Exam 10: The Project Manager

People are not born with the skills needed to be effective project managers; rather

Leadership is getting things done through others; the project manager achieves results by not trusting the project team.

Whenever a customer requests changes, the project manager should

Good negotiating skills are essential for project managers.

Communication by project managers needs to be timely, honest, and ambiguous.

If possible, the project manager should have project team members not participate up front in the decision to change.

A common barrier to effective delegation is that the team members fear criticism for mistakes or lack self- confidence.

Good project managers spend more time talking than listening.

The project manager communicates the objective to the project team in such a manner as to create a vision of

Effective and frequent communication is crucial for keeping the project moving, identifying potential problems, soliciting suggestions to improve project performance, keeping abreast of customer satisfaction, and avoiding surprises.

Open communication and a climate of trust are prerequisites for introducing change, reducing resistance to change, and gaining commitment to the change.

Effective project managers have strong leadership ability, ability to develop people, excellent communication skills, good interpersonal skills, ability to handle stress, problem-solving skills, negotiating skills, and time management skills.

The project manager must create for the team a vision of the result and benefits of the project.

The aspects most likely to be affected by project changes are

Project managers must be able to handle the stress that can arise from work situations.

Another way of encouraging project team development is to meet with project team members individually at the start of their project assignments and encourage them to take advantage of their assignments to expand their knowledge and skills.

The project manager has self-confidence and exhibits distrust in the project team members.

The project manager needs to use effective listening and to be able to make a persuasive case and clearly articulate her position on issues.

In certain situations, the project manager needs to act as a buffer between the project team and either the customer or upper management.

Read -- subscribe to journals or look up articles related to the skills you want to develop -- to develop the skills necessary to be an effective project manager.