A project manager has to use technical and human resource management skills in tandem. It is important for a manager to be able to effectively communicate with people who are often at opposing ends of the process.
Project Management is as much about managing people as much about the job. Companies typically promote people to the supervision positions based on their knowledge of the task and their performance. But project management is about the ability to get the best out of the people. A manager's job is to manage the projects as well as the people working on them.
A manager needs to be well versed in the technical aspects of a job. He should know how to put the pieces together to produce the complete thing. This ability would enable him to come up with the right kind of plan to get the project done. He would be able to take care of the routine technical nuances and guide the team through these. Anyone who has received quality technical training, has enough exposure and possesses analytical skills, can take care of the project part.
However, for being a good manager, one has to supplement the technical skills with soft skills as well. To put it simply, a manager must be able to effectively communicate with people. Now, dealing with people is many times more complicated than dealing with a technical issue. One needs to possess top notch soft skills to excel as manager. You need to communicate with your team members, your seniors and maybe the clients as well. You bought to know how to balance their expectations, which would most likely be at the opposite ends.
If a manager is adept in managing projects but lacks adequate management skills, targets would be met but unwillingly and usually full of errors. An inept manager would fail to motivate employees to work effectively. Employees dissatisfied with their job would not work to the full of their ability, and this would influence the quality of the project. For quality work, it is necessary to keep the employees' dedication levels at the optimum. A manager with top-notch skills would know how to get the job done in the best possible manner.
A manager has to use technical and soft skills in tandem to get the best possible results. If a manager effectively manages projects as well as people, it would churn out peak performance producing the highest quality task. The best approach for a manager would be to manage the projects through people. They need to recognize that manpower is valuable and it needs to be retained and encouraged to get good results.
Typically, project managers are involved in a project fromception to the closing phase. They have to draw a detailed plan regarding the completion of the project. If they make the best use of the available human resources, they would be able to complete the project in a timely and efficient manner. They also need to demonstrate problem solving and decision making skills. They have to make decisions during the execution of the project, some related to the project while some to people associated with it. He must be able to take reasonable decisions after analyzing issues and issues, listing out possible solutions, picking up the best option and implementing it to manage a project.
One can undertake professional project management training courses to hone the skills needed for executing a project. These courses are specifically designed keeping in view the challenges faced by managers at work, thus helping one to develop as a valuable human asset of the company.