What does a Project Manager do?
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Project manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real project manager resumes:
- Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
- Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
- Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
- Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
- Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
- Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
- Design and deliver universal project management documentation that is used throughout the PMO.
- Develop monitoring strategies base on PMI project management methodologies forecasting progress versus estimate completion.
- Project management and consulting at client engagements for the implementation of PeopleSoft HRMS application software.
- Authore project management documents, facilitate the electronic sign-off process and manage SharePoint sites for each project.
- Manage a high-visibility project effectively to improve delivery dates of prescriptions to patients by providing infrastructure and application enhancements.
- Design and implement a project selection and management process and implement project planning and database software to enhance efficiency.
- Develop operational strategies, provide vision, business process management, business architecture, business process improvement and implementation services.
- Excel in highly organize enterprise project management office leading projects using SDLC and standardize project management methodologies, processes and tools.
- Project management responsibilities include national portfolio management, work breakdown development, schedule management, personnel management, and cost management.
Project manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 23% of Project Managers are proficient in Project Management, Project Scope, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Project Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 23%
Provided project management on browser project to use vendor's database to provide customers with cardholder information when evaluating cardholder applications.
- Project Scope, 6%
Managed project scope and creation of product requirements and their conversion into specifications amended to the corporate development agreement.
- Customer Service, 6%
Provided various business operations and helped the organization to achieve cost-effective production with increased quality, efficiency and satisfied customer service.
- Infrastructure, 5%
Project Manager supporting quality management project efforts for infrastructure, application integration, and software deployments at the Transportation Security Administration.
- Status Reports, 4%
Prepared regular status reports and facilitating status meetings and other communication with internal customers, Business clients and steering committee.
- Risk Management, 3%
Project Management -Scope Management -Schedule Management -Budget Management -Risk Management -Communication -Customer Relationship Management -Process Management
"project management," "project scope," and "customer service" are among the most common skills that project managers use at work. You can find even more project manager responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a project manager to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what project managers do because "construction managers must be able to plan strategies, investigate project cost variances, and solve problems over the course of a project." Additionally, a project manager resume shows how project managers use analytical skills: "delivered images and data to the sharepoint site with electronic document management system. "
Business skills. Another essential skill to perform project manager duties is business skills. Project managers responsibilities require that "construction managers need to prepare and follow project budgets, hire and manage staff, and coordinate with other workers and managers." Project managers also use business skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "established communication plans using instride sharepoint websites to communicate project status to upper management and business units. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in project manager job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what project managers do. Project manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "construction managers must effectively delegate tasks to construction workers, subcontractors, and other lower level managers to ensure that projects are completed accurately and on time." You can also see how project manager duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provided project management leadership for the development of a custom global erp extension using a java oracle 10g rule based system. "
The three companies that hire the most project managers are:
- GPAC1,980 project managers jobs
- CBRE Group754 project managers jobs
- Deloitte571 project managers jobs
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Compare different project managers
Project manager vs. Information technology project manager
An information technology project manager is responsible for supervising the technology department, ensuring that all tasks are being done by following technological strategies and solutions. Information technology project managers' duties include monitoring the technology team's daily operation, handling team members' concerns, managing customers' inquiries and complaints, helping team members' in achieving their professional growth, creating reports, sharing updates during team and board meetings, and maintaining effectivity of operational procedures. An information technology project manager must have excellent leadership and decision-making skills to decide on the best strategies in meeting the company's objectives.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, project manager responsibilities require skills like "construction management," "quality standards," "construction projects," and "general contractors." Meanwhile a typical information technology project manager has skills in areas such as "software development," "technical support," "excellent organizational," and "technical program management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Information technology project managers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $120,713. On the other hand, project managers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $95,904.information technology project managers tend to reach similar levels of education than project managers. In fact, information technology project managers are 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Project manager vs. Manager, project management
The role of a project management manager involves the planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure of projects. Project managers oversee the scope of the entire project, the team, success or failure, and its resources. They facilitate productivity and commitment, remove obstacles, and motivate their team members. Their skills should include leadership, critical thinking, communication, negotiating, and risk management. They should also know about cost management, scheduling, and task management.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real project manager resumes. While project manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "construction management," "project documentation," "quality standards," and "general contractors," managers, project management use skills like "portfolio," "on-time delivery," "continuous improvement," and "direct reports."
Managers, project management earn a higher average salary than project managers. But managers, project management earn the highest pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $115,297. Additionally, project managers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $95,904 annually.In general, managers, project management achieve similar levels of education than project managers. They're 3.7% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Project manager vs. Senior analyst/project manager
A senior analyst project manager's main job is to track the milestones of their company's important projects. They also manage the clients' databases. They are responsible for distributing databases to the sales representatives. They also help in automating their company.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from project manager resumes include skills like "customer service," "construction management," "customer satisfaction," and "project documentation," whereas a senior analyst/project manager is more likely to list skills in "crm," "business analysis," "sql server," and "data warehouse. "
Senior analyst/project managers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $115,212. On the other hand, project managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $95,904.senior analyst/project managers typically earn higher educational levels compared to project managers. Specifically, they're 6.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Project manager vs. Communications project manager
A communications project manager is in charge of overseeing the development of internal and external communication materials. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to identify client or company needs, developing effective communication strategies, coordinating different teams to ensure the quality and accuracy of projects, setting objectives and goals, and managing schedules and budgets. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Types of project manager
Updated January 8, 2025
