Project Manager Job Description & Roles and Responsibilities

A project manager is one who leads the project and guides the project team to achieve project objectives. He or she ensures that the project is completed within the time and budget. He or she is the driving force behind the success of a project. A project manager is responsible for quality assurance, risk management, and must be able to communicate effectively.

Job Description of a Project Manager

The project manager job is mainly related to the detailed planning, execution, and closing of the entire project management process. He or she is responsible for defining the objective and scope of the project. He or she builds relationships with clients and ensures the project is delivered on time with the limited resources effectively.

A project manager needs to check the performance and process of the project using different kinds of tools and techniques. He or she also manages the risk associated with the project. Not only this, a project manager must maintain all the important documentation related to the project and communicate findings to top management.

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What are the Job Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Manager?

Project managers need to fulfil certain roles and responsibilities to achieve success in the project. They work and collaborate with the internal and external teams of the organisation at different levels. The important roles include planning, resourcing, execution, and control.

Planning: Project managers build end-to-end detailed plans and involve stakeholder opinions to create effective and valid plans. They also discuss the possible risk areas and how they can affect the project, and they plan accordingly. They also prepare the budget, allocate the available resources, and identify tools, logistic costs, and legal fees to ensure the project budget is sufficient and remains affordable.

Resourcing: Project managers ensure that all necessary resources are identified, and why these resources are important is clear. They need to communicate to ensure that all resources understand their roles and accept their responsibilities. They also direct and motivate their teams to achieve the desired results, often using project management techniques, and ensure effective communication is maintained throughout the closing of the entire project.

Execution and Control: Project managers manage the time, cost, and quality of activities in project duration and Produce reports in line with the governance requirements. They ensure effective communication with internal and external stakeholders, partners, suppliers, and customers. They make proposed changes to project parameters like scope, budget, and schedules.

Career Progression of Project Managers

The career path of a project manager is very progressive, from coordinating with the project team to vice president. All the roles are very promising and highly valued in the project management industry. There are no fixed stages in the career progression of a project manager, as it all depends on particular company requirements. The most common possible career path progression is given below.

Project Manager: A project coordinator in the field of project management helps in all the activities of a project like planning, organising documentation, coordinating with the team, actively participating in meetings and communicating with the stakeholder. A project manager needs to inform all employees about who is responsible for each task of a project and ensure the task is adhering to deadlines.

Assistance Project Manager: An assistant project manager oversees and directs the entire project, which is given to him by the project manager. An assistant manager is tasked with planning, organising, maintaining, and delivering documents; solving project queries; and taking care of key aspects of a project. He or she also deals with administrative duties, like creating invoices and estimates and scheduling project meetings.

Project Manager: A project manager is a professional who takes a project from scratch and completes it to achieve its goals and objectives within the limited resources given. He or she formulates the task, monitors and utilises the resources in an efficient manner, executes the process, and finalises the project. The success or failure of a project depends on the project manager and its team.

Senior Project Manager: Senior project managers typically do the same task as project managers, but they have specific expertise through in-depth knowledge and extraordinary skills, so because of this, they might be involved in the strategic planning of a focused group. They could plan and manage the work for individuals and direct the work of other project managers.

Director of Project Manager: A project director has a higher level of responsibility in the field of project management and is responsible for leading a team of project managers. He or she is also responsible for the successful conclusion of the project by providing leadership, monitoring finances, strategically managing risk,and making sure that each part of the project starts and closes within the given deadlines.

Vice President (VP) Project Manager: The VPs of Project Management is an upper level position in the field of project management, they are highly experienced and qualified. They are responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing the strategic plan and project efficiently across the Company Portfolio, ensuring the successful delivery of all work for our clients and related stakeholders.

Qualifications Required to Become a Project Manager

To become a project manager in India one typically needs to complete his or her formal education (10+2) from a recognised board in India. One can pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, information technology, or related fields. Completing an MBA degree will be an added advantage.

Bachelor's Degree

• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Computer Applications
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology)
• Bachelor of Economics (BE)

Master's Degree:

• Master of Business Administration
• MBA in Project Management

What are the Skills Required to Become a Project Manager?

Every career demands an individual to be equipped with some set of skills to excel in the industry. One should possess both soft skills as well as technical skills to become a successful project manager. Here is the list of skills one should have to excel in project management.

Soft Skills:

• Leadership
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Time Management & Organization
• Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking
• Adaptability & Flexibility
• Decision-Making
• Conflict Resolution

Technical Skills:

• Project Management Methodologies
• Project Management Software
• Project Planning & Scheduling
• Budgeting & Resource Management
• Risk Management
• Reporting & Documentation

Top Recruiters of Project Managers

Top recruiters can help individuals with the perfect job opportunity. Here is a list of the companies that consistently hire a project manager, making job search smoother and faster. Every company needs a project manager to build and handle the project team with limited resources.

• Accenture
• Tata Consultancy Services
• IBM
• Cognizant Technology Solutions
• HCL Tech
• Capgemini
• Tech Mahindra
• Honeywell
• Oracle
• DXC Technology

Salary of Project Managers in Popular Companies

Career as a project manager is a very lucrative and high paying job among the different career options in India. As per the AmbitionBox report one can expect a salary of Rs. 4.2 Lakhs to Rs. 30 Lakhs per annum in India, which is quite lucrative. Anyone with the right guidance and skills can become a project manager.

Source: Glassdoor

Note: The salary figures mentioned anywhere in the article are just for reference purposes. Actual salaries may vary depending on the respective candidates, employer, job location, and numerous other factors.

Check-in details - Project Manager Salary in India

Conclusion

In conclusion, a career as a project manager is highly valued in the project management industry, as every business needs to undertake various kinds of projects to achieve certain goals. As a project coordinator to the VC Project Manager, the career progression is very impressive.

In fact, the salary figures offered by top companies for this career are very high, with an average salary of Rs. 17.9 lakh compared to other careers. One can enter this industry with the right support and guidance.