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E X P E R T S E R I E S
MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT COMPETENCIES OF PROJECT MANAGERS. Some focus on the “art” vs. the
“science” of project management; others differentiate between “leaders” and “managers.” Both con-
clude that successful project managers need a mixture of the two. The leader/art side requires strong
communication, visioning, and interpersonal skills, while the manager/science side requires detailed
knowledge of methodology and tools, plus strong analysis and problem-solving skills.
Like the general project manager, those that manage large IT projects also require a mixture of these
two disciplines plus an understanding of the technology being developed. In many ways, the compe-
tencies of the successful IT project manager correlate with the three organizational competencies of a
successful IT Project Office: (1) people skills, (2) methodology and process knowledge, and (3) tech-
nology understanding.
PEOPLE SKILLS
Talking the talk. Without question, the most important competency of the project manager is the abili-
ty to communicate with others: in one-on-one sessions, in small groups, and before larger audiences.
The project manager must be able to articulate the final vision of the product and sell its benefits to all
constituents, including the end user. Often this involves one-on-one persuasive skills to convince the
executive sponsor, the IT boss, the CFO, the project team members, the vendors, etc. to take specific
action or support some new process to reach the future vision. Without these persuasive skills, people
would not be assured of the end result and would question the direction set by the project manager
and would spend considerable amount of time discussing the issues internally before making their own
decision.
Communication+. In addition to strong communication skills, the project manager needs interperson-
al skills of listening, empathy, showing recognition and praise. Issues crop up continuously throughout
a proj