Job descriptions for project manager: Project Manager Job Description – Purdue University

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Project Manager Job Description: Role, Competencies & More

A project manager is responsible for overseeing numerous projects, monitoring the progress of each, ensuring the client’s requirements are being met, and submitting the project on time. Project managers are needed across industries, with these professionals being in high demand in the IT, marketing and construction industries. Project management roles can be diverse, but it is important for a business to provide a project manager job description that makes the duties of the role clear for applicants.

The right job description will attract capable candidates and allow them to showcase relevant skills in their project manager job description resume and in the interviews. For your convenience, we detail everything you need to know to write a project manager job description below. 

While talking about the PM job description, don’t forget to check out the article on project manager – an ultimate guide.

What is a Project Manager?

Project managers work closely with the company’s teams to ensure their project’s requirements and deadlines are met. Project managers also work to ensure that the employee schedule is on track. 

The project manager is responsible for setting deadlines and managing the team’s productivity. For instance, industry-standard marketing project manager job descriptions indicate that project managers in that industry must set deadlines for the team, manage the responsibilities and summarize the projects.

Furthermore, it is crucial that they need to prepare the report for the upper management. Project managers do everything in their power to ensure the teams are able to do their best work. 

Qualifications for Project Manager

Different companies need project managers with different qualifications. It’s no wonder why a construction project manager job description is very different from an engineering project manager job description. 

If you haven’t had experience in the IT industry, you will be surprised to learn that a technical project manager job description will be look different from IT project manager job description, even though the roles sound similar. 

While the required qualifications are not consistent across the board, doing a project management certification online will qualify a candidate to work in most industries.

While there are offline courses, the online ones can play an important role in helping the candidates prepare. The online courses help you prepare as per your convenience. 

Project Manager Job Description

A basic project manager job description pdf would specify the qualification required for the project manager in that specific field and the preferred work experience.

It will contain details of what responsibilities the project manager would look like. Many companies require the project manager to hold a Project Management Professional degree, and the candidates must complete the PMP certification course.

The qualifications of the project manager may vary depending on the project. Given below are the details about the qualifications of a project manager: 

• Bachelor’s in business or Computer Science and any related field.
• Proven ability to solve problems. 
• Excellent analytical skills 
• Experience related to project management for around 5-8 years 
• Familiarity with project management software tools, practices and methodologies.  
• Creative and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to handle a particular project within the timeline and deadline.
• Experience in understanding the full lifecycle of the project 

It’s important to note that the above points do not appear in all job descriptions. We have furnished a generic job description that will work for any project management position – from assistant project manager job description to senior project manager job description. 

Project Manager Responsibilities

The project manager description often provides information on the manager’s responsibilities, and it is best practice for businesses to furnish all the details. Some of the common responsibilities that a project manager needs to take care of include: 

• Coordinating the third parties and internal resources so that they can execute multiple projects.
• Monitoring and developing projects.
• Preparing outlines for projects.
• Measuring the performance of the project using the appropriate tools and techniques.  
• Assisting the individuals involved in the project and helping them create a proper schedule and scope of their involvement. 
• Report to the higher management about the progress of the project.
• Track all the reports and ensure the project is delivered within the deadline.
• Manage the relationship between stakeholders and clients.
• Conduct proper risk management procedures and lower any risks involved.
• Define the scope of the project, especially in terms of technical feasibility.
• Delegate the tasks of a particular project to all the employees at the senior or junior level, depending on the briefs and skill set of the employees.
• Cater to the project’s budgetary requirements while bearing in mind the short- and long-term goals.
• Build a strong project plan and bring necessary changes per the financial analysis.
• Attend training and conferences to help in increasing team proficiency. 
• Build diagrams and spreadsheets that will help in mapping the documents.
• Constantly work towards building leadership skills.
• Develop a project plan depending on the brief given by the client.
• Prepare diagrams or spreadsheets to map how the project is progressing.
• Perform all the duties that are assigned to them.

Project Manager Requirements

While applying for a position, the requirements will be different. Therefore, make sure to check all the requirements. The typical project manager requirements are as follows: 

• Proven experience in project management.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Experience in working with project management software tools. 
• Knowledge of working on Microsoft Office.
• Improved communication and client-facing skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in the relevant field.
• Good verbal and communication skills.
• Strong organization skills, especially for managing the business in terms of multitasking.
• PMP certification.

Ready to take your proficiency in project management to new heights? Our PRINCE2 foundation training courses offer the perfect opportunity to enhance your knowledge and expertise. With our comprehensive program, you’ll gain the skills and confidence needed to become a certified PRINCE2 practitioner and excel in managing projects. Enroll now and unlock your full potential!

Project Manager Skills and Proficiencies

Some of the essential skills of a project manager include the following: 

• Communication 
• Negotiation 
• Performance Management 
• Cost Control 
• Leadership 
• Technical Expertise 
• Risk Management 
• Critical Thinking 
• Problem-solving skills 
• Technical Skills 
• Analytical Skills 
• Supervision 
• Staffing 
• Coaching 

Top Cities where KnowledgeHut Conduct Project Management Certification Training Course Online

How To Become a Project Manager?

Here are some tips that can help you become an efficient project manager: 

1. Do a Course

The most efficient project management courses are certified Associate in Project Management and Project Management Professional. Candidates can do KnowledgeHut’s project management certification courses to understand the basics and advanced conditions of becoming a project manager.

2. Work on Project Management Skills

Project management is all about skills and techniques. Therefore, as learners, you must gather the right skills. Make sure you’re familiar with the skills needed to become a project manager. These skills will eventually allow you to stand out from the crowd and manage the projects.

While you will learn all the technical skills you need from the course you enroll in, you will need to put in the effort to improve your communication skills. The highest-earning project managers are excellent communicators and understand the ins and outs of directing a team towards their goals. 

Taking language classes, learning business skills, and spending time improving your soft skills will take you a long way in a project management career. 

4. Focus on Team Management Skills

As a project manager, you will be working with teams. Therefore, you must know how to manage teams. If you’re not trained for team management, delegating tasks and managing relationships can be difficult.

Reading books written by project managers and business owners will help you understand the mindset of a successful project manager. 

5. Use Project Management Tools

To succeed, you need to use project management tools. It can play an important role in optimizing your work schedule. However, you must manage these details efficiently.

You can find project management software online and ensure that the entire team can use it. A user-friendly tool can help to elevate the entire experience.

Conclusion

Becoming a project manager is no easy task. You will need to spend time, money and effort earning the right qualifications, and interviewing is a completely different ballgame. You will not become a project manager overnight.

However, if you dedicate yourself to continually learning new skills, you can find a lot of success as a project manager. If you are an aspiring project manager, you can start learning from Knowledge Hut.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the three critical skills a project manager needs to succeed?

The three critical skills that every project manager needs to have to succeed are: ability to communicate and resolve conflicts in the team, manage the team to deliver results within budget and deadline and building a committed and dedicated team that can cater to client needs.

2. What are the three most important responsibilities of the project manager?

Project managers are responsible for planning and organizing projects, and directing project completion when the team starts working on it. A project manager’s goal is to ensure projects are delivered on time, using the budget reasonably, and within the expected scope. 

3. What are the common mistakes made by project managers?

Some of the common mistakes that the project managers make include putting forth an unclear objective regarding the project, not defining the goals of the project clearly, and not delegating tasks to different teams to break the project into more manageable parts.  

4. What leads to a project manager’s success?

The project’s success and the client’s satisfaction are the metrics that define the success of a project manager. However, it is necessary to note that this doesn’t come easy, and they must follow all the guidelines for managing the project to succeed.

Project manager job description | pm-notes.ru

• Published
  27/01/2014
• –
  Ilya Semenov
• V
  Project Management, Project Management Phase Model

This job description was developed and approved on the basis of an employment contract with the Project Manager and in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and other regulations governing labor relations in the Russian Federation.

I. GENERAL

1. A person with a higher professional education and at least 3 years of work experience in the specialty is appointed to the position of Project Manager.
2. Appointment to the position of Project Manager and dismissal from it is made by order of the General Director.
3. The project manager must know:
   • Personnel management methods,
   • Project management methods,
   • Psychology of client relationships,
   • Guidance and normative materials regulating the methods of developing algorithms and programs and the use of computers in information processing.
   • Basic principles of structured programming.
   • Types of software.
   • Technical and operational characteristics, design features, purpose and operating modes of the computer, rules for its technical operation.
   • Technology of automatic information processing and information coding.
   • Formalized programming languages ​​
   • Current standards, number systems, ciphers and codes.
   • Procedure for registration of technical documentation.
   • Advanced domestic and foreign experience in programming and using computer technology.
   • Fundamentals of economics, organization of production, labor and management.
   • Fundamentals of labor legislation.
   • Internal labor regulations.
   • Rules and norms of labor protection.
4. The project manager must be able to:
   • Plan project activities.
   • Select a suitable project team.
   • Correctly allocate employees to the project.
   • Formulate goals and objectives of the project.
   • Moderate meetings.
   • Manage conflicts.
   • Delegate tasks and powers to employees.
   • Monitor all delegated jobs.
   • Calculate project costs.
   • Look for ways to solve problems.
   • Analyze the project environment.
   • Do a SWOT analysis.
   • Conduct risk analysis.
   • Build a project structure plan.
   • Generate project charter.
   • Manage project milestones.
   • Develop a work schedule.
   • Negotiate with internal and external stakeholders and the highest governing bodies.
   • Set SMART goals and objectives.
   • Manage personnel.
   • Manage information.
   • Manage the quality of the product being developed.
   • Manage costs, project deadlines.
   • Manage a project using agile methodologies.
   • Perform project controlling.
   • Plan work.
   • Develop project documents, reports.
   • Use tools for planning, documentation, controlling, risk management, quality, development.
5. The Project Manager reports directly to the General Director.
6. During the absence of the Project Manager (vacation, illness, etc.), his duties are performed by a duly appointed person. This person acquires the appropriate rights and is responsible for the high-quality and timely performance of the duties assigned to him.

II. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Manager:

1. Supervises software engineers, test engineers: assigns tasks to teams, controls the completion of tasks on time, organizes meetings.
2. Carries out, together with the team, the choice of a programming language for describing algorithms and data structures.
3. Develops and coordinates with the project manager, project supervisors the concepts, goals and main stages of projects.
4. Implements operational and strategic planning for the implementation of a software development project.
5. Determines the possibility of using off-the-shelf software products.
6. Maintains project documentation.
7. Participates in the management of project cash expenditures in accordance with cash flow budgets.
8. Organizes the implementation of projects in accordance with the work plan.
9. Prepares and conducts project presentations.
10. Prepares and makes changes to projects.
11. Completes projects within the agreed time frame, within the allocated budget, and to the required level of quality.
12. Coordinates the work of project team members.
13. Monitors the quality of project work.
14. Adjusts the schedule and budget of projects and coordinates changes with project sponsors.
15. Initiates meetings and scheduling as projects progress.
16. Forms and approves interim and final project reports with the project manager and submits interim and final reports to project curators.

III. RIGHTS

The project manager has the right:

1. Get acquainted with the draft decisions of the company’s management regarding its activities.
2. Submit proposals for improvement of the work related to the responsibilities provided for in this instruction for consideration by the management.
3. Within the limits of his competence, inform his immediate supervisor of all shortcomings in the activities of the enterprise (its structural divisions) identified in the course of the performance of official duties and make proposals for their elimination.
4. Request personally or on behalf of his/her immediate supervisor from specialists of departments information and documents necessary for the performance of his/her official duties.
5. Involve specialists from all (individual) structural divisions in solving the tasks assigned to him (if this is provided for by the regulations on structural divisions, if not, then with the permission of their heads).
6. Require from his immediate supervisor, the management of the enterprise to assist in the performance of his duties and rights.

IV. LIABILITY

Project manager responsible:

1. For improper performance or non-performance of their official duties provided for by this job description – to the extent determined by the current labor legislation of the Russian Federation.
2. For offenses committed in the course of carrying out their activities – within the limits determined by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.
3. For causing material damage – within the limits determined by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

V. WORKING CONDITIONS

1. The working hours of the Project Manager are determined in accordance with the Internal Labor Regulations established at the enterprise.
2. Due to operational needs, the Project Manager may be sent on business trips (including local ones).

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Job responsibilities of the project manager and his functions

The main task of the project manager is to put into practice the task assigned to him by the customer. In order to avoid misunderstandings or disagreements, all the duties provided for the project manager are clearly spelled out in the job description, which is approved by the head of the organization or enterprise. The project manager confirms agreement with the specified conditions by putting his personal signature.

Project manager – manager or specialist?

In different sources, you can find different approaches to understanding the English term “project manager”. Some identify it with the concept of a leader, others separate the concepts of leader and manager. Consequently, confusion arises as to how the main functions of a project manager and a project manager relate to each other.

Sometimes there is a division of these positions along the line “leading position – specialist” and, accordingly, their different status.

Sometimes it is recognized that both of these positions are managerial, but the manager’s functions are more specific, while the leader of an undertaking is more required to have leadership qualities, the ability to inspire the team to achieve results and correctly set guidelines and priorities. However, the line is quite thin here.

Based on the established practice, we can most likely say that when implementing one specific initiative, the project manager is both a manager and an executor in one person. If we are talking about an extensive system or a portfolio of projects, then it is possible that the general management is carried out by the senior project manager, and specially selected line managers work in the areas. In addition, some large project-oriented companies have a full-time new initiative manager position for managers who lead individual initiatives.

The project manager, in the international sense of the term, is responsible directly to the management of the organization or company for the result of his activities. To complete the task, he is endowed with broad powers, which are sufficient for independent adoption of operational management decisions in the face of risks and restrictions inherent in all projects. He is a center of competence, to which all the threads from direct performers converge, and does not coordinate every step with top management, so you cannot simply call him a specialist.

In any case, the functional responsibilities of the project manager are included in the job description with the most specific wording that does not allow for other interpretations. A clearly defined range of tasks makes it possible to quickly monitor the progress of their implementation and draw a conclusion about the effectiveness of the entire team.

Main duties of a project manager

Let’s take a look at how roughly the job responsibilities of a project manager can be written in a manual, without focusing on the direction of the idea being implemented or the industry in which it is being implemented.

All functions charged to the project manager can be divided into several areas:

• Strategic vision of goals, objectives and ways to achieve them.
• Effective interaction between the organization’s management and performers.
• Elaboration of a system of general management of all interrelated processes.
• Development of a detailed plan for the implementation of the initiative.
• Organizational efforts to complete planned tasks on time.
• Control over the progress of the project, its comprehensive analysis and measures to minimize risks.
• Activities related to closing the initiative due to its end.

In general, if you take the model instruction as a basis, then the project manager performs such duties.

1. Together with the curator, defining the concept, charter, tasks, goals, stages and final result of the initiative, preparing and conducting its presentation to customers.
2. Drawing up a plan for the preparation and implementation of a new undertaking, highlighting control points from the general list of processes:
   • determination of the list and internal content of the work required for the performance, establishment of interrelations between them;
   • estimate the duration of each process separately and the entire initiative as a whole, drawing up a critical path.
3. Determination of the total quantity and cost of all resources required for the implementation of the project, their allocation in the most efficient way.
4. Estimating the total cost of an undertaking, preparing its budget and expected cash flows (revenues and expenses), participating in cost management.
5. Selection of participants and formation of the team:
   • determination of professional knowledge and skills necessary for the members of this team;
   • making a proposal to the company’s management about specific specialists who should be included in the team, negotiating with them and their immediate superiors;
   • bringing employees up to date and training them if necessary;
   • determination of the most optimal and modern methodology for achieving goals, drawing up a chain of relationships between team members, delegating authority to them and setting tasks;
   • making proposals to the management of the company regarding the motivation of employees.
6. Organization of the work of all involved members of the team, holding workshops, settling conflict situations, prompt resolution of emerging problems.
7. Participation in the preparation of a business plan and a calendar plan (schedule) for the implementation of an undertaking, coordination of basic documents with the customer.
8. Control over the progress of drawing up the documentation necessary for the work:
   • operational collection, accumulation, systematization, storage, use of information related to the implementation of the initiative;
   • timely (in due time) transfer to the project participants of the information they need.
9. Continuous monitoring and control of ongoing activities and processes, making adjustments to them if necessary:
   • control over compliance with the deadlines for the preparation and implementation of individual processes;
   • analysis of the implementation of the approved budget and introduction of amendments to it;
   • analysis of compliance with the schedule, clarification of the reasons for the deviation, its adjustment in agreement with the participants involved in the process;
   • analysis of the impact of possible deviations in the course of performing individual work on the expected result as a whole.
10. Negotiating in the interests of the customer, defending his interests in relations with partners.
11. Identification of risks threatening the project, organization of measures to eliminate them or minimize the impact.
12. Preparation of current and final reports (together with the curator) for the management of the organization and the customer.

If necessary, the employer can detail the duties stipulated by the job description, depending on the specifics of the industry in which the initiative is supposed to be implemented. In particular, here you can list the forms, documents and reports that the project manager is obliged to prepare, set the deadlines for their submission, prescribe specific features of the activity (for example, participation in the commissioning of a construction site).

In information technology companies, the role of a project manager does not end with managing a team. In addition to planning, control and communication, the work of a manager is influenced by his personal characteristics.

Basic skills

The first category of specialization ̶ basic skills. This is an essential tool for any project manager:

1. Ability for social organization. The basis of the manager’s work is people management. To successfully complete tasks, a manager, in addition to experience, must have leadership qualities in order to rally strangers into a single system.
2. Versatility, extensive knowledge. Experience in managing time frames, personnel, supplies required. Control over existing contracts, contracts, financing and cost.
3. Versatility. Rapid transition from, for example, the oil industry to the food industry.

The ability to manage the team’s time and solve problems quickly plays a key role in the work of a leader. When difficulties arise, the ability to instantly change tactics.