What is a Project Manager and what are its functions?

Today, in the business world, the concept of Project Manager Depending on the scope of its application, it is also known as administration, management or project management. This has required some new skills that are added to what has been traditionally done.

The Project Manager or Project Director is the person who has the expertise to apply the skills, tools, processes and techniques required for each opportunity. This in order to improve the prospect of success of the organization's projects, taking into account the established limitations.

The Project Manager of a company is perhaps the most important factor to obtain the success or failure of a project. However, success also rests on the quality and suitability of the human resource that joins the work team. Hence the importance of selecting and adding people capable of contributing to the project.

Main functions of the Project Manager.

Traditionally, the management role in a company has been linked to decision-making and that, in essence, has not changed. What has varied with the Project Manager is the closeness that the director has with what he supervises, which is a more direct deal with the staff, resources, deadlines, task design, among others.

The following are the main functions of the Project Director or Project Manager:

• Define and present the project. Explains the phases and deadlines of this to the clients and serves as an intermediary between them and the work team.
• Lead the team to achieve the project objectives. Coordinate all parties involved in it.
• Plan the activities to be developed. Here the Project Manager has to specify the details of the project: objectives, dates, resources, managers, deadlines, among others.
• Control the resources assigned for the development of the project.
• Monitor tasks. It is perhaps the main function of the Project Manager that should never lose the strategic vision and stay abreast of all the tasks and evolution of the same.
• Apply and implement the solutions or changes necessary during the execution of the project. This requires a constant capacity for discernment to decide how and when to intervene.

What is the profile of a Project Manager?

In order to successfully assume the functions as Project Manager and achieve the strategic results for the business, it is necessary for the person to have certain skills. It is not enough only to have technical knowledge but also certain personal skills that allow you to motivate and guide the team to achieve the objectives.

Technical skills:

• Incident and conflict management. Capable of solving any problem that may arise. Assume the role of mediator and provide solutions when necessary.
• Planification and organization. It is an indispensable task to make decisions, organize the project and determine its strengths and weaknesses.
• Activity program. Clearly set the phases and deadlines for all the activities that make up the project you lead.
• Surrounding analysis. Able to capture opportunities and identify risks, that is, continuously analyze the environment in which they operate.
• Measurement of the work environment. Constantly assess the productivity of team members to improve and streamline tasks and planned phases.
• Change management. Adapt the changes that occur during the development of the project and make the team members assimilate that situation as well.
• Understanding of operations. The Project Manager, in addition to being aware of what happens in the project, has to anticipate the changes that may occur.
• Opportunity vision. Glimpse and identify business opportunities and estimate expenses and resources for them.
• Administration. It is the last technical competence and perhaps the most important. It is vital that the Project Manager manage the entire project that he directs so that the results are the best, that is, that productivity is achieved.

Personal skills:

• Be a leader. A person who, having demonstrated wisdom, competence, and ability, gains the group's confidence in his authority to be led.
• Build confidence and motivation.
• Conflict management and appropriate decision making.
• Very organized and able to tackle different projects at the same time.
• Able to work as a team, committed and with integrity.
• Be empathetic and manage the expectations of team members.
• Stay up-to-date with new technologies.
• Be a good communicator and know how to stay calm when under pressure.

Importance of the Project Manager.

Today the Project Manager is becoming more and more important in organizations. The fact that there are projects led by highly qualified people guarantees the preparation and formation of highly motivated teams capable of presenting better projects to clients and investors.

The Project Manager is very popular today as its use is in almost all companies and at almost all levels. It provides some benefits, including: improvements in the control of physical, human and financial resources; in customer relations and teamwork as well as stimulating high morale in workers.

For companies, being able to count on Project Managers who are experts in planning and directing projects means that they can obtain better performance and efficiency in the development of any draft. This, of course, has an impact on goal achievement and productivity.

Conclution

The projects They are developed with the objective of achieving strategic and productive results for the company's business. For this it is vital that the Project Manager has a high level of skills that allows you to plan, coordinate, organize and control the process effectively and efficiently.

As mentioned above, there are multiple functions that a Project Manager fulfills and there are also multiple competencies that they must have to perform efficiently in the important role within the company and, at the same time, be able to take on various projects in a manner simultaneous.