A project manager has to use technical and human resource management skills in tandem. It is important for a manager to be able to effectively communicate with people who are often at opposing ends of the process.Project Management is as much about managing people as much about the job. Companies usually promote people to the supervisory positions based on their knowledge of the task and their performance. But project management is about the ability to get the best out of the people. A manager’s job is to manage the projects as well as the people working on them.A manager needs to be well versed in the technical aspects of a job. He should know how to put the pieces together to produce the complete thing. This ability would enable him to come up with the right kind of plan to get the project done. He would be able to take care of the routine technical nuances and guide the team through these. Anyone who has received quality technical training, has enough exposure and possesses analytical skills, can take care of the project part.However, for being a good manager, one has to supplement the technical skills with soft skills as well. To put it simply, a manager must be able to effectively communicate with people. Now, dealing with people is many times more complicated than dealing with a technical issue. One needs to possess top notch soft skills to excel as manager. You need to communicate with your team members, your seniors and maybe the clients as well. You ought to know how to balance their expectations, which would most probably be at the opposite ends.If a manager is adept in managing projects but lacks adequate management skills, targets would be met but unwillingly and usually full of errors. An inept manager would fail to motivate employees to work effectively. Employees dissatisfied with their job would not work to the full of their ability, and this would influence the quality of the project. For quality work, it is necessary to keep the employees’ dedication levels at the optimum. A manager with top-notch skills would know how to get the job done in the best possible manner.A manager has to use technical and soft skills in tandem to get the best possible results. If a manager effectively manages projects as well as people, it would churn out peak performance producing the highest quality task. The best approach for a manager would be to manage the projects through people. They need to recognise that manpower is valuable and it needs to be retained and encouraged to get good results.Usually, project managers are involved in a project from inception to the closing phase. They have to draw a detailed plan regarding the completion of the project. If they make the best use of the available human resources, they would be able to complete the project in timely and efficient manner. They also need to demonstrate problem solving and decision making skills. They have to make decisions during the execution of the project, some related to the project while some to people associated with it. He must be able to take reasonable decisions after analysing problems and issues, listing out possible solutions, picking up the best option and implementing it to manage a project.One can undertake professional project management training courses to hone the skills needed for executing a project. These courses are specifically designed keeping in view the challenges faced by managers at work, thus helping one to develop as a valuable human asset of the company.
Benefits of Continuing Education
Are you stuck in a rut at work, doing the same job year after year with little or no hope of moving up the ladder? Do you constantly wish you could switch gears midway through your career in pursuit of that dream job? Are you the idealist who believes education is a continuous process and has an undying thirst for knowledge or the realist who just wants that promotion and the consequent increase in salary?The situations described above may be different, but the solution to all of them is one – continuing education. The term continuing education, which includes degree credit courses amongst many other types of learning activities, is generally used to refer to education that is imparted to students who are older than the traditional age of university-going students.According to a national survey of students in continuing education, the adult learners in both two-year and four-year college degree programs were considerably older than traditional students.Rising NumbersIn it’s latest higher education projection, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics reported that the total enrollment of students who are 35 years or older in degree granting institutions is expected to increase 7 percent between 2005 and 2016.One of the important reasons for continuing education could be the state of economy. According to an annual report by Sloan Consortium, a group of organizations dedicated to quality online education, bad economic times often have a good impact on education. It pushes working professionals to enhance their skills not just to retain their current jobs, but also to improve their chances of advancing as well as increase their employability.Some of the common benefits of continuing education are:• By enrolling in advanced or graduate degrees in their field, adults improve their chances of climbing up the corporate ladder and an increase in salary. There are certain specialized roles, such as nursing administration, which usually require professionals to obtain advanced degrees.• Many people pursue an education to enhance their skills and position themselves favorably in the job market.• Sometimes, continuing education becomes necessary if you want to switch careers and you don’t have the qualification, training, or experience to enter the new profession of your choice.• Some adults pursue education because they have a hunger for learning. For them, education is a lifelong quest. Some pursue degree programs related to their professions, while others choose fields that they are interested in, which may or may not be related to their professions.• For some, the reasons for continuing education have nothing to do with learning or earning. They look at it as something which will improve their image amongst friends and family.• Successfully completing continuing education courses is known to have a positive impact on people’s self-esteem and quality of life.Education may be a necessity for some and a passion for others. But the fact remains that for many, it may not be possible to give up a full-time job for continuing education. That’s where online degrees and distance learning programs are helpful – as they allow working adults to learn and earn at the same time.A wise old man (or woman) once said that it’s never too late to go back to school. The greatest tribute to that age-old adage is being paid by the working adult population of our country that fights all odds to go back to school!