There is no one-size fits all. The best project manager is able to change practice instantly, depending on the needs of the project. In order to do so effectively, knowledge of all sorts of subjects and skills is required. On this page, you’ll find the essentials of excellent project management. All of which you’ll experience whilst working with me.
Bas was project lead and primary contact for a key initiative for our business. The process, efforts and output are hard to sufficiently describe – but in short, this four week, focussed and intensive delivery produced thorough and high quality results that one would expect to take months to produce. Bas is a talented and dedicated leader, and I firmly believe that any initiative that he is associated with will achieve remarkable results.
Adam Reitsma ~ Digital Product Manager PwC Australia
Facilitation
The skill to facilitate meetings, and function as a bridge between people with vastly different skill-sets, merge different points of views, and hence facilitate meetings well, to make them as efficient and productive as possible.
Process Management
Every projects needs a slightly different configuration. The way in which a project is run, is key to its success. Whether Design Thinking, Lean methodologies, other Agile practices, simply working with scrum, or conventional management methods, I’m able to adjust, finetune and apply them according to project needs.
Prioritizing
There will always be time pressure. Being able to prioritize tasks , features or resources is crucial is getting things done on schedule or, when a situation unexpectedly changes, minimum delays.
Product management
An excellent project management should at the very least be able to be a good product manager. Managing an existing product is distinctly different from managing the build and growth of a possible product, they are very intertwined. You need to be able to set up a project so a product manager can eventually seemlessly take over and further develop the project back to BAU.
Design
For your project to thrive, understanding how to design it beyond bare functionality is crucial. Whilst not the job of a project manager, understanding the intricacies a designer has to deal with, the time it takes and how it translates to added value is essential to a proper distribution of time and resources.
Coding
Whether back-end development, front-end design or generic webdevelopment, understanding the time it takes to code, is important to proper project management. Being able to communicate needs in a proper fashion to developers is essential to get things done in the way it’s envisioned by management.
Learning fast whilst on the job
It’s inevitable that a project manager is not a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in everything related to the project. Hence, It is important to be able to take in new information fast and efficiently. Not to become the SME yourself, but to understand how to manage human resources most efficiently and ensure everyone does what their good at, not just what they are assigned to do.
Handle Setbacks
Inevitably, things will not go exactly as planned. People get sick, contractors get delayed, you name it. An excellent project manager does not try prevent the inevitable, but ensure they are equipped to handle setbacks in the best way possible. Always have a plan B and even C, not for if, but when it’s needed.
Planning
Everyone can make a plan. But is it easily adjustable? Is it realistic? Does it have clear roles and responsibilities? Does it facilitate a breakdown of big goals to smaller tasks? An excellent project manager ensures a plan that is both robust and flexible.
Motivate
An excellent project manager understands how to motivate a team. Ensuring everyone feels valued (and is valuable), everyone understands their role and their contribution to progress, is arguably the most important role of a project manager. Without a motivated team, delays are inevitable and results will be sub-par. Emotional intelligence is key in excellent project management.
Bas van den Bergh 