The Project Manager Skills in the Age of Digitization

Only 19% of organizations deliver successful projects; according to a recent survey published by KPMG. This affirms how critical is the project management profession and the project managers’ roles.

This importance and criticality are getting noticed over years for realizing the success of the projects and with view to the four pillars of success:

  • Cost;
  • Time;
  • Scope;
  • And stakeholder satisfaction.

Project Management Basic Set of Competencies and Skills

Success of a project manager is mainly dependent on a basic set of competencies and skills, as described by the Project Management Institute (PMI); and classified into three main competency areas:

  • Knowledge: including skills across three main pillars:
    • General Management Knowledge: such as leadership, communication, team building and other human resources management skills.
    • Project Management Knowledge: including the specific tools and concepts such as project scope, project time, project scheduling, project cost and cost control.
    • Industry Specific knowledge: such as industry life-cycle dynamics, and product development methodologies.
  • Proven Experience: this is about having track record of project management experience including hours of project management exposure, size and complexity of projects managed in addition to independent references.
  • Personality: this is arguably is considered the most important one, and it has two pillars:
    • Intra-personal: those are set of personal characteristics such as can-do attitude, confidence, enthusiasm, open mindedness, adaptability, and personal integrity.
    • Inter-personal: those are the skills needed for people management such as the ability to communicate, ability to motivate and the ability to influence.

دورات تدريبية كورسات اونلاين

Digitization Impact

Emerging and digital technologies are revolutionizing every aspect of business, the project management practices are not exception. For example, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning could be providing project managers with valuable data and insights that can transform projects and business performance at large.

The Internet of Things (IoT) also led to the evolution of Industry 4.0, that refers to the fourth industrial revolution that is primarily powered by the existence of unlimited connected and networked devices such as vehicles, machines, sensors … etc.; this connectivity allows these things to connect, interact and exchange. By exploiting this connectivity capabilities, Project Managers can, for example, retrieve real-time valuable insights and data that can rapidly increase efficiency and performance.

Digital tools also allow project manger to utilize unlimited collaboration tools and platforms and human resources management tools, to ensure effective team management that is essential for delivering successful projects.

In this context; every project manager should be having new set of skills; that goes beyond the project management, including:

(1) Data science, data management, analytics and big data.

(2) Innovative mindset and innovative thinking.

(3) Security, privacy knowledge, legal, regulatory and compliance knowledge.

(4) Data-driven decisions making.

(5) Collaborative leadership and digital collaboration tools.

Related Blog

August 6,2020
/
Articles

The 2020 Trends of E-Commerce, a World Facing CORONA

E-commerce is the smartest key for any retailer operating offline only, or who’s aiming to expand sales with new available methods that are more cost-effective, and more specific in targeting rather than currently used methods. In addition, it enables them to cross borders, by various digital tools as it is the most effective when it […]

Read More
August 6,2020
/
Articles

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Time for Virtual Classes

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is imposing serious risks to most of the living activities including political, economic, social, business and also education and training services. Global Economic and Markets Trends According to the OCED, the output contractions in China is already felt around the world, given the key role that Chinese firms play in the […]

Read More
September 14,2020
/
Articles

3 Popular Digital Skills in Demand for 2021 in Egypt

There are tons of digital skills that are relevant for the future and witness high demand in Egypt in 2021 and beyond. In this blog, we will focus on the top digital skills that are in demand – plus our favorite courses to master them in 2021 and beyond! How Important Is It to Learn […]

Read More