Introduction
Project management is defined as “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements” (PMBOK Guide, 3rd Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., PN, 2005). It implies that project management is starting, planning to carry out, and utilizing the available resources with the aim of completing the project. In order to succeed in project management, some of which are discussed below.
Main body
Planning is the initial stage of project management. This stage greatly influences all the other activities that take place throughout the project, therefore planning should be carefully done so as to avoid disasters associated with it. For example, poor planning while making a bridge that eventually collapses during its use could be avoided by the use of proper building materials and thorough testing before the actual use.
Communication throughout project management is considered very important. Open communication and encouraging members to speak up their opinions and ideas. If a project manager carries out the project without actively involving his/her partners then in case the project fails all the blame is placed on the individual and he/she loses integrity.
To manage a project appropriately, the manager should learn that as much as it is not viable to watch everything, people can be watched with ease. The manager should. They should realize that the manager will accept nothing less than a perfect job. In case the manager is tolerant to shoddy jobs then the result will be a failure.
Personal time should be considered as important too in project management. The project manager should respect other people’s time. For example, the staff would feel pleased to work within the agreed time so that they can have personal time with their families.
In project management, the use of modern technology is as vital as the technology itself. Not using current technology is a mistake that should be avoided in project management.
Any project should suit customer needs and objectives. Before anything in the project is changed, the customer should be notified so that he can have a contribution that befits him. If the work done does not meet customer requirements then it is likely that the customer satisfaction is not met and this is detrimental to the image of the company.
Wrong decisions that were made before could be recovered so that the same is not repeated. Past mistakes are able to shape up the direction of future projects of the same nature.
Teamwork is considered important in projects. For projects to succeed there must be some kind of teamwork. Whatever is done without the support of the team suffers because of a lack of support from the team.
The project manager should at all costs desist from micro-management. He should not spend too much time perfecting details instead of focusing on achieving landmarks and ending the project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a successful project manager should have more qualities than what is discussed above. These qualities work hand in hand but not all at once. The characteristics discussed are only basic and they serve a vital purpose of making the manager successful.
References
Stewart, R (1996). One hundred rules for NASA project managers. Web.
Ahn, L. (2008) 10 Rules of Highly Successful Project Management. Web.