A project manager, quite simply defined, is an individual who is responsible for the entire project. He or she is not responsible for completing every task. Indeed, it is unlikely that the manager would even have every skill needed to complete all the work. He or she is simply the final decision maker. This person will usually be considered responsible for the success or failure of a project, unless other reasons for the outcome are blatantly obvious.

What set of skills make for a successful project manager? Among the most important is being a strong team leader. Another important factor is being inquisitive and resourceful. It's critical to be able to track down information, and then combine it to do forecasting and make business decisions. These abilities combine and form the basis for effective project planning and implementation. Also, presentation skills are crucial, since managers need to communicate options and even advocate certain courses of action to persuade other staff members or customers. If you are not effective at planning and scheduling, you may wish to consider another career. If you are committed to being a good manager, you'll need to develop these skills.

Once a path has been chosen, the manager needs objectivity and vision to assess the progress of the plan, adjusting as necessary to meet budget and time constraints and streamlining to remove ineffective actions where possible. The manager's leadership is key to keeping the team motivated and on track. Being decisive does not mean being stubborn: an effective manager is realistic about when something is not working and adjusts accordingly. Another important factor is a commitment to quality and imparting a sense of high standards to the team so it can be incorporated into the project at every step.

The project manager serves as the compass for the project, keeping the goals in focus and charting a plan to get there even if there are some wrong turns and adjustments are necessary along the way. In addition to developing the plan, they also help define the goal to begin with. They also try to anticipate risks and develop contingency plans to adjust for them if needed. If changes are required to the scope of the project, then the project manager communicates with the client to document those, including determining the costs and the impact on the project.

A successful project manager needs to have a lot of skills to manage his team. A realistic evaluation of the team's pluses and minuses is of great importance as this will help maximize results by utilizing the resources in the most efficient manner. Nobody likes an aggressive leader. A leader, in order to motivate his or her team, needs to be assertive with oodles of tact. A project manager has to be an effective communicator and also equally approachable. Harmony and clear lines of communication within the team are a measure of the project manager's success. The project schedule itself should be a team effort and not an authoritarian decision made by the project manager alone.

n 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was founded. The objective of the institute was to provide the required competencies for the project managers to be fully accomplished. Consequently, in 1981, standards and guidelines for this career path were formulated by the administrators. The PMBOK, as it is known, is the bible of project management, encompassing its body of knowledge. Generally considered, all those wishing to follow a fruitful career as project manager should consider this authority.