Project Management Skills You Should Have to Successfully Complete a Software Development Project
At Kambda, we think that proper project management is a must if you want to deliver high quality software. Some might think this is unnecessary but the reality is that without it, the risk of not complying with the project’s requirements increases exponentially.
To show you the importance of proper and timely project management in software or web development projects we’ve made a list of core skills we think managers must have. As you read through, think about which areas you need to focus on for upcoming projects or anything you’d like to improve when managing or supervising a project.
Business Strategy and Task Management
Every project needs a strategy, without it there is no way to ensure success and sustainability. The lack of strategy might drive projects into different directions making them inefficient and unprofitable. There is always a tight schedule when delivering a product or project. Task prioritization and task delegation is very important since everyone in the team has different strengths. One way to complement a business strategy is to have a list of well thought out tasks and priorities to help cope with deadlines, goals and key performance indicators therefore benefiting productivity.
Leadership and communication
Leadership is a skill some people may say you have to be born with to have it. But this is not actually true, if you really want to be a good leader there are many ways to apply proven leadership skills.Some of the most important skills a leader must have are motivation, delegation, trustworthiness, responsibility, commitment but most important of all is that you should be an assertive communicator.
Communication is a constant and it plays a especially important role in the success or failure of a project. It is essential for project managers to be able to effectively deliver the right information to each team member through the right channels in a timely manner in order to accomplish all tasks, resolve and prevent potential issues.
Although verbal communication is very important, we can’t leave aside nonverbal communication. A leader must be able to read, interpret people and situations in order to be knowledgeable and resolve any problems in the most efficient way possible.
Cost management is a critical topic for managers. This skill set will be advantageous since some managers have a particular difficult time creating realistic budgets or allocating resources. It is of course easier said than done. Most projects are made with tight budgets and if you’re not able to accurately fit each penny and allocate the right resources in each task the project will get out of your hands. Any software or mobile development project faces risks and complications but several different topics need to be covered when creating a budget.
Costs & Resource Allocation
Speaking of risks, it doesn’t matter if a project is too big or too small you have to be able to identify, assess and control risk at all times. This skill comes with experience, it speaks of knowing what could go wrong but it is also related to the importance of creating an action plan that will help in minimizing detours or even avoiding them completely. Project owners hate surprises so having a clear action plan can help manage potentially disastrous situations.
Risk Management
Speaking of risks, it doesn’t matter if a project is too big or too small you have to be able to identify, assess and control risk at all times. This skill comes with experience, it speaks of knowing what could go wrong but it is also related to the importance of creating an action plan that will help in minimizing detours or even avoiding them completely. Project owners hate surprises so having a clear action plan can help manage potentially disastrous situations.
Subject Matter Expertise
Having a knowledgeable leader is very important for any team member; as they are more likely to respect and listen to them while doing their best when timelines and goals are set out by an experienced well educated individual. If the team member finds out a leader doesn’t really know what he is doing he might lose their grip on the whole project due to uncertainty and lack of trust.
There are many other skills a manager can take advantage of when delivering a successful development project, however, if you don’t have a big team, enough resources or even time, you may always come to us for any mobile or web development service.
