Seven Necessary Skills For Effective Program Management

Posted by Allan Steinmetz on 28 July 2015

Tags: , , , ,

This is the ninth submission in an 11-week series on how to launch an employee engagement program. Last week I spoke about recognizing and rewarding people. In this post I will discuss the importance of project management for smooth implementation.

Brand alignment/change management does not occur on its own. It requires detailed project management like any other business process; whether it be strategic planning, advertising, research and development and/or appraisal planning. There has to be a project manager with skills that moves the program forward. Without it, any initiative will likely fail.

The Project Manager develops the Project Plan with the team and manages the team’s performance of project tasks. It is also the responsibility of the Project Manager to secure acceptance and approval of deliverables from the Project Sponsor and all critical stakeholders. They are generally responsible for communication, including status reporting, risk management, escalation of issues that cannot be resolved in the team, and, in general, making sure the project is delivered in budget, on schedule, and within scope.

What skills are required for great project management?

1: Be an effective communicator.

2: Know how and when to negotiate.

3: Possess the necessary technical skills and have solid knowledge of the platforms, software and programs that your company regularly works with.

4: Be highly organized and a good multi-tasker.

5: Take charge and know how to lead. Project managers need to be good leaders.

6: Be detail-oriented. Project management is all about the details - big ones and small ones.

7: Recognize and solve problems quickly.

Next week we will discuss communication metrics and return on investment.