Skills That Project Managers Need to Be

¶ … skills that project managers need to be successful. Briefly describe the project management skill that you believe is most important. Explain why you believe it is most important and whether and how it can be learned.

One of the most important skills for a project manager to possess is time management skills. Time management skills affect the project in a multitude of different ways. All projects are limited by time by definition and the project schedule is one of the three greatest restraining factors in project management. Therefore in this aspect, time management is central to the success of the overall project. Software development projects are often complex associations of various activities and therefore managing in such an environment takes advanced time management skills.

However, there is another facet to time management that affects the productivity of a project manager and that is their personal time management skills. Although this skill is fairly closely related to skill needed to manage the schedule in the overall project, it is also subtly different. Managing your individual schedule is much different than managing the project schedule. The project's schedule is generally associated with the time associated with various activities that have extended durations. While a personal schedule on the other hand will contain activities that are shorter in duration such as answering phone calls and emails, scheduling meetings, and reviewing the project's performance.

Since time management is essential to the success of the project in regards to managing the project schedule and is also important for a project manager to manage their own personal contribution to the project then this is definitely an essential skill. Some leaders are born with good time management instincts while others have to work very hard to develop these skills. There are a plethora of tools and training programs available to help develop these skills but not every system works for everyone.

2. One of the common IT acquisition alternatives is acquiring outsourcing services. Organizations are outsourcing many functions, including IT functions, to both domestic and international organizations. What are the two or three most important issues facing CIOs and their IT project managers in USA companies that rely heavily on outsourcing IT functions? How should these issues be addressed?"

Outsourcing IT functions can carry numerous risks. Many of the risks arise directly due to the fact that the organization loses control over these functions are must rely on a strategic partner. One risk that is prevalent in such a situation is the loss of control over quality. If organizations outsource IT functions then the quality of these functions will depend on the vendor's capabilities and motivations. Since third party vendors vary considerably in their capabilities then there is risk inherent in vendor selection.

Another risk is that the organization would have little control over scheduling issues as well. If a third party vendor doesn't have adequate human resources to complete a project on time then there may be little that the parent company can do to expedite the project. These risks can be addressed by selecting a reputable vendor who has a record of good performance. It is also helpful to form a lasting strategic partnership when possible to avoid the problems related to switching vendors. The longer that companies work together then the more likely it is for integration.

3. In his December 6, 2010 article in Datamation titled The Five E's of Cloud Computing Management in 2011, Jeffrey Kaplan states:

"The beauty of today's Cloud Computing solutions is that corporate executives and end-users can more easily critique their functional capabilities and user-friendliness before selecting one to address their needs. However, business decision-makers still need plenty of IT help looking "under the hood" at how these offerings are architected, delivered and supported to ensure they can integrate with existing systems and fulfill their promises. IT managers and CIOs should put selection criteria, procurement procedures and governance policies in place to oversee the evaluation and contracting processes."

When considering cloud computing, Kaplan says "corporate executives and end-users can more easily critique their functional capabilities and user-friendliness." What are the implications of this for planning IT acquisition projects? How much change do you see, if any, in solution selection criteria, procurement procedures, and governance approaches because of cloud computing, assuming the organization has established these earlier based on best practices?