How to Hire the Project Manager that will Fit Your Requirements?
Whether it is a website development, design, or usage of augmented reality, the success of any project relies on the team responsible for delivering the final product. The team’s communication and the division of tasks directly depend on the project manager.
At first glance, a person who is responsible for organizational software development processes is an employee without whose services one can go. Indeed, why hire a project manager, which, apparently, has nothing to do with programming?
In reality, the situation is somewhat different. Qubit Labs can describe a PM as a conditional “bridge” in the team. One’s main duty is to create an appropriate environment for the effective implementation of the project, particularly:
- Conduct the analysis of a product.
- Form the vision and characteristics of the project alongside the team.
- Take control of the project, including quality, deadlines, and budget monitoring.
Project management jobs imply working with remote and in-house specialists. A PM is in charge of communication with a client because one conducts negotiations, clarifies the expectations, and defines what outcomes the requisitioner sets for the project. If you hire a project manager to complete your development team, make sure that one can balance the client’s requests and an adequate team load. The best project managers are the people who genuinely believe in the product’s success and strive to inspire the team to achieve outstanding results. One can be compared to the chief conductor who has to manage the orchestra to ensure each participant understands one’s role in the group’s overall performance.
Primary Tasks and Responsibilities of a Competent Project Manager
In general, tasks of the in-house and remote project manager can be classified into tactical and strategic. Tactical objects refer to solving routine issues regarding projects and removing the obstacles that disturb the team. As for strategic targets, these are concerns regarding coordinating the project’s goal, setting directions towards reaching it, and defining the necessary steps to take.
Strategic Planning
Your remote project manager will understand the deadlines and resources necessary for the projects with different volumes of work. One sets deadlines that will provide additional time in case there are some unexpected situations or to prevent risks. It isn’t enough to deliver the project on time, but all the expenditures have to be carefully distributed to be able to follow the plan without any deviations. Surely, your freelance project manager won’t be the one fully responsible for cost estimation, but the final decision relies on him/her. Thus, a professional has to be realistic and neither overestimate nor underestimate the deadlines and expenditures without a proven reason.
Risk Management
It is almost impossible to have a project that will be as smooth as planned. Any development process is prone to risks, which are always related to real reasons and sources and have specific outcomes. If we don’t mention planning, addressing and managing risks are the most challenging project management jobs. Nevertheless, to facilitate it, it is necessary to think about any possible negative outcomes in advance. It is cheaper and simpler to manage the risks rather than real problems. Usually, risks never emerge on their own; they are caused by the team’s actions or emerge because of some internal or external conditions. Risk management is insurance, which can help save the crucial part of the project, whether it’s money, time, or product quality. This activity’s primary goal is to choose and implement an appropriate management strategy.
Decisive Element
A project manager is a person aware of everything that’s happening in the team and how the project is going. We can say that, to some extent, this person is an HR, developer, and office manager rolled into one. He/she should be able to predict any possible failures and define the ways of preventing them. This employee usually contacts the team leader if there are any issues, but the project manager still knows everything about each team member.
Time Appreciation
Suppose the company decides to hire a project manager. In that case, the specialist will optimize all the processes and rationally divide time between the tasks without conducting 3-hour long meetings or taking too many breaks. One prefers to schedule a call with other specialists and discuss all the details in advance rather than work overtime or ignore some processes while focusing too much on others. Project manager skills include the ability to find an approach to each person and politely point out that it’s time to concentrate on work rather than have discussions with other employees.
Focus on the Result
This person is held responsible for all the ongoing processes in the project. He/she will be the one to report to the requisitioner and give explanations regarding any failures or deviation from the plan. Monitoring all the activities of the developers is one of the most crucial project management skills. Only if the project was finished within the deadline, is of high quality, and under the set budget, it can be considered successful.
What Qualities and Backgrounds to Consider When Selecting a PM?
The project manager has to make sure that the working process is organized in a way that each involved party is satisfied with the result. Project manager skills affect not only one’s own reputation and career prospects but also the credibility and incomes of the company and each team member. PM has to be a universal specialist in a wide range of topics and tools in the means of project management skills.
The technical project manager doesn’t write the code, but he/she should understand how to manage the development effectively. In other words, this professional has to be competent in technical and business requirements, be proficient in flexible methodologies, and understand technologies implemented for the development of a particular product.
Among the most important project management skills, we can list the following:
- Leadership.
- Experience in working with people.
- The ability to hold presentations and persuade people.
- The ability to reach an agreement and find common ground with people with various interests and perceptions.
- Expressing thoughts in a polite and clear way.
- Understanding strategy and tactics.
- Adaptability and flexibility.
- Implementation of analytical and psychological approaches to improve performance.
- Calmness and readiness to solve problems instead of finding excuses.
- Attention to detail.
- Proactivity.
- The ability to listen and hear.
Project manager skills don’t include the ability to read thoughts. Nevertheless, thanks to their competencies and experience, they can easily figure out what the project requires and be truly interested in delivering top-notch results.
To Wrap Up
Basically, a project manager is the central communication source between the project’s parties. The specialist knows the clients’ needs yet is in one boat with the team. A good PM combines three essential competencies: knowledge, execution, and personal qualities.
Thanks to these factors, a professional project manager will help save time, take care of all team members, balance the expectations and reality, and successfully carry out the project. If you’ve been looking for a competent remote project manager, you can entrust this task to Qubit Labs.
We will contact the best candidates and help in making your project prosper. Feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation.
Related Articles:
How to Effectively Manage Your Remote Software Development Team
Top Software Development Metrics To Increase The Projects’ Success
How Can Startups Benefit From Offshore Development?
Best Time Management Apps for Product Team
How to Work With Your Remote Team Across Time Zones?
