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Problem Solving Techniques for Project Managers

Learn which problem solving techniques and strategies can help you effectively handle the challenges you face in your projects.

Problem Solving Techniques: A 5-Step Approach

Some problems are small and can be resolved quickly. Other problems are large and may require significant time and effort to solve. These larger problems are often tackled by turning them into formal projects.

"A project is a problem scheduled for solution."

- Joseph M. Juran

problem solving skills for project managers

Problem Solving is one of the Tools & Techniques used for Managing Quality and Controlling Resources.

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Whether the problem you are focusing on is small or large, using a systematic approach for solving it will help you be a more effective project manager.

This approach defines five problem solving steps you can use for most problems...

Define the Problem

Determine the causes, generate ideas, select the best solution, take action.

The most important of the problem solving steps is to define the problem correctly. The way you define the problem will determine how you attempt to solve it.

For example, if you receive a complaint about one of your project team members from a client, the solutions you come up with will be different based on the way you define the problem.

If you define the problem as poor performance by the team member you will develop different solutions than if you define the problem as poor expectation setting with the client.

Fishbone Diagram

Once you have defined the problem, you are ready to dig deeper and start to determine what is causing it.  You can use a fishbone diagram to help you perform a cause and effect analysis.

If you consider the problem as a gap between where you are now and where you want to be, the causes of the problem are the obstacles that are preventing you from closing that gap immediately.

This level of analysis is important to make sure your solutions address the actual causes of the problem instead of the symptoms of the problem. If your solution fixes a symptom instead of an actual cause, the problem is likely to reoccur since it was never truly solved.

Once the hard work of defining the problem and determining its causes has been completed, it's time to get creative and develop possible solutions to the problem.

Two great problem solving methods you can use for coming up with solutions are brainstorming and mind mapping .

After you come up with several ideas that can solve the problem, one problem solving technique you can use to decide which one is the best solution to your problem is a simple trade-off analysis .

To perform the trade-off analysis, define the critical criteria for the problem that you can use to evaluate how each solution compares to each other. The evaluation can be done using a simple matrix. The highest ranking solution will be your best solution for this problem.

problem solving skills for project managers

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Once you've determined which solution you will implement, it's time to take action. If the solution involves several actions or requires action from others, it is a good idea to create an action plan and treat it as a mini-project.

Using this simple five-step approach can increase the effectiveness of your problem solving skills .

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Related Articles About Problem Solving Techniques

Fishbone Diagram: Cause and Effect Analysis Using Ishikawa Diagrams

A fishbone diagram can help you perform a cause and effect analysis for a problem. Step-by-step instructions on how to create this type of diagram. Also known as Ishikara or Cause and Effect diagrams.

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What Is Problem Solving in Project Management? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

  • Written by Contributing Writer
  • Updated on August 4, 2023

What Is Problem Solving

In project management , problem-solving is a crucial and necessary skill. Whether you have failed to consider every possible factor impacting a project, a problem arises through no fault of your own, or conditions change that create issues, problems must be addressed promptly to keep projects on track.

In this article, we will define problem-solving and how it impacts projects, provide real-world examples of problem-solving, and give you a structured, step-by-step process to solve problems. We’ll also show you how earning a project management certification can help you gain practical experience in problem-solving methods.

What Is Problem-Solving?

Problem-solving is a process to identify roadblocks or defects that arise during a project. A structured system to define problems, identify root causes, brainstorm and test solutions, and monitor results can affect change to improve performance and overcome challenges.

Effective problem-solving enables teams to deal with uncertainties or gaps in planning to minimize the impact on outcomes.

The Importance of Problem-Solving in Project Management

During a project and operation, problems can arise at any time. You may find that your planning before launching a product, for example, did not consider all the factors that impact results. You may find that you were too optimistic about project timelines, performance, or workforce. Or, as many of us discovered over the past few years, supply chain disruption may make even the best project plans obsolete.

Regardless, your job is identifying, solving, and overcoming these problems. Project managers must be skilled in leading team members through a structured approach to resolving problems.

Proactive problem-solving requires careful consideration of all the variables in a project, including preparation to:

  • Achieve project objectives
  • Address obstacles before they arise
  • Manage project risks and contingency plans
  • Manage communication and collaboration
  • Provide a framework for time and cost management
  • Provide a pathway for continuous improvement

Also Read: 10 Tips on How to Increase Productivity in the Workplace

Problem-Solving Steps in Project Management

While the process you choose to solve problems may vary, here is a seven-step framework many project managers use. This problem-solving method combines primary and secondary problem-solving steps.

#1. Define the Problem

  • Gather data and information from key stakeholders, team members, and project documentation. Include any relevant reporting or data analysis
  • Itemized key details, such as a description of the problem, timelines, outcomes, and impact
  • Frame the issue as a problem statement

A good example of a problem statement might be: An unexpected demand spike has exceeded our current production capacity. How can we still meet customer deadlines for delivery?

#2. Analyze Root Causes

  • Break down issues into smaller components to diagnose bottlenecks or problems
  • Identify the organizational, mechanical, environmental, or operational factors that contribute
  • Distinguish between one-time issues vs. systematic, ongoing areas that need improvement

When analyzing root causes, it’s common to find multiple factors contributing to a problem. As such, it is essential to prioritize issues that have the most significant impact on outcomes.

#3. Brainstorm Potential Solutions

  • Holding specific sessions focused on brainstorming ideas to resolve root causes
  • Build on ideas or suggest combinations or iterations
  • Categorize solutions by types, such as process or input changes, adding additional resources, outsourcing, etc.)

In brainstorming, you should refrain from immediately analyzing suggestions to keep ideas coming.

#4. Evaluate Potential Solutions

  • Reframe the problem and concern for team members, providing a framework for evaluation such as cost, timing, and feasibility
  • With ideas in hand, it is time to evaluate potential solutions. Project managers often employ strategies such as weighted scoring models to rank ideas.
  • Consider the pros and cons in relation to project objectives

As you narrow the list, getting additional insight from subject matter experts to evaluate real-world viability is helpful. For example, if you are proposing a process change in operating a machine, get feedback from skilled operators before implementing changes.

#5. Decide on a Plan of Action

  • Make a decision on which course of action you want to pursue and make sure the solution aligns with your organizational goals
  • Create an action plan to implement the changes, including key milestones
  • Assign project ownership, deadlines, resources, and budgets

Defining what outcomes you need to achieve to declare success is also essential. Are you looking for incremental change or significant improvements, and what timeline are you establishing for measurement?

#6. Implement the Action Plan

  • Communicate the plan with key stakeholders
  • Provide any training associated with the changes
  • Allocate resources necessary for implementation

As part of the action plan, you will also want to detail the measures and monitoring you will put in place to assess process outcomes.

#7. Monitor and Track Results

  • Track solution performance against the action plan and key milestones
  • Solicit feedback from the project team on problem-solving effectiveness
  • Ensure the solution resolves the root cause, creating the desired results without negatively impacting other areas of the operation

You should refine results or start the process over again to increase performance. For example, you may address the root cause but find a need for secondary problem-solving in project management, focusing on other factors.

These problem-solving steps are used repeatedly in lean management and Six Sigma strategies for continuous improvement.

Also Read: 5 Project Management Steps You Need to Know

How Project Management Tools Can Help You in Problem-Solving

Project management software can guide teams through problem-solving, acting as a central repository to provide visibility into the stages of a project.

The best project management software will include the following:

  • Issue tracking to capture problems as they arise
  • Chat and real-time collaboration for discussion and brainstorming
  • Templates for analysis, such as fishbone diagrams
  • Action plans, assigning tasks, ownership, and accountability
  • Dashboards for updates to monitor solutions
  • Reporting on open issues, mitigation, and resolution

Examples of Problem-Solving

Here are some examples of the problem-solving process demonstrating how team members can work through the process to achieve results.

Sign-ups for a New Software Solution Were Well Below First-Month Targets

After analyzing the data, a project team identifies the root cause as inefficient onboarding and account configurations. They then brainstorm solutions. Ideas include re-architecting the software, simplifying onboarding steps, improving the initial training and onboarding process, or applying additional resources to guide customers through the configuration process.

After weighing alternatives, the company invests in streamlining onboarding and developing software to automate configuration.

A Project Was at Risk of Missing a Hard Deadline Due to Supplier Delays

In this case, you already know the root cause: Your supplier cannot deliver the necessary components to complete the project on time. Brainstorming solutions include finding alternative sources for components, considering project redesigns to use different (available) components, negotiating price reductions with customers due to late delivery, or adjusting the scope to complete projects without this component.

After evaluating potential solutions, the project manager might negotiate rush delivery with the original vendor. While this might be more expensive, it enables the business to meet customer deadlines. At the same time, project schedules might be adjusted to account for later-than-expected part delivery.

A Construction Project Is Falling Behind Due to Inclement Weather

Despite months of planning, a major construction project has fallen behind schedule due to bad weather, preventing concrete and masonry work. The problem-solving team brainstorms the problem and evaluates solutions, such as constructing temporary protection from the elements, heating concrete to accelerate curing, and bringing on additional crews once the weather clears.

The project team might decide to focus on tasks not impacted by weather earlier in the process than expected to postpone exterior work until the weather clears.

Also Read: Understanding KPIs in Project Management

Improve Your Problem-Solving and Project Management Skills

This project management course delivered by Simpliearn, in collaboration wiht the University of Massachusetts, can boost your career journey as a project manager. This 24-week online bootcamp aligns with Project Management Institute (PMI) practices, the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, and IASSC-Lean Six Sigma.

This program teaches skills such as:

  • Agile management
  • Customer experience design
  • Design thinking
  • Digital transformation
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

You might also like to read:

5 Essential Project Management Steps You Need to Know

Project Management Frameworks and Methodologies Explained

13 Key Project Management Principles and How to Use Them

Project Management Phases: A Full Breakdown

How To Develop a Great Project Management Plan in 2023

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  • The 25 project management skills you ne ...

The 25 project management skills you need to succeed

Julia Martins contributor headshot

Anyone who oversees projects is a project manager, but to become a more thoughtful manager (with a higher impact), you need to develop the right project management skills. Learn what skills are necessary to become a successful project manager and how to build them.

If you’re interested in honing and developing your project management skills, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll cover 25 key skills you need to succeed as a project manager or project administrator , and how you can develop those skills over time.

What are project management skills (and why do they matter?)

Project management skills are the attributes you develop to become a more experienced project manager. Building a project management skill set includes learning technical and hard skills, such as portfolio management and project scoping, and soft skills (for example, adaptability).In honing these skills, you’re preparing yourself to more effectively perform in your role. 

Project management is the practice of organizing and executing work efficiently—and helping your team do the same. For a while, project managers had to be trained and certified in complicated project management technology. Traditional project management tools were hard to set up and required constant maintenance, which is where the position “project manager” comes from.

Modern project management tools

Modern project management evolved from traditional project management in two distinct ways. As companies and teams democratized their project management processes, they needed more team members and team leads who were able to manage a process from conception to completion. In order to support those team leads, project management software has also evolved, from complex mechanisms to flexible and easy-to-use tools.

[Product UI] Work requests project example (Boards)

Today, any team member may be called upon to run a project and become the de-facto project manager—which is why modern project management tools are built to be flexible enough for anyone to use on any project, so you’re able to jump in and hit the ground running. 

These tools, like Asana , make it easy to track, manage, and organize work—without the learning curve associated with traditional tools. With today's project management tools , you can easily implement project management best practices and bring a new level of clarity and visibility to your project team. 

How to use your project management skills

Project management tools do the heavy lifting when it comes to reducing silos, increasing visibility, and facilitating cross-functional collaboration. As the project manager, you can use these tools to give your team the insight they need to get their best work done. While you don’t need to learn complicated skills or tools in order to become a successful project manager , there are hard, soft, and technical skills you can develop in order to improve your management and collaboration skills.

Some of these skills might not apply to you—while others might be things you’re already seasoned in. Like everything in the five phases of project management , approach this list with flexibility and work on the skills that are most relevant to you.

10 soft skills for project managers

Soft skills are what we call “non-technical skills,” or skills that can help you improve your quality of work—without a specific tool or technical requirement. These are also called “people skills” or “interpersonal skills” because they often help you work with and relate to others in your workspace. These 10 skills are the most important soft skills for project management:

1. Collaboration

Collaboration is the cornerstone of all project management skills. In project management, collaboration helps you get work done quickly and more efficiently. When you can coordinate across teams, you gain valuable insights into your project that you might not find within your team. If more minds are involved in the work, projects are inherently more creative and well developed.

To improve your collaboration skills, practice having conversations. Use techniques like active listening , where you stay engaged and focused when others are speaking to you. It sounds simple, but learning how to have open communication, reduce boundaries, and co-create are critical for a collaborative team.

2. Teamwork

Everyone on your team has something to bring to the table, and your team is more effective working together than they would be alone. Teamwork ensures that everyone feels welcome, valued, and they are supported to contribute.

If you’re working to boost your teamwork skills, dig deeper into team brainstorms , 1:1 conversations, and ask for feedback from your team—how can you be a better team member? Notice if there’s someone who hasn’t spoken up in a while, and be supportive when another team member has a new idea.

3. Communication

Miscommunications are common when you’re working with a group of people. Learning how to communicate well and avoid these will make projects run more smoothly and be more enjoyable. 

To develop your communication skills, practice being open and honest with your coworkers. This requires a lot of trust between you and your team members. To build this trust, encourage your team members to bring any thoughts into a discussion—even if you disagree with them.

4. Time management

Time management and organization skills go hand in hand. As you become better at organizing your tasks, you’ll also have a clearer sense of everything that’s on your plate and how long your upcoming tasks are going to take.

Still, it can be hard to buckle down and prioritize your work. To improve your time management skills and reduce procrastination, try prioritizing tasks. When you’re clear on which tasks are higher priority, you can tackle them first, to make sure nothing gets left behind or falls through the cracks.

5. Leadership

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a leader or have a role in team management, when you’re managing a project, your project team is looking to you for leadership, guidance, and support. 

To develop your leadership skills, practice approaching situations with empathy and understanding. Good leaders bring everyone together and make them feel supported to foster teamwork and collaboration.

6. Organization

For a lot of project managers, organization is the most intimidating soft skill. You might think organization is either something you “have” or “don’t have.” But, like every other project management skill in this article, you can develop your organizational skills and become a Marie Kondo in your own right.

The best way to become a better organizer is to create (and maintain) a central source of truth for your work and your team’s work. We’re often disorganized because work is disconnected—in fact, the average employee switches between 10 tools per day . Instead of splitting your time between 10 tools, try using a digital organization tool to act as that one central source of truth for your team.

7. Problem solving

Problem solving skills are collaborative, iterative skills that help you approach a problem and, ultimately, solve it. Developing problem solving skills isn’t about always having the “right” answer to every problem—rather, people with great problem solving skills practice approaching problems from new perspectives and methodically working towards a solution.

To become a better problem solver, use data-driven decision-making frameworks or routine analyses. For example, if you need to solve for how to boost sales by 10% over your competition, you can run a competitive analysis to determine where you currently stand in the market. Then, use that information to solve the problem of lower sales. In this case, you could develop a new marketing strategy coordinated with the sales team.

8. Critical thinking

Critical thinking, like problem solving, doesn’t have a “solution.” You can’t “win” at critical thinking, but you can practice approaching problems logically instead of making decisions based on your emotions. Good critical thinkers practice analyzing information in front of them and forming their own conclusions based on the facts—the way Sherlock Holmes solves a mystery.

To practice critical thinking, always take a step back and ask yourself: how did I come to this conclusion? Could there be another answer? Am I being swayed by something other than factual information? Emotional decisions aren’t necessarily bad—in fact, some of the best decisions are those we’re passionate about. But critical thinking is a helpful way to make sure you’re approaching a situation from the right perspective.

9. Adaptability

At some point, whether it’s this project or the next one, aspects of your project plan will change. Maybe your deadline or priorities shifts, and you need to adapt your workflow accordingly. Great project managers are able to pivot and adapt to new situations to continue steering their project team in the right direction.

Becoming more adaptable is all about understanding when and how to shift gears. To do this, you need to understand yourself. Developing other soft skills, such as self-awareness and mindfulness, can help you be more in touch with and manage your emotions, which are often in flux during times of change.

10. Conflict resolution

Inevitably, conflict will arise during the projects you manage. It could be that a stakeholder wants to change the project scope. Or maybe you missed your budget or deadline. Conflict resolution is about addressing both sides of the conflict so everyone feels heard and supported. If there are harmed parties, take the time to listen to them and try to find a solution that works for everyone. Even when that can’t happen, approaching the conversation with patience and empathy can help defuse a potentially frustrating situation and lead to a better result.

7 hard skills for project managers

Unlike soft skills, hard skills are quantifiable abilities. While the soft skills mentioned above are applicable for many work skills, these seven hard skills are relevant specifically to project management. Developing these will help you become a more well rounded and efficient project manager.

1. Project planning

At its core, a  project plan  (sometimes called a project charter) is a blueprint of the key elements your project needs to succeed. Typically a project plan will include seven things:

Goals and  project objectives

Success metrics

Stakeholders  and  roles

Scope  and  budget

Milestones ,  deliverables , and  project dependencies

Timeline  and  schedule

Communication plan

Some of these things, like your goals or your milestones, might already be defined in your project roadmap or brief. But your project plan is where all of these project elements come together to create a cohesive picture of your upcoming work.

quotation mark

A lot of planning goes into the beginning of the year for what our vision is and where we will be by the end of that particular year. Once that is done, we summarize it in a project so it's visible to everyone... Having that visual representation in Asana makes it easier to move things around.”

2. Project scoping

[Product ui] Scope management project in Asana, spreadsheet-style project view (List)

Project scope is the size, goals, and limitations (i.e., deadlines and resources) for your project. Your project scope will define what you can achieve within a certain timeframe and budget. Setting and defining your project scope is important in order to prevent scope creep , which is when your project deliverables outgrow your original project scope.

In order to improve your project scoping skills, practice setting project scope early and often. Once you’ve set your project scope, share it with stakeholders and surface it frequently, so everyone is on the same page about the project’s aims and limitations. Use it as a point of reference, so you know when to say no to new asks.

We have been able to reduce the number of products that we’ve oversold and the number of times we have to contact the customer to push a ship date out.”

3. Writing a project brief

[Product UI] Example project brief in Asana (Project Brief)

Your project brief outlines your general project objectives and how you plan to get there. This can serve as a helpful North Star to guide planning sessions.

The most important thing to remember about your project brief is that it’s a living document. As you develop your project plan and get input from stakeholders, you can adapt and update your project brief. In general, your project brief should contain a link to your project roadmap if you created one, a list of your project stakeholders and their responsibilities  (sometimes called a RACI chart), other relevant documentation or files, and any other high-level information your team might need.

Having executive oversight and insight into projects is key so we can quickly get up to speed on what is happening at any point.”

4. Hosting a project kickoff meeting

[Product ui] Kickoff meeting project in Asana, spreadsheet-style view (List)

A kickoff meeting is an opportunity to align with your project stakeholders. This is your chance to clarify your project goals and scope, and share any documents you’ve already put together like your project roadmap, project brief, or supplemental documentation like a bill of materials for a marketing campaign or a creative brief for a design team.

To host a successful kickoff meeting, plan to share the documentation you have put together with project stakeholders. Then, host a brainstorming or Q&A session to align on any additional variables, like budget,  resources , or final deliverables.

5. Project roadmapping

[product ui] milestone chart template in Asana (timeline view)

A project roadmap is a high-level overview of your project’s key deliverables and timeline. Project roadmaps are helpful for complex initiatives with a lot of stakeholders because they help the entire project team get on the same page before the project even starts.

Traditionally, project roadmaps are created in Gantt chart-like software , in order to display a general schedule of your project as a horizontal bar chart. To create a project roadmap, use a tool like Timeline in Asana to create a rough timeline of your project, adding key milestones or important dependencies.

6. Mapping your project timeline

[Product ui] Timeline in Asana, Gantt chart-style view (Timeline)

Your project timeline is the order and duration of events during your project lifecycle. Knowing your project timeline helps your team track project success and deliver the right assets on time.

In order to build a great project timeline, make sure you clarify the start and end dates of your project, as well as any key milestones. As you continue building out individual tasks and deliverables, set dependencies between tasks, and clarify the start and end date of each piece of work.

7. Task management

Once your project is officially underway, task management refers to how well you manage your and your team’s time. The best project managers have visibility into what their team is working on in real-time, so they can help their team effectively prioritize and execute work.

But you don’t have to magically know everything that’s happening in your project—instead, use task management software.  Task management software  is more than a to-do list—it’s a way to get a holistic view of all of the work happening in your project. With effective task management, you can empower your team to work more productively, efficiently, and effectively.

With Asana, we can see project progress and blockers, plus feedback and action items, all in one place. We're now able to complete work more efficiently and effectively, which has become even more critical while working from home. We’d be lost without it!”

8 technical skills all project managers need

Soft skills: check. Hard skills: got it. The only thing you have left to master are technical skills!

Technical skills refer to your knowledge of specific tools and softwares within project management. These tools aren’t hard to learn—as we mentioned before, modern project management is built to be flexible and easy to use. These eight skills are aspects of project management roles you should become familiar with, so you know when and how to leverage them.

1. Project management software skills

Project management software  has come a long way from legacy tools that were difficult to use and required a project management professional to implement. But like any tool, even easy-to-use ones, the software you choose takes time to learn and truly master. Make sure the tool you select has a written  guide  and  helpful videos  to teach you the ins and outs of how to use it.

2. Gantt charts

[Product ui] Product launch Gantt chart project in Asana (Timeline)

Gantt charts are a way to visualize your project as a horizontal bar chart, where each bar represents a piece of work and the length of each bar represents the amount of time that work will take.

Project milestones

Dependencies

Real-time project progress

Start and end dates

Traditional Gantt chart technology can be tricky to use and limited in scope, which is why, at Asana, we took the best of Gantt chart technology and created  Timeline , a Gantt-chart like tool that helps you see how all of the pieces fit together.

Launching an album has so many moving parts, and Asana helps us track every detail, who’s responsible for it, and when it needs to be completed.”

3. Kanban boards

[Product UI] Sprint plans project in Asana (Boards)

Another popular type of visual project management is the  Kanban board . Each column in a Kanban board represents a stage of work, like  New ,  In progress , or  Done . Individual work is represented by cards, which move through the columns until they’re completed.

Kanban boards tools  are a popular visual project management tool for lean project management teams, particularly product, engineering, and software development teams. They’re an Agile methodology , designed to be adaptable and flexible to adjust to development needs in real-time.

4. Agile management

Agile management is a lean project management methodology that’s particularly popular with product, engineering, and software development teams. Agile operates on a system of continuous improvement and incremental evolution, and it encompasses several lean methodologies, like lean portfolio management ,  Scrum , and  Kanban .

In order to manage an Agile team, it's the project manager’s job to coordinate between team members and stay flexible. This can mean changing the project schedule, aligning with teams working on a different project, or just staying in touch with effective communication.

5. Workload management

[Product UI] Workload management in Asana (Workload)

If you’ve managed projects before, you know how hard it is to gain clarity on who is working on what—but it doesn’t have to be.  Workload management  helps you measure your team’s bandwidth and make sure they aren’t over- or under-worked. It’s an interactive process that doesn’t have a beginning or end state—rather, an effective project manager will continuously monitor their team’s workload to ensure no one is burning out.

There are two steps to using workload management software . First, start by figuring out your team’s capacity, competencies, and current workload. From there, allocate resources based on individual workload, or rebalance workloads as needed.

6. Cost management

In project management, cost management is considering how each task impacts your budget at every stage of the project. Cost management is a key part of project leadership, and an important element of whether or not your project is a success. Staying within budget is as important as hitting your project due date, and cost management can help you get there.

To manage cost effectively, good project managers define their costs and budget at the beginning of a project. Make sure project stakeholders and team members all understand the budget. Then, during the project, keep cost and budget in mind. Check in on your spending several times during the project to make sure you aren’t overshooting your budget. Once the project is completed, tally predicted cost vs. actual cost to determine how effective your cost management strategies were. This can also help you benchmark for future projects.

7. Project portfolio management

[Product UI] Project Management Skills - project portfolio management (Portfolios)

With project portfolio management (PMM), you can get a bird’s-eye view of your team’s work across multiple projects. Unlike traditional project management, PMM involves working on multiple projects or large-scale initiatives simultaneously. Project portfolio management tools help you get a holistic view of all of your team’s work in real-time, so you can connect strategy to execution.

Portfolios are also a key Asana feature for our team. It is a great tool for our executive team so they can see our big pieces of work all in a single place with the status, progress and ownership. Our CEO visits our portfolio daily and adds comments. He loves to be able to see what's going on in a snapshot.”

8. Change management

If you’ve ever rolled out a big organizational change, you’ve likely practiced change management, even if you didn’t know it. Change management is the process of introducing organizational change—like new processes or tools—over a set period of time to make them easier to adapt to.

At Asana, we use the Asana Way of Change, a six step process developed by our Customer Success team that incorporates proven change management strategies. To learn more,  read our guide to change management .

The standard of our creative team, for a while, was just to react to work. But we’ll never do the best work we possibly can without a clear process.”

How to build your project management skills

Twenty five skills might feel like a lot, but remember that you don’t need to master every skill in this list. Some, like Agile, are only relevant for specific teams. Others, like organization, become virtually effortless with a little focus and great tools .

Keep in mind that developing your project management skills takes practice. Challenge yourself to focus on one or two new skills for each project—whether that’s trying out a new  visual form of project management  like Kanban, drafting your first ever project plan, or leaning into time-management.

There are also classes you can take to develop hard and soft project management skills. Though you no longer need certifications in order to be considered a project manager, the  Project Management Institute  (PMI) offers courses, learning events, and their famous  Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) , which was the first project management guide ever published.

Finally, once you’ve  selected a project management tool , you can also take their classes to learn technical project management skills. At Asana, we’ve developed the  Asana Academy  and  How to Asana  series to help new project managers learn new soft, hard, and technical skills.

Build your project management toolkit

If you manage a project, you’re a project manager—and you likely already have some key project management skills. The most important thing is to be intentional, listen to your team, and collaborate with your team members. The rest will follow.

Project management doesn’t need to be complex. Asana was designed specifically to keep project manager’s organized, with tools, automations, and customizations built for collaborating and coordinating everything from a simple brainstorming session to a full-fledged product launch. 

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Critical Thinking Skills

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  • The Project Manager’s Guide to Critical Thinking Skills

Remember playing the game Clue as a kid? You’d collect evidence, analyze the possibilities, and come to your own conclusions based on what you knew (and what you didn’t). As a project manager, the skills you developed playing games like Clue are extremely useful. The acting gatekeeper for your team, you’re used to evaluating information and making decisions to benefit your department and the business as a whole. Whether you’re a seasoned project manager or just learning the ropes, knowing how to fine-tune your critical thinking skills will come in handy every single day.

Continue reading to learn: 

  • A definition of critical thinking
  • The six critical skills project managers need
  • Why critical thinking skills are crucial for project managers
  • How to work your critical thinking muscles
  • Effective critical thinking techniques

Let’s get critical. 

What is critical thinking?

Ask five different people what critical thinking means and you’ll probably get five different answers. But, generally speaking, critical thinking refers to intellectual tactics used to observe and analyze information to draw better conclusions. A key factor in critical thinking is looking beyond the surface of an idea, a concept, or a piece of information. It involves asking questions — to yourself or others — to go deeper and draw better conclusions.

Critical thinking can be used by anyone, in any role, to make their job easier. You can find new insights, optimize an inefficient process, and get projects done faster. Developing your critical thinking means building habits that follow you throughout your career.

Here’s a breakdown of crucial critical thinking skills for project managers — or any other role.

6 critical thinking skills for project managers

Skill #1: observation.

Critical thinking skills starts with being more aware of what’s going on. Working on an important project? Being observant might mean keeping a close eye on comments from collaborators, or just paying better attention during meetings with your data team. Becoming a more observant person means you can identify problems others miss or pick up on context clues that help you solve problems down the road.

Skill #2: Analysis

Spotting problems, clues, and that one important comment in a Slack thread is just the beginning. If observation is how you bring in more information, analysis is how you determine what you’re going to do with it. Having an analytical approach to your problems means knowing what information you have available, knowing how relevant each piece is to the problem at hand, and being able to ask better questions. 

Skill #3: Identifying bias

This critical thinking skill ties in closely with analysis but is important enough to be its own skill. Bias is inherent in everything we do, from collecting data to creating content and solving problems. For instance, because this blog post is being written by a marketer, it might use different examples than a writer from a more technical team. You can spot a bias by asking yourself questions, like “are there elements of this person’s experience or perspective that might be affecting what they’re saying?” Bias can affect every role in an organization.

Skill #4: Inference

This is a fancy term for drawing better conclusions. This crucial critical thinking skill helps you make better use of the information you collect, the questions you ask, and the potential problems you spot. Think of everything you might have done so far as putting ingredients in a stew. You can have the best ingredients in the world, but if you leave the pot on too long, you’ll end up with something closer to charcoal than stew.

One of the quickest ways to improve your inference skills is, ironically, by slowing down. Instead of blurting out the first conclusion that comes to mind, start with a few educated guesses, and compare them to each other. Which one makes the most sense? Which is weakest?

Skill #5: Problem-solving

If inference is how you come to better conclusions, problem-solving is how you put them into action. This critical thinking skill encompasses the tactics and strategies you use to take something that looks good on paper and make it great in practice. Problem-solving includes  planning  how you’ll solve a problem, but also reacting to hurdles along the way and staying flexible. A great way to improve your problem-solving skills is asking yourself “is this still the best way to solve the problem?” at every stage of your plan. Sometimes, people can get set in their ways, meaning they stick to an ineffective solution long after they should have pivoted to something else.

Skill #6: Curiosity

This is less a skill than it is a characteristic every critical thinker should work to develop. Every other critical thinking skill is helped by broadening having access to more information and more knowledge. For instance, you can be the most observant person in the world, but you’d still struggle to pick out all the problems in a presentation from the data team if you weren’t at least a little familiar with data analysis. Beyond expertise in specific fields, critical thinking — and thinking in general — is easier when you have a breadth of knowledge and experiences to draw from. You can find links that others would miss and learn to think in different ways. Read more books, listen to more podcasts, and approach the world at large with more curiosity.

Why do project managers need critical thinking skills? 

When people hear the phrase ‘critical thinking’, they often picture a negative person. Being a critical thinker doesn’t mean you have a bad attitude or that you aren’t a team player. It’s quite the opposite. 

Critical thinking means questioning processes, projects, and even core business practices that are widely accepted as given. Not to tear them down, but to improve them for the benefit of the entire team. 

The Project Management Institute (PMI) outlines how important this skill is: 

“Corporate leaders have put critical thinking at the top of the list of essential competencies needed by their workers to understand these challenges, explore opportunities, and make good decisions in this new competitive environment.” 

When used in the context of project management, effective critical thinking can: 

  • Encourage deeper, more  productive discussions
  • Facilitate open communication between team members 
  • Resolve issues between team members and stakeholders more quickly
  • Develop better solutions to problems 
  • Reduce stress throughout a project 
  • Prevent repetitive issues
  • Achieve better results faster 

Now that you know why critical thinking skills are priority for project managers, it’s time to find out how you can improve yours.

How project managers can develop better critical thinking skills 

There’s one core principle that will guide your critical thinking: question everything. Project managers can’t just approve all requests that come in from stakeholders across the organization — unless they want a stressed-out, overworked team.

A good project manager knows how to prioritize projects according to the business’ overall needs and goals. With every request that comes in, you need to be prepared to evaluate the project’s impact on the business, the necessity of the project, and the why. Building this process — this instinct — into your daily work is how you build and strengthen your critical thinking skills.

For every potential project, consider: 

  • Why is this important right now? While most stakeholders will say their project is urgent, you need to find out exactly how true this is. Perhaps the project could be scheduled for a later date that works better for your team’s schedule. 
  • Why does my team need to be involved? For example, if you manage the creative team and a request for a sales presentation comes in, figure out exactly what your team will need to do.
  • Why is my team’s time better spent on this project than other projects? Does this project contribute more to the business than other work your team could be doing? 

Those are three important questions to ask yourself, but what about the questions you ask others?

When a new project lands in your inbox, you need to know what to ask of the sender and how to delicately frame those questions. There are a few question formats that work especially well for this stage of the project. These include:

  • ‘tell me more’ questions (eg. Tell me more about what will be required from each member of my team)
  • ‘help me understand’ questions (eg. Help me understand why this project is urgent)
  • ‘can you give me an example’ questions (eg. Can you give me an example of the types of results you’re looking for here?). 

These questions allow you to get a better understanding of the project and make sure it’s a good fit for your team. They’re also usually well-received by whoever initiated the project.

Prioritization means making tough calls, and project managers need to be ready and equipped to do so. You can’t be afraid to say no when the project doesn’t make sense from a timing or business standpoint. However, you will also need to be ready to explain the reasoning behind your “no”. The following techniques will help you feel confident in your decisions and authority as a project manager. 

Critical thinking techniques for project managers 

Critical thinking skills are one thing, but when evaluating the priority of a new project, there are critical thinking techniques you can put into practice to boost results and team morale. 

  • Avoid making or accepting assumptions 
  • Identify potential issues (and their consequences) from the start
  • Use the Five Whys to find the root of problems 

Let’s dive into these a little bit more. 

1. Avoid assumptions 

You know what they say about assuming things. When you make assumptions as a project manager, you’re missing out on and ignoring key information that could make or break your project. You can have the best critical thinking skills in the office, but making the wrong assumption can undo all your hard work.

A big part of critical thinking is digging into reasoning and probing for evidence rather than drawing your own immediate conclusions. When you’re pitched a new project — and during the course of the entire project — question any preconceived notions (yours or theirs). Ensure you’re given concrete evidence for the viability of the project, and look for any holes in the process or strategy that could impact your team. 

When challenging assumptions, consider the following questions: 

  • Am I assuming all members of this project have all the information they need to complete their tasks?
  • What assumptions am I making about each team members’ skill sets? 
  • Am I making assumptions about each team member’s time and availability? 
  • What are some possible issues that may arise with this project? How can I work backwards and challenge any assumptions in order to avoid these issues? 
  • What assumptions have I made about the stakeholder or project creator? What do they need to know? 

Never take anything for granted. When your job is to facilitate and manage expectations, it’s important that you’re questioning and challenging your own assumptions — and those of team members and stakeholders — at all stages of the process. 

2. Consider potential issues 

When you’re questioning assumptions, you’re also working towards another big part of your job: risk management. By proactively questioning what could go wrong, you can prepare for any issues that might arise during the course of the project. Not only that, but you can consider the implications and consequences of when things go awry. 

Consider a cause and effect approach with hypothetical — but realistic — issues. Give yourself an hour to write down any possible issues that could arise with the project, along with a list of consequences associated with each one. For example: 

  • Problem : The video editor won’t have enough time to deliver the final file. 
  • Consequence : The rest of the project will be held up. Costs will increase and we could miss the deadline.  

In a perfect world, project managers wouldn’t face any problems and all projects would be smooth sailing. Since that’s unfortunately not the case, here are some helpful tools you can use to avoid the escalation of issues — as well as repeating roadblocks with future projects.

3. Use the Five Whys

In addition to the “why” questions outlined above, a proven project management technique called “The Five Whys” can help you explore the true cause or causes of any problem. 

Here’s how ProjectManagement.com explains it: 

“5 Whys is an iterative elicitation method used to explore cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by repeating the question ‘Why?’. Each answer forms the basis of the next question.” 

To complete The Five Whys, you simply repeat the question “why?” five times until you come to the root of the problem. Each answer is understood to be a “contributing cause” that impacts the final result. 

For example: 

  • Because multiple teams weren’t able to complete their tasks on time (contributing cause). 
  • Because their time wasn’t prioritized properly (contributing cause). 
  • Because multiple last-minute projects were assigned (contributing cause). 
  • Because other stakeholders didn’t understand the prioritization and project assignment process (contributing cause). 
  • Because they haven’t been properly trained or given the necessary information (root cause). 

Once you get to the root of the problem, you can take action to ensure these issues are minimized or avoided in the future. 

For project managers, sometimes taking a moment to just stop and consider all of the possibilities, consequences, and information can make all the difference between a well-thought-out decision and a future regret. Developing and exercising your critical thinking skills is a surefire way to drive positive business results.

How do project managers save time?

They use Unito to sync crucial data across tools like Trello, Jira, Asana, and more.

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Twproject: project management software,resource management, time tracking, planning, Gantt, kanban

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Problem solving: a Project Manager skill

problem solving

Problem solving is a project manager skill that facilitates effective problem solving by combining creative thinking and strong analytical skills.

Problem-solving techniques: a 5-step approach

Problem solving step 1: problem definition, problem solving step 2: cause determination, problem solving step 3: ideas generation, problem solving step 4: best solution selection, problem solving step 5: act, problem solving: creativity, problem solving: communication, problem solving: willpower.

This is a skill that provides the capability to bring a different perspective to problems, helping to design and implement effective solutions.

It’s easy to realize how in problem solving the identification of simple solutions to big problems can provide benefits to the project and the company, but there are not always successful Project Managers capable of finding them.

In this article we will try to give a hand to the less creative and more accustomed to patterns minds by suggesting some techniques that if properly implemented can be extremely beneficial.

Let’s start from the premise that some problems are small and can be solved quickly, while others may involve considerable time and effort.

Regardless of whether the problem you’re focusing on is small or large, using a systemic approach to solving it will certainly help you be a more effective project manager .

Here are what are the five problem solving step s that you can use for most problems.

The most important step in problem solving is to properly define the problem.

How you define the problem will determine how you will attempt to solve it.

For example, if you get a complaint regarding one of your project team members from a client, the solutions you will assess will be different based on how you define the problem.

If you choose a poor performance approach for the team member, different solutions will unfold as opposed to an approach where you give little consideration to what the client said.

After you have defined the issue, you can proceed to dig deeper and begin to determine what is causing it.

This level of analysis is important to ensure that solutions address the actual causes of the problem rather than the symptoms of the problem.

If the solution solves a symptom instead of an actual cause, in fact, the problem is likely to reoccur because it was never truly solved.

After the hard work of defining the problem and determining its causes is complete, then it is time to get creative and develop possible solutions to the problem.

Two great problem solving methods that you can use to come up with solutions are brainstorming and mind mapping.

After figuring up with several ideas that could solve the problem, one way to decide which is the best solution is a simple trade-off analysis .

We can find this analysis when performing a project feasibility study as well.

To carry out the trade-off analysis, you must first define the critical criteria for the problem that you can use to evaluate the comparison between each solution.

problem solving ability

After having established the solution to be implemented, it’s time to take action.

If the solution requires several actions or necessitates an effort by others, it’s a good idea to make a plan and treat it as a mini-project.

Yet, problem solving as a project manager’s skill is not just limited to this tangible process for solving problems.

Let’s see what other skills are key to problem solving.

This is not just something related to artists.

Creativity is about being able to simply come up with a unique solution and thinking “outside of the box”.

This means not responding to problems with a knee-jerk reaction or a safe solution that might lead to poor results.

What creativity requires is being able to actually take a look at a problem from multiple perspectives, not just the typical one.

Stepping out of your comfort zone, thinking outside the box , going beyond. This is what creativity in problem solving is all about.

Solutions to serious problems may in fact not be found within standard processes.

Like with almost everything, nothing can be achieved without the communication skills to provide the solution to those who must solve it.

Even simple ideas are often muddied by poor rhetoric, let alone failed attempts to convey complex ones and solve problems.

And we’re not just referring to being able to clearly impart orders; it’s also important to know the right channel to deliver your message.

That message needs to reach the right people, in the right way, and get to them as quickly as possible.

Finding a solution to a problem is just one link in a larger chain.

If that solution isn’t delivered to the parties that need it to fix the problem in order for the project to move forward, then it’s all in vain.

Not all people are born great communicators, but there are ways to learn how to better communicate, especially with team members .

It takes empathy and active listening to develop trust and loyalty and without this connection, no matter how explicitly you communicate a message, it will be misinterpreted or even ignored.

All of the above may be quite fascinating, but if the project manager is not committed to their work and to improving themselves in problem solving, everything is pointless.

There are exercises you can do to master problem solving skills that help you respond better to problems and solve them quickly.

For example, there are logical reasoning tests that help you clearly organize your thoughts, analyze them, and quickly choose the best course of action.

However, all this takes willpower; the project manager must be aware of what they are doing and must want to do it.

Only in this way will it be possible to develop the best problem solving skills .

When presented with a problem, some project managers may be inclined to procrastinate or avoid the problem altogether.

However, avoiding problems is a short-term solution. It is problem solving that keeps things moving forward.

Therefore, the faster and more effectively you can solve a problem, the faster you can get the job done and successfully complete a project.

Keep up with the times.

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How to assess problem-solving skills for project managers

Being able to accurately assess a team member’s mastery of problem solving when managing a project is something of a hot topic. Every organization wants to future proof its activities, and problem-solving is typically seen as a magic bullet in this regard.

But what do we actually mean by problem solving skills, and how can these skills be accurately assessed?

There’s been a lot of chatter about whether or not problem solving is a soft skill , and this is at the heart of where the difficulty in assessing them often lies. Usually, problem solving involves a variety of other soft skill sets, such as decision-making, analysis, leadership skills, communication and creativity . So, yes, alongside being a great personal strength, for the most part it is considered to be a soft skill rather than something that’s learned through education or training . That said, the particular methods and processes that project managers in particular use to problem solve – those would be considered a hard skill.

For project managers and project teams , problem solving is their bread and butter and it relies on a huge variety of different techniques and skills that successful problem solvers will all be proficient in, so it’s no wonder that organizations are keen to accurately assess these skills so they can work together even more efficiently .

Why is problem-solving an essential skill?

These skills are a must-have for managers and pretty much all senior roles. In fact, they could be seen as an asset in any team. It wouldn’t be entirely unrealistic to say that good problem solvers are also often the people who most frequently come up with better ways to do things, fresh ideas and their communication skills are often top notch. And as far as employability skills are concerned , problem solvers are right there at the top.

Solving the proficiency question

Picture the scene: you’ve got a great team, but you want to be even better and you may even bring someone new onboard. On paper, everyone has great problem-solving skills, but you want to deep dive a little more and identify ways to work even more efficiently as a team.

This is an important thing to know (especially if you want to bring new people onboard), because according to recent research , up to 85% of resumes contain misleading statements and interviews alone are not always great predictors of role suitability and performance . In an ideal world, you’d start assessing these skills at the point of the recruitment process. Can they be measured by figures, or is it more complex than that?

The traditional approach would be to assess for problem solving skills in one of two ways.  Firstly, you could ask for examples of when the candidate previously solved a problem successfully. There’s quite a lot of merit in this approach: you’d get a feel for how comfortable the candidate is with talking about problem solving , whether something immediately came to mind, and whether or not they had the knowledge to back up what they’d written on their resume.

Another way to test their problem-solving mettle would be to provide a hypothetical scenario and ask for their take on it . Much like the previous approach, this would allow you to assess their response and get a feel for their way of working.

Depending on the organization you work for and the role you undertake, you could be looking for very different things than say, your friend who works in a different industry. But overall, checking out someone’s problem solving skills can be a great way to find out how a person uses creativity, logic, and analytical skills to get to the bottom of really complex issues and situations.

In the case of teams already in situ, you could use these same techniques in a cross-functional workshop environment .

Why do we care so much about problem solving?

Because quite simply, it’s about overcoming obstacles . In fact, this is often what is described as the ‘ultimate goal’ of problem solving from a project management approach.  And while what’s best for one situation may not be for another, it's hard to refute the fact that finding the best solution to resolve an issue is an alluring, if not downright attractive proposition. Problem solving involves a complex way of thinking, that covers discovery, analysis and resolution .

Of course, not everybody is good at problem solving. It’s not an innate skill and not everybody has the skillset required to carve a career out of finding solutions to other people’s problems, which is why it’s so important to use an objective way of gathering information about your workforce and their skill sets. The data you gather can and should be used to help you make informed decisions about who does what within your team and any continuous improvement measures that may be necessary.

Is there a winning strategy for assessing problem solving skills?

The answer is yes and no! It’s often possible to quantify things such as a person’s success ratio when it comes to reaching solutions, or to create a numerical value-based approach to the skills required for effective problem solving. There are also a number of frameworks and methods that can help a team assess and improve their problem solving skills.

Personality tests are often used in this scenario. These kinds of tests can help you spot patterns and characteristics that will likely be relevant to your role as well as putting the spotlight on how candidates will react in certain situations. 

Other employers prefer to use cognitive ability tests . These are all about aptitude and can be used to assess skills in the areas of verbal reasoning, critical thinking and other abilities which all feed into problem solving. These kinds of tests will provide a score which you can use for comparison and rating purposes.

When using these tests and assessing problem solving skills, it’s helpful to keep how you work front of mind as well. Afterall, if you have a hybrid or even a remote working model in place, this may be a better fit for some personality types or those with a more specific skill set. 

A focus on figures

Data analytics and problem-solving often go hand in hand. According to the abovementioned HRForecast* article, there are three key reasons why data analytics is important when it comes to problem solving, and how it can be used to measure improvements across your organization.

  • Firstly, because it can help uncover hidden details , including trends. 
  • Secondly, you’re more likely to be able to create automated models if you have a wealth of data, and this data can be used to help predict relevant solutions. 
  • Thirdly, with relevant data analysis, you can efficiently store it and use later for solving other problems in more or less similar contexts. 

A complex framework

By and large though, a high performing team member who has strong patience, communication and cognitive skills is more likely to approach problem solving in a way that will lead to a successful outcome than not. However, there are a great many factors that can affect a person’s proficiency in problem solving, which makes it a complex beast to analyse. To be truly proficient in problem solving you need to really understand the problem that you’re dealing with . Without this, you’re extremely unlikely to be able to find a solution to your problem – no matter how good your skills are!

To understand the problem you’re facing, it’s important to see the bigger picture that surrounds it , the problems that might hold things up, as well as any key stakeholders, and whatever you identify as the root causes of the problem.

As a manager, you’ll want to look for team members who exhibit skills which more readily lend themselves to problem solving. While personality will play a part in this, communication, group working skills and cognitive skills should all be on your radar as the attributes that can lead to good problem solving.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that resources are an often-forgotten dependency when it comes to problem solving. Afterall, you can have the capabilities to solve problems, but if you don’t have the right resources to hand, you could find the process of solving your problem is seriously slowed down.

Think outside your organization

Another key piece of the problem-solving puzzle relates to external factors . What do we mean by external factors ? Well, things like competitors, economic circumstances and wider geo-political or environmental concerns. These things may not directly impact the problem you’re trying to solve, but they will have a knock-on effect to the overarching process, which means they shouldn’t be discounted.

What can we be sure about when it comes to assessing problem solving skills?

Effective problem-solving really does require a skill set that is both broad and allows teams and organizations to move forward to achieve their strategic and operational aims. 

It may not be black and white but experienced problem solvers understand the need to drill down into a problem so that they can then approach it in ‘chunks’ and increase the likelihood of coming up with a workable solution .

We’ve long been fascinated with the idea of problem solving, and in particular, solving the question of how to assess problem solving skills. We could be forgiven for thinking that it should be straightforward, but the reality is that problem solving is a much more complex process.

But in what is perhaps one of the most startling examples of why problem-solving skills are so important, the recent pandemic has made organizations of all shapes and sizes problem-solve on an almost unprecedented scale . Being able to quickly change ways of working , learn to use new pieces of tech and generally find work arounds for systems and processes that had been unchanged for years has been a critical element in the success or failure of organizations around the world.  

Now that a hybrid approach is an accepted part of the ‘new normal’, we’ve watched with interest the emerging design thinking methods and problem-solving strategies in companies. Over the last few years, they have become well and truly embedded in the everyday routines of many organizations, who once swore that traditional meetings and in-person discussions were the only way to solve a problem.

We like to think of problem-solving skills as a kind of superpower . Not dissimilar to thinking skills, they allow people to develop strategies that will inform their questions and ultimately lead to answers.

Your next steps

If you’re thinking about assessing problem solving skills within your team, or are looking for ways to assess those skills in a recruitment setting , it’s important to have a plan. Think about the end of goal of your assessment and then choose an approach that will support that.

Make sure you have the tools in place to allow your teams to problem solve to the absolute best of their ability. This may mean using new ways of holding workshops or switching to a design thinking approach and collaborating across a wider remote team.  Or it could be as simple as finding a way for every contributor to feel involved from wherever they are in the world.

Whatever you do, remember that in an age where the workplace is constantly evolving and economic turbulence looks set for some time, having a workforce that is both able and armed with the tools and culture to let them problem solve to a high level can truly be the difference between sinking or swimming.

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Top 30 Project Management Skills: Soft and Hard Skills Included

ProjectManager

Project management positions such as project manager, program manager and project portfolio manager aren’t easy. These roles require a variety of project management skills that are needed to guide project teams throughout the initiation, planning, executing , controlling, and closing of a project.

Project managers are responsible for planning projects, assembling a project team, and managing project tasks, time and costs. To do so, the best project managers use robust project management tools to keep all aspects of their projects organized.

Still, even with robust project management software, that’s a lot to ask of any individual, but project managers have a variety of project management skills to get the job done. But before we continue, what are project management skills?

What Are Project Management Skills?

As stated above, project managers need to plan and control many areas of a project. To do so requires a set of project management skills that consists of personality traits, soft skills and technical or hard skills.

Project Management Hard Skills

Hard skills, also known as technical skills are those project management skills that can be learned through education or training. In project management, hard skills are the most important because they’re the project management techniques that allow project managers to do their job. They’re also known as the technical skills or project management know-how that’s needed to plan, schedule and manage projects.

problem solving skills for project managers

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Project Management Soft Skills

Soft skills aren’t taught anywhere and are developed naturally by individuals. However, some of these can be improved through practice. Soft skills are all those which aren’t learned through formal education or training. Some of these are part of someone’s personality or are developed through the years.

Personality Traits of a Project Manager

As noted, these aren’t exactly skills but personality traits that benefit project managers and their teams. Some personality traits that serve project managers include being responsible and delivering on their commitments. They need to be proactive, problem solvers and, of course, be leaders . A project manager should also be open to feedback and even criticism, flexible, but decisive when they need to be.

30 Project Management Skills Every Project Manager Should Have

Below we’ve collected the top 30 personality traits, soft and hard skills every project manager should have. Realistically, there are certainly more than 30 project management skills to learn if you want to be a project manager, program manager or project portfolio manager, but if you have these, you have the foundation on which to build a successful career in project management .

These project management skills can be useful for several purposes. You can include them in your project manager resume and cover letter, and you can use them to prepare for your project manager interview . Or, you could simply study them to learn about technical skills to improve as a leader and project manager. First, let’s start with project management hard skills.

1. Knowledge of Project Management Methodologies

A project manager needs to know about the different project management methodologies that exist. That doesn’t mean that you need to be an expert in all of them, as they’re usually industry-specific and require certification. Here are some of the most common project management methodologies .

If you want to learn more about these and other approaches, check out our project management methodologies blog.

Pro tip: As a project manager, you should be familiar with the project management knowledge areas and project management process groups  defined by the project management institute (PMI).

2. Proficient With Project Management Software

Having a working knowledge of project management software is a must-have technical skill for project managers in today’s world. There are many project management software alternatives available in the market, so you’ll need to determine which project management tools and features are best for you and your team’s workflow.

3. Project Planning

Project planning is a necessary project management skill because a project plan is the foundation of the project management cycle. It includes the project schedule, resources and costs. Traditional project management is all about planning ahead. Therefore, the planning stage of any project lays the foundation for everything that follows, including the success or failure of the project.

4. Project Scheduling

The project scheduling process is a vital part when writing your project plan. A project schedule organizes tasks, teams and time to complete a project. When people think about project management skills, they’re probably thinking about project scheduling, deadlines and deliverables. But project scheduling is more than that, as it also involves resource management and risk management.

There are many tools that can help with this process, chief among them a Gantt chart , which provides a visual of the schedule with tasks, durations of those tasks, dependencies, and milestones.

problem solving skills for project managers

5. Project Scoping

Project scope is the documentation of the project’s goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines. This document is called a project scope statement and is sometimes referred to as the terms of reference. The purpose of project scoping is to set boundaries for the project, define the roles and responsibilities of the project team and determine the procedures that’ll be employed to execute, test and approve the work of the project.

6. Project Forecasting

Project forecasting is the process of trying to figure out potential outcomes in a project. It’s guesswork to an extent but guided by historical data and other research that can help with accuracy. The purpose of project forecasting is to reduce risk , which in turn will increase the probability of success. The process allows project managers to zero in on areas of the project that could be improved to avoid going over schedule, cost overruns and lacking resources when needed.

7. Project Tracking

Project tracking is used to measure progress in terms of the activities involved in a project. It monitors the project to determine if it’s meeting the schedule and, if not, identifies issues that are causing delays and resolves them. This process is important and begins early in the project. Both progress and performance are tracked in order to stay on schedule and uncover bottlenecks and other issues that are preventing the timely delivery of the project within its budget.

Project dashboard template for help with the tracking project management skill

8. Project Reporting

Project reporting is the process of gathering data in an easily understandable format to make sure the project is meeting its goals. Project reports are also valuable tools in presenting information to stakeholders to keep them informed on the progress of the project. It’s a key tool for project managers in making sure the project is successfully delivered.

9. Project Budgeting

The project budget is the fuel that drives the project. Project management is all concepts and no action without a project budget. But having a project budget is one side of the project budgeting coin. There’s also budget management, which means tracking costs throughout the life cycle of the project and making sure your actual costs don’t exceed your planned budget.

Budget template for help with the cost management project skill

10. Team Management

Project management is about teamwork, so project managers must have people skills to keep their teams working productively . That means understanding conflict management to keep everyone working together and morale high. It’s always helpful to start projects with team-building activities to help create relationships that will endure the thick and thin of a project.

11. Workload Management

Project managers are also responsible for workload management, which is the process of forecasting, planning, scheduling and monitoring the workload of an individual, team or organization. The goal is to balance workload evenly across your team to have them work at capacity and be more productive. It’s a discipline that involves project management, resource scheduling, capacity planning and much more.

12. Time Management

Time is one of the triple constraints and one of the most important technical skills. Not having time management skills can lead to delays and worse. Project management is about meeting deadlines and getting your deliverables out on time. Project managers have to be experts in managing their time, their team’s time and the overall time of the project.

13. Risk Management

Planning a project, big or small, is inherent with risk. Before executing the project, you have to create a risk management plan to identify, assess, and control risk. The more you can manage risk, the more likely your project is going to succeed.

risk tracking template for the risk tracking project management skill

14. Cost Management

Projects cost money. Estimating project costs and creating a budget is part of the planning stage of project management. Once you have a project budget, you have to use budget management to ensure that you control your costs through the execution stage.

15. Task Management

Tasks are little jobs that make up the execution phase of project management. They need to be created, organized, assigned to team members and tracked to make sure they meet the project constraints. This is done with task management . Project management software helps you manage tasks and fosters collaboration among your project team.

Now, let’s review the most fundamental project management soft skills.

16. Leadership Skills

Some say that leadership is a personality trait or a soft skill that can’t be taught. While some project managers have better people skills than others, we think everyone has the potential to learn how to apply proven leadership skills and techniques.

As a project manager, you’re responsible not only for project success but also need to be a leader that applies leadership skills to guide and motivate team members to achieve their goals.

17. Communication Skills

Communication skills go hand-in-glove with leadership. You can’t be an effective project manager if you’re unable to articulate what it is you need your project team to do. But you’re not only going to be communicating with your team, you’ll need to have a clear communication plan for your customers, stakeholders and contractors.

18. Negotiation Skills

Being a strong negotiator is one of many communication skills, but it deserves its own space. In project management, negotiation is an important skill for conflict resolution and stakeholder management . For example, you’ll likely get demands from stakeholders that can impact the project scope. You’ll have to give them pushback, but diplomatically, so all project stakeholders feel they’re getting what they want.

19. Organizational Skills

The term organizational skills refer to the ability of an individual to manage time and tasks efficiently. As the name implies, organizational skills allow someone to work in an organized and efficient manner.

20. Interpersonal Skills

Teams are made of people and people have personalities. There are many different types of team members and they all have to get along. Having interpersonal skills brings the best out of your project team and helps with conflict resolution.

21. Problem-Solving Skills

Projects are problems, so having the skills to solve those problems means that your project is more likely to deliver success. Think of problems as puzzles that you have to figure out. There are many problem-solving tools out there to help you along the way.

Finally, let’s explore some personal qualities or personality traits that are important when pursuing a career in project management.

22. Adaptability

Change is a constant in project management. Being flexible is what keeps a project viable. If you’re not willing to adapt then the project will suffer. Of course, you have to have the wisdom to know when adaptability serves the project and when you have to bite the bullet and push through.

23. Decision-Making Skills

There are always decisions that must be made, often quickly, when managing a project. Project managers must process the situation and come to a decision that will positively impact the outcome of the project. This skill involves being able to properly evaluate whatever options are available, assessing the risks and benefits of those options and choosing the best course of action.

Decision matrix template to help with decision making, a project management skill

24. Attention to Detail

Projects are made up of tasks that must be completed on time and within budget. This requires a keen eye for detail. Project managers must pay close attention to detail, not only on the task but all the areas that are involved with that task. Being able to focus on those details, no matter how small, is key to project management.

25. Critical Thinking

Too many people understand the basics of project management but can’t think outside of the box. Critical thinking is all about not accepting everything you hear but taking the time to understand the issue and do the research that leads to an informed decision. A critical thinker is more likely to clear the hurdles that every project has to go through.

26. A Sense of Humor

Having a sense of humor is an essential project management skill, even if it’s a soft skill in project management. Humor relieves stress for you and your team, and only when tensions are lifted can smarter actions and ideas show themselves. Project team-building activities are a great example of how humor can be used by project managers.

27. Patience

Nothing is solved by rushing through a project or getting frustrated when things don’t go well. Projects need to be thoroughly planned in order to run smoothly, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be issues. Whether the issue is a change request or stakeholders having unrealistic expectations, if you don’t have patience, everything will be exponentially worse.

28. Personal Appearance

While it might not seem important, especially as the workforce embraces a more casual attire, a professional appearance is still a valuable asset for project managers. Presentation is important. It communicates responsibility, leadership and gives both stakeholders and team members a sense that they’re in good hands.

29. Delegation

Projects are complicated and involve the coordination of many people, places and things. One person can’t do it all by themselves. That’s why delegating is so important. A project manager must know what tasks can be delegated and to whom on the team in order to keep the work moving forward and distributed among everyone appropriately.

30. Collaboration

Collaboration in terms of project management is no different than the general definition: it’s a group of people working together towards a common goal. Specifically, for a project manager, that’s getting your project team , with its various project skills and experiences, to work better together. This is a discipline that extends across all projects and methodologies.

How to Develop Your Project Management Skills

As you can tell, the skills of a project manager are myriad. A project manager might have some of the hard and soft skills already, while others need to learn them. But everyone can improve their project management skills. Here are some ways to develop and improve your project management skills.

Project Management Certifications & Training Programs

There are many project management certifications  and with good reason. Certification in any field is like a stamp of approval. It shows that you have learned and have passed a test on certain skills. Project management certification makes you a more valuable asset and is something employers will be looking for on job applicants’ resumes.

Hands-On Project Management Experience

There’s the old debate about which is better, book learning or real-life experience. The truth is that this isn’t an either/or answer. Both are important. You can learn on the job or in the classroom, but a combination of both is always more valuable. Being able to volunteer or work on any project in any capacity will provide you with experience that’ll make you a more effective project manager.

Project Management Events

Networking is one tool that professionals use to increase their position and knowledge. There are many project management events throughout the year and across the globe, such as those produced by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which offer networking opportunities and educational classes and exhibit new tools of the trade.

Use Project Management Software

Certification, hands-on experience and attending project management events are all going to help you become a better project manager. Project management software is going to help you apply that knowledge and be a more effective project manager. Project management tools help you plan, manage and track projects, manage teams and their tasks, risk and resources.

ProjectManager Puts Project Management Skills to Use

Now that you know what skills you need to be a successful project manager, it’s time to equip yourself with the right project management tools. ProjectManager has a suite of powerful tools that can improve the workflow of any project manager. Here are some of our main features.

Multiple Project Management Views

Project managers are going to use our robust Gantt charts , which can help them plan and schedule their tasks on a timeline. It also links all four types of task dependencies, which helps avoid costly delays, filters for the critical path, to identify critical tasks, and can set a baseline to track progress in real time. But teams don’t need all the features of a Gantt chart, which is why Gantt chart plans can be viewed on task lists, kanban boards and calendars to allow teams to work how they want. All the data across project views are shared in real time so everyone is always working on the same page.

ProjectManager's Gantt charts is a great tool to apply your project management skills

Real-Time Project Dashboards

Monitoring projects is one of a project manager’s main responsibilities. Our real-time project dashboard makes that easy. It automatically collects live project data and displays it on easy-to-read graphs and charts. Project managers get a high-level view of time, cost, workload and much more to keep track of project performance and catch issues quickly. Best of all, there’s no time-consuming configuration necessary as with lightweight project management software. Just toggle over to the dashboard and it’s already working for you.

ProjectManager's real-time dashboard helps with project tracking, an important project management skill

Project Timesheets & Reports

Our software also features secure timesheets that automate much of the process and streamline payroll. They’re also a tool to measure what percentage of your team’s tasks are complete. For more information, you can use our reporting tools. Each report is customizable so you can filter the results to show only what you’re interested in. There are reports on project status, portfolio status, variance and much more. Our reports can be shared in a variety of formats to keep your stakeholders updated.

ProjectManager's timesheets are ideal for project cost management, an important skill for project managers

Related Project Management Content

ProjectManager isn’t only powerful project management software that empowers teams to plan, manage and track projects in real time and our website is a hub for online project management information. We publish weekly blogs, guides and videos and offer dozens of free project management templates for Excel and Word that you can download right now. Here’s a small sample of our project management-related content.

  • Ultimate Guide to Project Management
  • Project Manager Resume
  • Project Manager Interview Questions
  • Project Manager Job Description

You can have all the soft and technical skills in the world, but without project management software you’ll still be working at a disadvantage. Luckily, there are tools that enhance your skill set and make you even more efficient and productive. ProjectManager has features to help schedule, manage tasks and budget your project, as well as being online so it’s great for team collaboration. You’ll have to bring the sense of humor, but we’ve got the rest. Try it for yourself by taking this free 30-day trial.  

Click here to browse ProjectManager's free templates

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19 Sep 2020

A Project Manager's Short Guide to Effective Problem-Solving in 6 Steps

Role of the Project Manager | By Duncan Haughey | Read time minutes

Young Indian man in a white shirt and a business suit sitting on some steps with a laptop, smiling and typing

For project managers and business analysts like you, effective problem-solving remains an ever-important soft skill that requires you to combine creative thinking and strong analytical skills. The simple six-step process outlined below will help you master effective problem-solving — a skill that will provide you with the ability to bring a new perspective to problems, helping you to design, and implement, effective solutions.

Step #1: Identify the Problem

First, make sure you're dealing with the real problem, not just its symptoms. In information technology, we use root cause analysis to trace back to the origin of a problem. Take the time needed to do this tracing and discover the real reason for a problem by looking at it from different angles. Here are a few tools that can help:

  • Cause and effect diagrams: These diagrams help you gain a solid understanding of what's actually causing the problem.
  • Drill-down technique: This technique helps you split problems into decreasingly smaller parts to gain an increasingly more in-depth understanding of the cause.
  • 5 whys: This approach helps you drill down to a problem's root cause by asking why five times.

Ultimately, all problems fall into three basic cause types:

  • Physical cause: Equipment has had a material failure and stopped working.
  • Human cause: Someone made a mistake or forgot to do something.
  • Organisational cause: A system or process was flawed and/or failed.

Step #2: List All Possible Solutions

Once you understand the problem, it's time to think about possible solutions. If your problem is simple, the solution will often be clear straightaway. But more complex problems may require a formal approach to finding solutions. Here are some potential techniques you could employ:

  • Hold a brainstorming session with your team to identify and explore answers to the problem.
  • Use mind mapping to focus your mind, gain clarity and quickly identify solutions.
  • Ask a coach to employ the GROW model to help you identify the obstacles preventing you from achieving your goal.

Step #3: Evaluate the Solutions

Once you have your list of solutions, evaluate each one by asking a few questions:

  • What are the pros and cons?
  • Which measures will resolve the problem and prevent it from re-occurring?

Step #4: Pick the Best Solution

Weigh the solutions against a good outcome versus risk. Here are a few questions you should be asking to help guide this process:

  • What options can you discard straightaway?
  • Which option will have the best outcome at an acceptable risk level?
  • What is your best option?

Step #5: Document the Selected Solution

Once you've identified the best solution, write it down. This action helps you think through the solution thoroughly and identify any implications of implementing the solution. This step is especially useful when solutions are complex, when they require organising, to ensure a specific process order is followed or when you don't want to rely solely on your memory.

Step #6: Create a Contingency Plan

Circumstances may (and often do!) change, so create a plan of what you will do for any foreseeable futures. Don't be caught unprepared when and if things change.

What Would You Do?

Here are three scenarios you may encounter as a project manager. Faced with these situations, what would you do? Click the down arrow to see answer.

Scenario 1: The Urgent Project You have been asked by your director to plan an urgent project. However, you cannot start the project because a colleague with vital information and expertise is away on an extended holiday, and both are essential for project success. How would you approach this situation?

Scenario 2: the unhappy customer your customer is unhappy with the service you're providing on their project. you have not done anything wrong. the customer has been the cause of several delays through last minute and unexpected changes. how would you approach this situation, scenario 3: the serious mistake halfway through a project, you realise you have made a serious mistake. the situation may require significant extra time to resolve and could cause you to miss an important go-live deadline. how would you deal with this situation to ensure you still met the deadline.

As is usually the case, there's no single right answer to each problem, and the answers provided in the example scenarios are just one possibility. Other solutions exist and may, in some cases, even provide a better outcome.

How would you tackle the problems outlined in these scenarios?

Recommended read: How to Perform a Project Handover by Duncan Haughey.

What's Next?

You may also be interested in, getting the most out of your project planning sessions.

  • The ability to hold an effective project planning session is one of the most powerful weapons in a business' armoury. Without it, plans can be rushed or even forgotten.

Work Breakdown Structure 101

  • Work Breakdown Structure is a tool project managers use to break projects down into manageable pieces. Here's why you need one and how to create your own.

Who is the Project Manager?

  • A dilemma: should you appoint someone who is an experienced project manager or someone who will champion the change?

How Agile Practices Reduce Requirements Risks

  • Every software project carries some risk, but many of these risks can be mitigated. That's true of problems related to product requirements.

15 Important Skills Every Project Manager Should Have

15 Important Skills Every Project Manager Should Have

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Mastering the art of project management is like conducting a symphony of tasks, deadlines, and stakeholders. It's a dynamic dance that requires a unique blend of technical prowess and exceptional leadership. Project Managers are the orchestrators of success, ensuring that projects hit all the right notes.

But what skills does it take to lead this harmonious ensemble and deliver projects that dazzle? This blog unveils the skills of a project manager that are a must for every project manager. From mastering the art of effective communication to honing the ability to adapt seamlessly, we will delve into the essential skills that distinguish seasoned professionals from novices in project management. 

What are Project Management Skills?

Who is a Project Manager?

Project Management Skills refer to a set of abilities and competencies necessary for effectively planning, organizing, executing, and controlling projects. These skills encompass various areas, such as leadership, communication, time management, problem-solving, risk management, and resource allocation.

A proficient project manager can define project objectives, develop comprehensive project plans, coordinate team members and stakeholders, monitor progress, mitigate risks, and adapt to changes, ensuring successful project delivery within defined time, budget, and quality constraints.

“According to a 2021 report by the Project Management Institute (PMI) , the main professional organization in the industry, employers must hire approximately 2.3 million project management professionals globally every year to meet demand by 2030.”

15 Essential Skills of a Project Manager

15 Essential Skills of a Project Manager

In the dynamic world of project management, possessing diverse skills is the key to orchestrating successful projects. A project manager's role goes beyond just managing timelines and resources; they drive project success, bringing together teams, stakeholders, and resources to achieve goals. Therefore, project managers must possess a unique blend of essential skills to excel in this multifaceted role. Below we explored the 15 essential skills for project managers must master.

Hard Skills of a Project Manager

In the dynamic field of project management, possessing diverse hard skills is essential for success. These technical abilities enable project managers to plan, execute, and deliver projects on time and within budget. Below is a list of valuable insights into the hard skills necessary for success in the dynamic world of project management.

Hard Skills of a Project Manager

Via Edstellar

1. Effective Communication Skills

Effective communication is crucial for project managers to convey ideas, expectations, and project requirements to team members, stakeholders, and clients. It involves speaking clearly and actively listening, understanding non-verbal cues, and adapting communication styles to different audiences. Project managers must be skilled in written communication to create clear documentation and reports. Additionally, they must deliver compelling presentations to convey project updates and proposals effectively.

2. Strategic Planning and Organization Skills

Strategic planning is the ability to think critically and develop comprehensive project plans. Project managers must define goals, break them into achievable tasks, set realistic deadlines, and identify dependencies between tasks. They must allocate resources effectively, considering team availability, budget constraints, and project priorities. Organization skills are vital in maintaining project documentation, tracking progress, and managing project schedules.

3. Risk Management Skills

Risk management involves identifying potential risks and developing strategies to mitigate or respond to them effectively. Project managers must be skilled in conducting risk assessments to identify potential threats, analyzing their likelihood and impact, and developing risk response plans. They need to proactively monitor risks throughout the project and take appropriate actions to minimize their impact. Problem-solving abilities are crucial for addressing unexpected risks and finding solutions to mitigate them.

4. Budgeting and Financial Management Skills

Project managers are responsible for managing project budgets and finances. Therefore, they must possess cost estimation, creation, and tracking skills to ensure that projects stay within the allocated budget. Financial management skills involve monitoring expenses, tracking project costs, and making informed decisions regarding resource allocation and cost control. Additionally, project managers need to conduct financial analysis to assess the project's financial health and make data-driven decisions.

5. Adaptability and Flexibility Skills

Project managers must be adaptable and flexible in a rapidly changing business environment. They must embrace change, be open to new technologies, and foster innovation within their teams. Adaptable project managers can adjust plans and strategies to accommodate unforeseen circumstances, market shifts, or evolving client requirements. They need to lead their teams through change, manage resistance, and proactively seek opportunities for improvement and growth.

Soft Skills of a Project Manager

While hard skills are crucial, the soft skills possessed by project managers are equally important for their ability to communicate, collaborate, and lead teams effectively. Below is a list of essential soft skills project managers should cultivate to excel in their roles.

Soft Skills of a Project Manager

6. Leadership and Team Management Skills

Leadership skills are vital for project managers to inspire, motivate, and guide their teams. They must create a positive work environment, promote collaboration, and build strong relationships with team members. Effective team management involves assigning tasks, delegating responsibilities, and fostering a sense of ownership among team members. In addition, project managers must provide constructive feedback, resolve conflicts, and empower team members to perform at their best.

7. Stakeholder Management Skills

Project managers must effectively manage stakeholder relationships and expectations. This requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and engage with stakeholders at various levels. Stakeholder management involves conducting stakeholder analysis to identify their needs, concerns, and influence. In addition, project managers must maintain transparent communication, promptly address conflicts or issues, and ensure stakeholders are informed about project progress and changes.

8. Quality Assurance Skills

Delivering projects that meet quality standards is essential for client satisfaction and organizational reputation. Project managers must possess quality planning, quality control, and continuous improvement skills. They must establish quality assurance processes, conduct quality checks throughout the project lifecycle, and implement corrective actions if deviations occur. Project managers should also encourage a culture of continuous improvement to enhance project outcomes and customer satisfaction.

9. Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

Project managers encounter various challenges and decisions throughout the project lifecycle. Problem-solving skills enable them to identify root causes, analyze data, and find effective solutions to overcome obstacles. In addition, they should use critical thinking and analytical skills to evaluate options and make informed decisions. Finally, data-driven decision-making ensures project managers consider relevant information, assess risks, and align decisions with project objectives.

10. Emotional Intelligence Skills

Emotional intelligence encompasses self-awareness, empathy, and managing emotions effectively. Project managers with high emotional intelligence can understand their own emotions and reactions, as well as those of team members and stakeholders. As a result, they can navigate conflicts, handle challenging situations tactfully, and maintain a positive project culture. In addition, emotional intelligence helps project managers build strong relationships, establish trust, and effectively communicate with team members and stakeholders.

Technical Skills of a Project Manager

Technical skills empower project managers to understand and navigate the intricacies of their projects, collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, and make informed decisions. Here are the key technical skills that project managers need to possess to thrive in their roles and deliver successful outcomes. 

Technical Skills of a Project Manager

11. Project Planning and Scheduling Skills

Project planning defines project objectives, identifies tasks and activities, determines dependencies, estimates resource requirements, and creates a schedule. To create a realistic project plan, a project manager needs expertise in project planning methodologies, such as Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Critical Path Method (CPM). 

12. Risk Management Skills

Resource management, as a technical skill of a project manager, involves effectively allocating and optimizing resources to ensure project success. This includes identifying the personnel with the required technical expertise, equipment, materials, and other resources needed to accomplish project objectives. The project manager must possess the ability to assess resource availability and capabilities, align them with project requirements, and efficiently distribute and schedule resources to maximize productivity and minimize bottlenecks.

13. Budgeting and Financial Management Skills

Project managers manage project budgets and ensure that projects are delivered within the allocated financial resources. They must possess financial management skills, including cost estimation, budget creation, tracking expenses, and conducting financial analysis. Proficiency in financial software or tools can assist in creating accurate budgets, tracking costs, and generating financial reports for stakeholders.

14. Quality Management Skills

Quality management ensures project deliverables meet quality standards and customer expectations. A project manager should be familiar with quality planning methodologies, such as creating quality checklists, defining quality metrics, and establishing quality control processes. They need to know quality assurance techniques, such as inspections, reviews, and audits, to monitor and validate the quality of project deliverables. 

15. Technical Domain Knowledge Skills

Depending on the nature of the project, project managers may need to possess technical domain knowledge relevant to the industry or field they are working in. This knowledge enables them to understand project requirements, communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders, and make informed decisions. 

Project managers can excel and drive successful project outcomes by developing and honing these hard and soft skills. These skills empower them to communicate effectively, plan strategically, manage risks, allocate resources efficiently, adapt to change, lead teams, manage stakeholders, ensure quality, solve problems, make informed decisions, and navigate complex project environments with project manager leadership skills and personal skills for project manager.

How Can I Develop Project Management Skills?

How Can I Develop Project Management Skills

Developing project management skills requires a combination of learning, practice, and experience. Here are some effective ways to develop your project management skills:

  • Education and Training: Enroll in formal project management courses or pursue certifications to learn the foundational principles and methodologies of project management, enhancing your knowledge and credibility
  • Hands-on Experience: Gain practical experience by volunteering for projects or taking on small-scale initiatives, allowing you to apply project management skills in real-life scenarios and learn from hands-on challenges and successes
  • Mentorship and Networking: Seek guidance from experienced project managers through mentorship programs, participate in professional networking events and communities, and continuously learn to expand your knowledge, gain insights, and stay updated with industry trends
  • Professional Networking: Engage with project management communities, attend industry conferences, and participate in forums or networking events. Interacting with other professionals in the field will expose you to different perspectives, best practices, and emerging trends, ultimately expanding your knowledge and skills
  • Continuous Learning: Stay updated with project management trends, methodologies, and tools. Read books, articles, and blogs on project management. Explore online courses or webinars to learn about new techniques and approaches. Actively seek opportunities for professional development to keep refining your skills
  • Seek Feedback and Reflect: Regularly seek feedback from peers, team members, and stakeholders regarding your project management performance. Reflect on your projects' outcomes, identify improvement areas, and adapt your approach accordingly. Embrace a growth mindset and continuously strive to enhance your skills

Project management requires a diverse set of skills encompassing both hard and soft skills. While hard skills provide the technical foundation for effective project execution, soft skills are essential for successful leadership and team management. By developing these top 15 skills, project managers can excel and drive project success. 

Are you ready to elevate your project management skills to new heights? Look no further than Edstellar's comprehensive Project Management Training Programs . These trainings equip teams like you with the essential knowledge and expertise to successfully plan, execute, and deliver projects.

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Timothee is a project management expert with over a decade of experience in the field. His expertise lies in project planning, execution, and control. Timothee has a proven track record of successfully managing complex projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. His writings provide valuable insights into the world of project management, offering readers practical advice on how to effectively manage projects and improve team performance. His deep understanding of project management principles makes him a trusted voice in the field.

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Project managers: skills and traits that make good ones great.

Forbes Technology Council

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Guiding a tech project from start to finish entails staying on top of seemingly endless details, decisions and data (and sometimes, detours). From making sure progress is achieved on time and on budget to keeping stakeholders updated to ensuring teams work together smoothly—and much more—project managers are constantly keeping multiple balls in the air, and if they drop one, a project can quickly go off the rails.

Even though theirs is not a simple job, the very best project managers can make the jobs of their teammates much easier. Below, 20 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss the skills and traits that elevate a good project manager to a great one and why these characteristics are so impactful.

1. Strong Written And Verbal Communication

High-quality communication, in all its forms, is one skill effective project managers must have and improve on. Communication must be objective, timely and complete, whether written or verbal. Meetings with team members, one-on-one discussions, presentations, announcements, technical reports and emails are all instances of essential communication resources for a successful project manager. - David William Silva , Algemetric

2. Asking ‘Why?’ (A Lot)

A great project manager will embrace their inner toddler, asking “why?” a lot. If someone wants to add a feature, asking “why?” will help determine if it is in or out of scope. If someone is pushing a deadline, asking “why?” will help determine if deploying more resources or swapping dependencies will alleviate the challenge, or if indeed a deadline change is needed. - Patti Mikula , Hackworks Inc .

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

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A 30 second skull and bones video that negates 11 years of development, helldivers 2 announces surprise automaton invasion patriots help required, 3. leadership and problem-solving skills.

In project management, effective leadership and problem solving are the most important skills. A project manager must not only inspire and guide their own team, but also inspire confidence through their conviction in the client’s vision. Possessing a problem-solving mindset is crucial to navigating uncertainties and unexpected challenges, which is at the core of every successful project. - Shraddha Thanawala , Remiges Technologies P Ltd

4. High Emotional Intelligence

Tech skills may dazzle, but teams thrive on humanity. Project managers with emotional intelligence have a galvanizing effect on their teams and the organization. They don’t just crack whips louder; they inspire ownership and camaraderie. Teams unleash discretionary effort when they are led not by authority but by authenticity. - HK Bain , Digitech Systems, LLC

5. An Understanding Of How The Role Differs From That Of A Program Manager

It’s important to understand the difference between a program manager and a project manager. A program manager’s role is more strategic, and their work is tied to meeting business and organizational goals. On the other hand, a project manager is really incentivized to focus on the delivery of a project. Both roles are necessary and have similar guiding principles, but the differences are significant. - Scott Sumner , Medidata - Dassault Systémes

6. The Ability To Anticipate Issues

A key characteristic of a highly effective project manager is the ability to anticipate issues and plan proactively for the future. This foresight enables them to mitigate risks and keep projects on track. Execution is the key KPI. - Saif Sultan , Volos Portfolio Solutions, Inc .

7. An Agile Mindset

Highly effective project managers embrace an agile mindset. This means delivering clear communication of business objectives while allowing teams the space to determine how to achieve those goals. This is how project managers can encourage creative problem solving among their teams, allowing them to iterate and adapt as needed, which ultimately leads to fulfilled teams. - Mark Lorion , Tempo Software

8. An Unbiased Focus On Progress

Project managers should provide unbiased updates to management, cross-functional teams and executive leadership on a weekly basis. Highlight what is working well and call out what needs management’s attention. An ideal project manager leverages the technical leadership available to them to resolve issues in a scalable way. - Ravi Bandlamudi , AtoB

9. A Willingness To Dive Deep

Undoubtedly, a crucial trait of a great project manager is the ability and willingness to dive deep. This doesn’t come down to domain-specific skills or technical capability; rather, it’s the application of analytical thinking to resolve issues and uncover opportunities. It requires good instincts to know when to do a deep dive, which items need attention to be resolved and which representative set of successful items to observe to know what “good” looks like. - Elliott Cordo , Data Futures

10. Resilience

Inevitably, projects will encounter roadblocks. Project managers need resilience to push through challenges. A strong project manager builds on trust and clear communication with the team so that they can navigate challenges effectively, adapt quickly and support each other to keep the project on track. - Ruhbir Singh , Tatvic

11. The Ability To Unite Teams

An exceptional project manager is skilled in communication, adept at conveying clear information and actively listens. They effectively tailor the project’s vision to diverse audiences. The ability to unite various teams across the organization to work toward a shared goal and ensure each member understands their role in achieving the overarching vision of the project is crucial. - Rahil Shah , Zomentum (Pactora Inc.)

12. ‘Empathetic Precision’

In my experience, one characteristic of a highly effective project manager is “empathetic precision"—that is, the ability to relate to the needs of team members while maintaining a relentless focus on zero variation from the budgeted cost and time. Empathy allows them to build strong relationships, foster collaboration and address challenges effectively, all while ensuring the project is completed without deviation from the roadmap. - Sandy Hardikar , Network Science Ltd.

13. Rigorous Focus

A project manager has so much to do. They must empower and uplift the team, make complicated things simple so they can be understood by everyone, get quick approvals if needed, set and monitor KPIs, maintain a strong project rhythm, and more. All of this requires constant, rigorous focus. - Rosalba Carandente , Baker Hughes

14. Accountability

Given its linear job description, the project manager role seems straightforward, but there are definitely qualities that set a great PM apart from a mediocre one. One such quality is accountability—a feeling of ownership of a project that goes beyond the tasks required to deliver it. When a PM becomes the “mini CEO” of a project, they use high-level critical thinking to resolve challenges before they happen. - Antony Demekhin , Tuney

15. A Commitment To Advocating For Business Users

When a project—for example, an AI solution—has a team whose members include both technical and business users, the project manager should make sure that the business users are heard and understood rapidly at every step and that the final product delivered reflects the business users’ feedback about specifics, such as the data used, variables, KPIs and so on. - Zehra Cataltepe , TAZI AI

16. Being Detail-Oriented

The best project managers that we have hired were extremely detail-oriented. This is crucial when managing a product, because there are typically many moving parts. Staying organized and paying attention to details ensures products are delivered on time and within budget. - Trent Hoerr , FPFX Tech

17. A Knack For Sales

A highly effective skill in project management is clear and concise communication, which is crucial for team coordination and stakeholder alignment. I’d also say that I’ve seen proficiency in sales complement this by enabling effective leadership, persuasive negotiations and client relationship building, all of which contribute to project success. - Jeremy Vaughan , Start Left Security

18. The Ability To Bridge Business Needs And Technology

The best CEOs come from project management. Great PMs bridge business needs and technology by speaking both languages and establishing strong rapport with both groups. The best PM is the company’s demo god, has the top five customers’ numbers in their phone, and takes engineering out for a beer once a quarter. - Ari Kahn , Bridgeline Digital

19. Taking The Success Of Each Project Personally

Amazing project managers take success very personally. Driven to make positive contributions, they see each project as a chance to strive toward self-actualization and reach their full potential. As a result, they push themselves to take full ownership and minimize any chance of failure. A successfully completed project is often a testament to the project manager’s desire for personal fulfillment. - Hamid Farooqui , Sogolytics

20. Curiosity

In my experience, one crucial characteristic of a highly effective project manager is curiosity. A curious project manager continuously seeks new insights, solutions and approaches, fostering innovation and adaptability, which are key to project success. - Patrick Emmons , DragonSpears, Inc.

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How to Strengthen Your Problem-Solving Skills as a Project Manager

Posted by Vijay Kumar, PMP | Jul 10, 2023 | Project Management Career | 0 |

How to Strengthen Your Problem-Solving Skills as a Project Manager

Table of Contents

Problem-Solving Skills as a Project Manager

Problem-solving is one of the essential skills that a project manager must possess to be successful in their area of work. It involves the ability to identify, analyze, and resolve issues that may arise during the course of a project. When a project manager demonstrates problem-solving skills, it positions them as an effective team leader and makes it easier for them to achieve their objectives. In this article, we will explore some tips on how to strengthen your problem-solving skills as a project manager.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Understand the Project Goals

One of the first steps in problem-solving as a project manager is to have a clear understanding of the project goals. To achieve this, the project manager should ask relevant questions to the stakeholders and team members, understand their expectations and concerns, and assess the risks and opportunities associated with the project. This understanding will help the project manager to identify the potential problems that may arise and develop strategies to mitigate or address them.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Develop a Problem-Solving Mindset

The project manager should cultivate a mindset that sees problems as opportunities for growth and development. They must be receptive to new ideas, welcome feedback and suggestions, and be open to change. In developing a problem-solving mindset, the project manager can instill a similar attitude in their team members, thereby fostering collaboration and encouraging the exchange of ideas.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Train and Coach Team Members

Project managers should take time to train team members in problem-solving techniques to help them anticipate, prevent, and tackle problems that may arise during a project. They should also coach them on how to approach challenging situations, make decisions, and communicate effectively. By coaching and training team members, project managers can create a culture of problem-solving that will help the team to be more proactive and results-driven.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Engage Stakeholders

Stakeholders are essential in problem-solving as they provide insights and perspectives on the problems being faced. The project manager should engage stakeholders to get their buy-in on the project’s goals and objectives, understand their expectations, and address their concerns. By engaging stakeholders, project managers can get relevant information that helps in identifying and resolving problems in the project.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Brainstorm Solutions

After analyzing the data and engaging stakeholders, the project manager should convene the team to brainstorm potential solutions. They should seek input from all team members and encourage them to share their ideas freely. The project manager should maintain an open mind and encourage creativity and innovation. By brainstorming solutions, the team members will feel more engaged, and the project manager will get more ideas to work with.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Evaluate and Select the Best Solution

After brainstorming solutions, the project manager should evaluate all the options and select the best solution. They should consider the solution’s feasibility, cost, and impact on the project’s overall objectives before making the final decision. By evaluating and selecting the best solution, the project manager can ensure that the problem is resolved in a manner that meets the project’s expectations.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

Implement and Monitor the Solution

Once the solution is selected, the project manager should implement it and monitor its progress. The team should work collaboratively to ensure that the solution is implemented successfully, and any issues that arise are resolved promptly. The project manager should also measure the solution’s impact to determine if it has met the project’s goals and objectives.

Top Project Manager Skills for Project Management

In conclusion, problem-solving is an essential skill for any project manager. It requires a combination of analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills. When a project manager demonstrates excellent problem-solving skills, it positions them as an effective team leader and makes it easier for them to achieve their project goals. To strengthen your problem-solving skills as a project manager, you should understand the project goals, develop a problem-solving mindset, train and coach team members, gather data and analyze information, engage stakeholders, brainstorm solutions, evaluate and select the best solution, and implement and monitor the solution. By following these tips, project managers can build a culture of problem-solving that will enable their team to be more proactive and results-driven.

Problem Solving Skills Problem-solving is an essential skill for any project manager. It requires a combination of analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills. When a project manager demonstrates excellent problem-solving skills, it positions them as an effective team leader and makes it easier for them to achieve their project goals. To strengthen your problem-solving skills as a project manager, you should understand the project goals, develop a problem-solving mindset, train and coach team members, gather data and analyze information, engage stakeholders, brainstorm solutions, evaluate and select the best solution, and implement and monitor the solution. By following these tips, project managers can build a culture of problem-solving that will enable their team to be more proactive and results-driven.

About The Author

Vijay Kumar, PMP

Vijay Kumar, PMP

I'm Vijay Kumar - a Passionate Project Management Professional and Thought Leader at www.projectsmind.com. My words have touched millions over the past decade through my professional journey. Basically, I love to solve project problems and help project people to succeed. I am an engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology with a master's in Supply Chain Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I have decade-long experience in managing projects for the world’s topmost EPC & Technology firms. An admitted fitness freak, l love to feed my addiction in the gym every day...well most of the day.

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A Short Guide to Problem Solving in Project Management (Expert Tips)

A Short Guide to Problem Solving in Project Management (Expert Tips)

Kaji Enamul Islam

One of the foremost skills that makes you a great project manager is problem-solving.

When you are managing your projects, problems are inevitable. As we all have to face the same sort of situations even in our daily life. What makes the difference is knowledge and how efficiently you put in that knowledge to solve a current or impending issue.

Problem-solving is the process of observing what is going on in your environment; identifying things that could be changed or improved. kepner-tregoe

Problem-solving in project management is a strategic process. Hence, you can't achieve that skill overnight. It needs step-by-step learning, adopting a framework to do that, and obviously, maintaining some crucial considerations.

Well, in this short guide, we will show you some of the proven problem-solving methods to follow in project management. After you finish reading, you will be able to understand what are the most essential things you must do, and initiate a roadmap to become an efficient problem solver.

Importance of Problem Solving in Project Management

An illustration demonstrating the importance of problem solving in project management

There are many reasons that you must learn the skill of problem-solving in project management. Before you get on with the top techniques or best practices, let's go through some of the key points that make problem-solving in project management a serious business.

  • Fixing Broken Things in the Process
  • Sort Out the Risks
  • Improving performance
  • Looking for Opportunities

1. Fixing Broken Things in the Process

Problem-solving demands a unique mentality. When you have that in mind, you can easily look after your projects with more intensity. Doing business and managing projects is a simultaneous thing . A well-developed problem-solving structure helps you to point out things that are broken, need improvement, or an update.

2. Sort Out the Risks

Identifying risks is crucial to your projects. The problem-solving framework helps you to understand the current state of your business. With sufficient data, you can easily sort out the risks that can be handled with proper resources.

3. Improving performance

Your projects and the employees are integral, they complement each other to reach a single goal – success and development. So, when you are all up to looking for a reliable solution to your problems, it also makes a good impact on your employees. Eventually, that leads to improving your overall performance.

4. Looking for Opportunities

The more you keep solving problems, you see the newest crack, broken things, and things that need an update. With the same process, you can learn to see the big picture, understand the nature of the big picture, and become capable to convey it as a project manager . Hence, you can sort out the risks and opportunities and the same time.

If you want to manage all your project activities right from your WordPress dashboard check this article on The Beginner’s Guide To WordPress Project Management .

5 Steps to Problem Solving in Project Management You Should Follow

An illustration demonstrating the steps to problem solving in project management

As you already know, problem-solving skills demand a framework. As a project manager, you must streamline the most fitting methods following your expertise and resources. Below, we have sorted a handful of the most proven techniques that can make you a smart professional for problem-solving in project management.

Take a look at them one by one –

  • Defining the Problem is Your First Priority
  • Find Out the Reasons Behind the Problem
  • Generating Ideas for Solutions
  • Select the Most Fitting Solution
  • Taking Action to Solve Your Problems

1. Defining the Problem is Your First Priority

The way you look at a problem, your employees won't. Because, when they see a problem, they want you to solve it for them, as you are the project manager. So, it's important for you to define the problem in the first place. For example, your team is continuously missing deadlines, so it's an issue from their end. To get to a viable solution, you must understand why your team is doing the same mistakes.

Understanding the nature of a problem is possible when you know why something is happening to your project, and why things keep getting in trouble. To figure it out, you can follow the 5W1H approach.

An illustration for defining the problem with 511H method

It means asking these six questions to define a problem in project management –

  • Who   does the problem affect?
  • What are the symptoms of the problem?
  • Where does/ wherein the project did it happen?
  • When does it happen?
  • Why   does the problem take place?
  • How does it happen?

So, asking this question would definitely help you to define your problem when you want to solve it in a smart and impeccable way.

Read more: How to Improve Team Productivity Using WP Project Manager .

2. Find Out the Reasons Behind the Problem

After you understand the nature of a problem, the next necessary step is to find out the reasons behind it and analyze them to the core. It is similar to finding the gap in your workflow and filling them one after another to reach a suitable solution. Therefore, finding reasons won't be hard if you follow a strategic approach.

For example, you can use a Fishbone diagram. It is a famous and useful process to find out the reasons for a problem. Well, what is a Fishbone diagram? Japanese organizational theorist Kaoru Ishikawa created it that is used to categorize the core reasons for a problem in a visual form.

An illustration demonstrating to find out the reasons behind the problem with fishbone diagram

Look above the picture. Suppose, the problem is your website is down. A Fishbone diagram will help you to note down the possible reasons that can cause your website to fall. By maintaining such a visual demonstration , you can get better and more effective regarding your problem-solving in project management.

Here are some unavoidable things – the reasons you note down, they ought to be real. From a lot of possible reasons, your job is to understand the real reasons. It is possible if you go for deep analysis. Hence, to do this, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) would be helpful.

3. Generating Ideas for Solutions

Now that you know which problem you need to solve, and what are the causes, you can go for generating ideas for the right solutions. It is a gradual step of problem-solving in project management. So, in this step, you have more liberty to become creative. The goal of this step is to find out a set of solutions. You need a reserve of solutions or alternative solutions evidently. They help you to reduce your risks. If one solution fails, you may go for an alternative approach.

Hence, you need to do a lot of mind work, research and gather ways to possible solutions. The two best ways of generating ideas are – brainstorming and mind mapping.

Mindtools explains that creative problem-solving works in four steps. They are – clarify, ideate, develop, implement.

An illustration to generating creative ideas with five steps

The clarification stage makes you explore again your vision of the project and the nature of the problems. Then it guides to gathering necessary data and formulating questions. The following steps are all about expanding the framework with all of your understanding, data, resources, and goal to explore ideas, formulate solutions, and create a plan for implementation.

4. Select the Most Fitting Solution

It's not easy to select the right color when your wardrobe is full of similar clothing. But when you are determined, and know the etiquette and dress code of that particular program, your fashion sense lets you choose the color that is most fitting. The same thing always occurs while you are managing any projects and up to solve something.

After you have generated a lot of ideas and formulated a bunch of different solutions, hesitation is inevitable. So as a project manager, your problem-solving skill demands that you select the most useful and easiest way to sort out your trouble.

Well, the best ways to do that is to measure all the solutions, compare them with each other, and consider the following facts –

  • Your expectation and priorities
  • Evaluate all the solutions and measure them
  • Consider your resources
  • Go for the simplest one in the first place

However, you should never stop asking questions. Ask yourself, inspire your pupils working on the project to ask questions. The more question arises, the solution would be more effective and flawless.

5. Taking Action to Solve Your Problems

When you know what is your problem, and which solution you must implement, start right over. It's time to take action. Implementing a solution is the final step. But you must come through all the earlier steps to reach that level. It's an established framework to increase your skill as a problem solver.

Read More: 6 Interesting Project Management Ideas To Follow in 2023 .

How a Project Management Tool Can Help You in Problem-solving

An illustration demonstrating problem solving in project management with a PM tool

In an age of automation, project management becomes easier because of tools that help you create an online database of your employees, clients, accounts, overall projects, etc. PM automation software lets you keep track of every process live, and ease your effort to make better decisions.

For example, if you have a PM automation tool like WP Project Manager , you're problem-solving in project management would be more viable and simple. Here's how –

  • It ensures the best use of your resources and planning
  • Robustly organize and track your projects and tasks
  • Advanced management tool to make your tracking more efficient
  • The tool will intensify your collaborative effort
  • Generate a report so that you can see how your projects going on and what are your lackings

Overall, WP Project Manager has all the features that can make your workflow streamlined. When you see live updates and activities of your projects dashboard (including Kanban board, Gantt Chart, Task list, Calendar, etc), you can easily follow all the problem-solving steps with more efficiency. The job would be easier, nonetheless.

Bonus: A Quick Glimpse of Project Management Best Practices

To excel in project management, it is essential to follow industry best practices.

Here are some key best practices to consider:

  • Define clear project objectives and success criteria at the beginning.
  • Develop a comprehensive project plan that includes a detailed schedule, resource allocation, and risk management strategy.
  • Establish a robust management process that can easily adjust to new changes.
  • Foster a culture of open communication and collaboration throughout the project team.
  • Regularly monitor project progress and key performance indicators.
  • Proactively identify and mitigate project risks.
  • Provide ongoing support and feedback to team members.
  • Continuously learn from past projects and incorporate lessons learned into future projects.

Though it's not mandatory one strategy will work the same way for all industries. But if you have prior ideas, it would be easier for you to make constructive decisions.

By adopting these best practices, project managers can set themselves up for success and increase the likelihood of delivering projects on time and within budget.

Read more: 7 Project Management Strategies To Get Ahead Of The Game (Tips+Tool).

Closing Up for Problem-Solving in Project Management

Most problems are small in the beginning. As a resourceful project manager, your job is to solve them as soon as possible. The more you delay, the bigger the problem would grow. A ship often has many little glitches in the engine or cracks when it is on a long voyage. The smart captain is always in the loop to fix them simultaneously. As a project manager, your job is nothing less than that.

A strategic problem-solving framework will help you to cope with that loop, and a perfect project management automation tool lets you solve your problems faster (don't forget to add up flexibility, affordability, time management, and smartness).

So, here are our final words – keep innovating the newest ways to solve problems in your projects, and don't let your problem grow bigger than you.

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Kaji Enamul Islam

Kaji Enamul Islam

Enamul is an author of fiction, eCommerce, digital business, and WordPress. Addicted to stories, facts, movies, and books. Loves traveling to unusual places.

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  11. Problem solving: a Project Manager skill

    CONTENT Problem-solving techniques: a 5-step approach Problem solving step 1: Problem definition Problem solving step 2: Cause determination Problem solving step 3: Ideas generation Problem solving step 4: Best solution selection Problem solving step 5: Act Problem Solving: Creativity Problem Solving: Communication Problem Solving: Willpower

  12. How to assess problem-solving skills for project managers

    The traditional approach would be to assess for problem solving skills in one of two ways. Firstly, you could ask for examples of when the candidate previously solved a problem successfully. There's quite a lot of merit in this approach: you'd get a feel for how comfortable the candidate is with talking about problem solving, whether ...

  13. Top 30 Project Management Skills: Soft and Hard Skills Included

    They need to be proactive, problem solvers and, of course, be leaders. A project manager should also be open to feedback and even criticism, flexible, but decisive when they need to be. 30 Project Management Skills Every Project Manager Should Have

  14. A Project Manager's Short Guide to Effective Problem-Solving in 6 Steps

    For project managers, problem-solving remains an ever-important soft skill. A simple six-step process will help you master effective problem-solving.

  15. Effective Problem Solving for Project Managers

    Problem solving is an essential skill to handle the issues project managers encounter on a daily basis. Effective problem solving circles around the people element—how you relate and interact with people has a major impact on how effectively and how quickly you can solve problems.

  16. 15 Essential Skills for Project Managers [2024 Guide]

    These skills encompass various areas, such as leadership, communication, time management, problem-solving, risk management, and resource allocation.

  17. Project Managers: Skills And Traits That Make Good Ones Great

    3. Leadership And Problem-Solving Skills. In project management, effective leadership and problem solving are the most important skills. A project manager must not only inspire and guide their own ...

  18. How to Strengthen Your Problem-Solving Skills as a Project Manager

    Problem Solving Skills Problem-solving is an essential skill for any project manager. It requires a combination of analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills. When a project manager demonstrates excellent problem-solving skills, it positions them as an effective team leader and makes it easier for them to achieve their project goals.

  19. Problem Solving 101 for Managers: 5 Essential Skills and Tips

    Communication is one of the five essential skills for effective problem-solving as a manager. Good communication skills are foundational to successful problem-solving, and managers must be able to articulate problems clearly, listen actively to feedback and suggestions, and communicate solutions effectively. Additionally, strong communication ...

  20. 5 Steps to Problem Solving in Project Management

    Taking Action to Solve Your Problems. 1. Defining the Problem is Your First Priority. The way you look at a problem, your employees won't. Because, when they see a problem, they want you to solve it for them, as you are the project manager. So, it's important for you to define the problem in the first place.

  21. Problem Solving as a Manager: Definition and Tips

    How to solve problems as a manager. Consider these steps to help you solve problems as a manager in your workplace: 1. Define the problem. You must first identify what the problem is by talking to colleagues, conducting research and using your observational skills. Once you understand the challenge you want to overcome, try to define it as ...

  22. 11 Project Management Skills To Make Your Resume Stand Out

    Skills to include on a project management resume include: 1. Project management methodologies Project management requires knowledge of the different project management methodologies such as Waterfall, Agile and PMI methods as well as the ability to decide which is the best method for various projects.

  23. What Are Problem-Solving Skills? Definition and Examples

    Problem-solving skills are the ability to identify problems, brainstorm and analyze answers, and implement the best solutions. An employee with good problem-solving skills is both a self-starter and a collaborative teammate; they are proactive in understanding the root of a problem and work with others to consider a wide range of solutions ...

  24. 9 Key Management Skills: How to Show Them on Your Resume

    Example of project management skills on a resume: Baraka Conservancy, Project Manager. Austin, TX. September 2020-Present ... Negotiation is a management skill that demonstrates an ability to persevere in problem solving, persuading clients or customers with hard facts and mutually beneficial solutions. Using their interpersonal and ...

  25. The 11 Most In-Demand Job Skills (and How to Develop Them)

    A report from LinkedIn identified the 11 most in-demand job skills of 2024 as: communication, customer service, leadership, project management, management, analytics, teamwork, sales, problem ...