The steps to becoming a project manager

Start managing projects.

Keep managing projects.
Learn the skills and theory behind managing
projects.
Use Teamwork to manage your projects.
Get better at managing projects.
Decide if you want to get a project management
certification.
Continue to manage projects.

How do I get a project manager job with no

experience?
First, understand the qualities that are valuable:
Communication. ...
Negotiation and leadership. ...
Problem-solving and risk management. ...
Organization and attention to detail. ...
Time management. ...
Consider a certification. ...
Learn the tools. ...
Take on project management work in your
current role.

What skills do project managers need?

Communication. Project managers must have
strong communication skills to be able to convey
messages to clients and team members. ...
Leadership. Strong leadership skills are critical
for project managers. ...
Organization. ...
Negotiation. ...
Team management. ...
Time management. ...
Risk management. ...
Problem-solving.
Here are the three “must-have” skills for every
successful project manager:
Communication and interpersonal skills. ...
Ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts. ...
Building commitment within the team. ...
Concluding thoughts on team leader skills.

Let’s start here: what does a project manager

do? This role can look slightly different
depending on the organization and project type,
but a project manager is generally

responsible for wrangling big group initiatives --

and they plan, scope, initiate, assign, guide,
budget, control, and wrap-up those projects.
If you’re good at seeing the step-by-step
necessary to complete complex tasks, hitting
deadlines, cajoling people into doing your
bidding, and organizing your workday

down to the minute, you probably have what it

takes to do this job.

No experience? No problem. Let us walk you

through breaking into project management.

First, understand the qualities that are valuable:

1. Communication
Much of a project manager’s job is keeping
totally separate teams in touch, which means
you’ve got to be an ace at clearly and quickly
communicating both verbally and in writing.
You can show this skill up front by turning in a
tightly written cover letter and resume -- both
error-free -- and by giving succinct, clear answers
to early interview questions. Highlight any
communication-heavy aspects of past jobs on
your resume, too.
2. Negotiation and leadership
Project managers are often in charge of guiding a
project to completion without actually directly
managing any of the members of the team.
What’s more, they may be working with separate
teams with competing priorities. That means they
have to be fierce negotiators -- and especially
good leaders when it comes to influencing
colleagues that aren’t direct reports.
Prepare to speak to those qualities with good
examples of how you’ve influenced teams that
you didn’t have authority to hire and fire.

3. Problem-solving and risk management

When your job is to keep things moving forward,
you’re inevitably going to encounter some
obstacles that threaten to derail progress. Great
project managers are good not just at untangling
those snarls when they happen, but also
anticipating any potential sticking points and
charting a course around them.
Prepare to talk about your approach to problem-
solving in interviews, and make sure you
showcase work that required this skill in your
resume or cover letter. And if you’ve been in a
role that forced you to anticipate and control for
risk, that’ll give you a leg up, too.
4. Organization and attention to detail
How do you get a project from start to finish? By
mapping out the steps. And to do that effectively,
you’ve got to have a great sense of all the
components that are required to complete the
project, and the order in which they need to be
completed.
Showcase your ability to break lofty goals down
into manageable steps, and make sure you
proofread all your writing in the interview process
-- that’s the first indicator you pay attention to the
nitty-gritty.

5. Time management
This probably goes without saying, but if you’re
trying to get a group to finish a project by a
deadline, you need good time management skills
yourself. So good, in fact, that you can manage
other people’s time better than they can
themselves.
Make a good first impression in this arena by
showing up for scheduled interviews on time.
And if you’ve had a job where you constantly
worked to deadlines -- or held other people
accountable for their own deadlines -- that’s a
good job to highlight.
Next, gain the skills:
1. Consider a certification
The gold standard of project management
certification is the Project Management
Professional certification (or PMP) -- but before
you can take the test, you need to amass
hundreds of hours of project management work.
Novices, however, can take the test to become a
Certified Associate in Project Management
(CAPM) after an online course. Before you shell
out the money, know that certification isn’t a
requirement for all project management roles --
but getting the certification can signal that you’re
serious about shifting into this career track, and it
might get you past some initial recruiting
barriers, ensuring your resume is at least seen by
a hiring manager.
2. Learn the tools
There are a lot of tools out there to help make a
project manager’s life easier, and familiarity with
them may give you better comfort in answering
questions during an interview, as well as good
guidelines in organizing yourself for the role.
Start with Asana, DropBox, Basecamp, and
Trello, and take a spin around the internet for
other platforms.

3. Take on project management work in your

current role
If you’re part of team projects in your current role,
and no one is explicitly responsible for managing
the nuts and bolts of those projects, you might
be able to volunteer to take on a little project
management responsibility, even if it’s just
setting and managing deadlines for your team
members
Now, land the job.
1. Refine your resume to highlight your project
management skills. If you’re a few years into a
career, and you have a hard time stomaching the
idea of starting fresh in an entry-level position,
you might be able to make a lateral move into
project management just by highlighting your
previous project work and then staying in your
function.
If you’ve been a marketer at an agency, for
instance, you might look for project management
positions at your own agency, other agencies, or
big marketing departments inside of companies.
You can sell your familiarity with the type of work
that needs to get done, and show how you’ll
guide that work to completion.

2. Apply for entry-level project management jobs

Yes, they’re definitely out there. Beef up your
resume to highlight the skills above (if this is your
first resume, let us walk you through how to do
that), and then search for project management
jobs on localwise.com.

3. Consider taking a role that’s a natural

precursor to project management
Any entry-level job with a lot of coordination
tasks associated is a natural step toward a future
role in project management. Look for job titles
like project coordinator, office manager, sales or
marketing assistant, or any operations role.
Search for jobs on localwise.com.
Project management skills allow you to
successfully take a project from start to finish
with more efficiency. Regardless of your role on
the team, improving your project management
skills can have a direct impact on the team's
ability to complete an assignment. There are
many project management skills that can
improve your performance, but they take practice
and development. In this article, we explore 20
skills every project manager should have.

What are project management skills?

Project management skills refer to the core
abilities that are necessary to successfully bring
a project from start to finish. For example, a
project manager must be organized,
knowledgeable and able to multitask. They must
also be a good communicator, strong leader and
effective problem-solver.
Related: Understanding the Project Management
Processes and Phases
What does a project manager do?
Project managers are responsible for initiating,
designing, planning, executing, monitoring and
completing projects. They manage teams,
facilitate commitment and motivate team
members, manage the expectations of key
stakeholders and communicate the status of
project milestones. They build a comprehensive
work plan and manage the budget for projects.
Related: The Importance of Project Management
20 project management skills
Here are 20 top skills every project manager
should have:
 Communication
 Leadership
 Organization
 Negotiation
 Team management
 Time management
 Risk management
 Problem-solving
 Budget management
 Motivation
 Technical writing
 Adaptability
 Technologically savvy
 Reporting skills
 Active listening
 Research skills
 Interpersonal skills
 Project management methodologies
 Policy knowledge
 Conflict management
Related: Types of Project Management
Certifications

1. Communication
Project managers must have strong
communication skills to be able to convey
messages to clients and team members. They
need this skill to effectively share their vision,
goals, ideas and issues. They also need
communication skills to produce presentations
and reports.
2. Leadership
Strong leadership skills are critical for project
managers. They allow leaders to oversee and
coordinate tasks as well as motivate and
encourage the team and define the road map to
successfully complete the project.
3. Organization
To ensure processes are running smoothly and
in line with common goals, project managers
must have strong organizational skills. While this
includes the ability to multitask, it also includes
prioritizing tasks, compartmentalizing projects
and documenting everything for easy access
and future reference.
4. Negotiation
A project manager must be effective at
negotiating terms with suppliers, clients and
other stakeholders. You must also employ
negotiation skills when working with your team
as well to bring everyone in line with strategic
goals or manage interpersonal conflicts within
the team.
5. Team management
A project manager must be able to bring a team
together and move them in one direction,
aligning their personal goals with those of the
organization. Team management skills include
the ability to effectively delegate responsibilities,
handle conflicts, evaluate performances and
coach team members to help them improve their
skills.
6. Time management
Every project is subject to deadlines, which
means there are numerous tasks that need to be
accomplished in a short amount of time. Project
managers must be able to create a project
timeline and maintain those deadlines
throughout the project lifecycle.
7. Risk management
While they are not generally apparent, risks are
inevitable during a project, which is why a project
manager must have the experience and ability to
pinpoint what could go wrong and implement a
risk mitigation strategy. They must be able to ask
their team hard questions and continually
confirm timelines, decisions and dependencies.
They should also know how to use
professional risk management tools that allow
them to analyze potential risks to develop risk
mitigation strategies.
8. Problem-solving
A project manager must be able to gather
information, weigh the associated pros and cons
and then formulate the best solution. Strong
problem-solving skills will allow project
managers to have a structured approach to
solving problems to achieve a positive result.
9. Budget management
One of the most important responsibilities for the
project manager is to create a viable budget and
control it throughout the lifecycle. Project
managers usually need experience to be able to
effectively identify where costs are being overrun
and what changes they need to make to control
the costs. They need the ability to track costs, put
together spreadsheets and decide what the
budget should or should not be spent on.
10. Motivation
To keep their team happy and motivated when
deadlines are rapidly approaching, a project
manager must have motivational skills. Tactics
include using positive reinforcement, praise and
team-building activities. They must be able to
cultivate a positive, fun and collaborative working
environment.
11. Technical writing
Technical writing is a form of writing that project
managers use in drafting potential deliverables,
circulating memos, targeting product releases or
sending news updates.
12. Adaptability
Project managers must be able to adapt to
upcoming product trends, new technology, user
demographics and more. This is a particularly
important skill at the material level, as they must
lead entire teams in the right direction.
13. Technologically savvy
Being tech-savvy and having hands-on
experience with the latest technology can allow
you to increase the speed of your team's
productivity. By knowing how to adapt to current
technology trends, you may be able to increase
output and your team's ability to get things done
effectively.
14. Reporting skills
A project manager must be able to gather
information throughout the lifespan of a project
and report them for future evaluation. This is
particularly important if a project begins to
experience problems. Project managers need
reporting skills to coordinate with managers,
clients and team members to set expectations,
objectives and convey information regarding
deliverables.
15. Active listening
Active listening is an important part of effective
communication that allows project managers to
connect with team members, develop better
relationships with clients and manage the
expectations of key stakeholders. Active listening
allows them to fully understand the perspective
of the person they are speaking to and empathize
with them.
16. Research skills
Research skills allow the project manager to fill
any gaps in knowledge that may allow them to
complete the project more efficiently or more
successfully.
17. Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills include self-confidence,
relationship management and collaboration
skills. The ability to collaborate well as part of a
team allows the team to work together more
productively and complete the project more
efficiently. Relationship management skills are
also essential, as they enable the project
manager to develop and nurture relationships
with clients, vendors and team members. The
right level of self-confidence can also improve
the confidence of the team as a whole, increasing
morale and allowing for improved performance.
18. Project management methodologies
A good project manager must have the ability to
apply frameworks and methodologies, such as
agile and SCRUM, throughout the lifecycle of a
project.
19. Policy knowledge
To keep a project running smoothly, project
managers must have an adequate grasp of
policy knowledge, including health, safety,
environmental and business best practices.
20. Conflict management
Strong conflict management skills are essential
for project managers, who must keep their teams
operating efficiently and working well together.
Conflict management and resolution skills are
also important for fixing stalled workflows,
project discrepancies or addressing other
internal or external setbacks.
1. The six phases of project management
Initiation phase.
Definition phase.
Design phase.
Development phase.
Implementation phase.
Follow-up phase.

5 Phases of Project Management – A Complete

Breakdown
Managing a project is no easy feat, no matter what the scale and
scope are. From planning the minutia to handling the ever-
changing demands of clients to shipping the deliverables on
time, there’s a lot that can go wrong. When you divide the project
into manageable stages, each with its own goals and
deliverables, it’s easier to control the project and the quality of
the output.

In a project management guide, if you are somehow in a position

where you are expected to manage projects for your
organization and are feeling overwhelmed, it’s better to start
learning the basic stages of the project life cycle phases.

According to the PMBOK Guide (Project Management Body of

Knowledge) by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a project
management life cycle consists of 5 distinct phases including
 initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure that
combine to turn a project idea into a working product.

Five phases of project management

The 5 basic phases in the project management process are:

1. Project Initiation
2. Project Planning
3. Project Execution
4. Project Monitoring and Controlling
5. Project Closing

Want to learn project management but put off

by jargon?
Phase 1: Project initiation
The project initiation phase is the first stage of turning an
abstract idea into a meaningful goal. In this stage, you need to
develop a business case and define the project on a broad level.
In order to do that, you have to determine the need for the
project and create a project charter.

The project charter is an important document consisting of

details like the project constraints, goals, appointment of the
project manager, budget, expected timeline, etc.

Once you have the project goals and project scope, identify key
project stakeholders–the people who are to be involved in the
project. Create a stakeholder register with the roles, designation,
communication requirements, and influence.

While a clear goal of the project is established in this phase, a

project charter does not contain any technical details that
happen in the planning stage.

Consider the example of an automobile manufacturer assigned

to develop an electric vehicle. The selection of the design,
capacity, and battery power of the vehicle will not be a part of the
initiation phase. The only certainty would be that an electric
vehicle will be developed within the given timeframe and budget.

Phase 2: Project planning

The project planning stage requires complete diligence as it lays
out the project’s roadmap. Unless you are using a modern
project management methodology like agile project
management, the second phase of project management is
expected to take almost half of the entire project’s timespan.
Check out how to implement an effective project roadmap.
In this phase, the primary tasks are identifying technical
requirements, developing a detailed project schedule, creating a
communication plan, and setting up goals/deliverables.

There are several methods of setting up the project’s goals

but S.M.A.R.T. and C.L.E.A.R. are the most popular.

S.M.A.R.T Goals:
The ‘SMART’ criteria ensure that the goals you set for your
project are critically analyzed. It is an established method that
reduces risk and allows managers to make clearly defined and
achievable goals.

The acronym SMART stands for

C.L.E.A.R. Goals:
The ‘CLEAR’ method of setting up goals is designed to cater to
the dynamic nature of a modern workplace. Today’s fast-paced
businesses require flexibility and immediate results and CLEAR
can help you with that.

The acronym for CLEAR stands for

During the planning stage, the scope of the project is defined.
There is a possibility of changing the scope of the project
demands it but the project manager must approve the change.
Project managers also develop a work breakdown
structure (WBS), which clearly visualizes the entire project in
different sections for the team.
Learn more about how project goals and objectives are defined.

A detailed project timeline with each deliverable is another

important element of the planning stage. Using that timeline,
project managers can develop a communication plan and a
schedule of communication with the relevant stakeholders.

Risk mitigation is another important aspect of project

management that is a part of the planning stage. The project
manager is responsible for extrapolating past data to identify
potential risks and develop a strategy to minimize them.
Check out how project risk management is done effectively to mitigate risks in the project.

An important element that professionals often overlook is an

effective change management plan. As a project manager, you
must be ready to incorporate a few changes in the project to
avoid bottlenecks and project delays.

In the absence of a working change management plan, scope

creep happens and causes huge problems for the project team
in the later stages of the project. So, it’s best to reduce the
possibility of unforeseen changes as much as possible.

Phase 3: Project execution

The project execution stage is where your team does the actual
work. As a project manager, your job is to establish efficient
workflows and carefully monitor the progress of your team.

Another responsibility of the project manager during this phase is

to consistently maintain effective collaboration between project
stakeholders. This ensures that everyone stays on the same
page and the project runs smoothly without any issues.

You can take help from collaboration software available in the

market. They’ll not only make your life easier but also improves
efficiency and increase the productivity of your team.

Execute your projects better with Kissflow Project.

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Phase 4: Project monitoring and controlling

In the project management process, the third and fourth phases
are not sequential in nature. This phase runs simultaneously with
project execution, thereby ensures that objectives and project
deliverables are met.

As a project manager, you can make sure that no one deviates

from the original plan by establishing Critical Success Factors
(CSF) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

During the monitoring phase of project management, the

manager is also responsible for quantitatively tracking the effort
and cost during the process. This tracking not only ensures that
the project remains within the budget but also is important for
future projects.

Phase 5: Project closing

This is the final phase of the project management process.
The project closure stage indicates the end of the project after
the final delivery. There are times when external talent is hired
specifically for the project on contract. Terminating these
contracts and completing the necessary paperwork is also the
responsibility of the project manager.

Most teams hold a reflection meeting after the completion of the

project in order to contemplate on their successes and failures
during the project. This is an effective method to ensure
continuous improvement within the company to enhance
the overall productivity of the team in the future.

The final task of this phase is to review the entire project

complete a detailed report that covers every aspect. All of the
necessary data is stored in a secure place that can be accessed
by project managers of that organization