week (EOW).”
When you check in with them at the beginning of each of the weeks, they tell
you they didn’t get around to completing it but that it will be done by the
current week.

How might you influence this situation without authority? Write 2-3
sentences.

How I would influence the situation without authority is by offering to help

prioritize tasks, setting up progress meetings with due dates, and sending
professional emails to request progress updates. Remind your teammates of
the impact of their work and the importance of timely completion. Have
them keep in mind that their client is depending on them to complete it on
time.

Question 2
Write a list of the most valuable interpersonal skills required to be a
successful project manager and describe how each skill contributes to a
project manager’s success. Write and describe at least four skills.

The most valuable interpersonal skills for a project manager to have is

communication, negotiation, conflict mediation, and understanding
motivations. Leading a team communication can include checking in with
teammates to understand how they’re progressing on tasks and providing
clear feedback on quality of teammates work. Negotiation includes working
with teammates to compromise on new deadlines when they tell you the
work won’t be completed on time. An important skill is conflict mediation.
Project plans change and issues arise. It sometimes leads to tension and
conflict within the team. Conflict mediation is a great skill to practice and
develop to ensure projects don’t suffer as a result. It involves setting up 2
teammates who are struggling to agree upon the best way to handle a
shared task. Understanding motivations and getting to know your
teammates and figuring out what pushes them to do their best work. It also
includes learning how your teammates prefer to receive feedback, and how
they like to receive recognition for doing a great job. With that information
use it to information to motivate and encourage each person on the team.
Ellen: Traits of a successful project manager
(Video)
“Successful project managers are somebody who really know how to pull
together a group of people.”
  Laser-like focus on executing the goal
 The people
Review: Becoming an effective project manager
Module challenge 2
Question 1
As a project manager, you are careful to recognize team members’ particular
strengths and match them to tasks they are most capable of completing.
What project management value does this represent?

 Delegation

Question 2
As a project manager, you direct the activities your team needs to
accomplish within a set period of time. You also control the team’s workload
to ensure the activities are getting done on time. Which project management
responsibility does this represent?

 Managing tasks

Question 3
As a project manager, you establish “escalation paths.” These allow you to
quickly communicate task hindrances, also called roadblocks, to the right
people. When escalating a roadblock, you document it and make sure
everyone that needs to know is aware of the challenge. What project
management responsibility does this represent?
 Ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible

Question 4
What is an example of measuring progress for a cross-functional team?
 Recording milestones and documenting when tasks are completed

Question 5
After several years as a project manager, you’ve learned that project plans
often face unexpected changes, even with careful upfront planning. When
this happens, you can adjust while helping your team stay calm. Which core
project manager skill set are you demonstrating with these behaviors?
 Flexibility

Question 6
As a project manager, you learn that the stakeholders are changing the
nature of the project and the team’s deliverables will change as a result. You
aren’t sure how this will affect the team’s tasks. How will you handle this
ambiguity and deliver the news to the team?
 Tell them you care about the challenges they are facing and are there
to support them

Question 7
A key team member on the project you are managing decides to quit
because they cannot come into the office every day. You offer to let them
work from home three days a week, if they will stay on. Which interpersonal
skill are you using?
 Negotiation

Question 8
As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to effectively
manage the project. Which of the following would a project manager do to
effectively manage the project? Select all that apply.
 Understand the impact of each process within the project.
 Frequently communicate the larger project goal to the team.

Question 9
Fill in the blank: In project management, a _____ is a person or an
organization that defines the project requirements. They also may set
important guidelines, such as the budget and deadlines.
 Customer

Question 10
Fill in the blank: _____ is when a project manager supports each individual
on their team to meet expectations and exceed their own sense of
personal potential.
 Mentoring

Question 11
To be an effective project manager, what important actions/steps
should you take?
 Ensure team members understand the team’s objectives and their
individual tasks