Project Manager

What a project manager does

A project manager defines the goal of a project, breaks the work into tasks, assigns people and deadlines, tracks progress and spots risks early. They run meetings, communicate with the client, control the budget and make sure the team understands what it is doing and why. As a rule they do not do the work themselves; they organize it.

Skills you need

• planning and prioritization
• clear communication with clients and the team
• risk and deadline management
• negotiation and conflict resolution
• working with task management tools
• Agile and Scrum basics if you work on software projects
• ownership of the result

How to start and learn

Start with project management fundamentals: goals, scope, deadlines, risks and team. Learn one task management tool and how to run meetings. The best experience is running a small project, even a training or volunteer one. Many people come from other roles such as coordinator, developer, marketer or analyst, and begin as an assistant or junior manager.

At first choose one simple method and apply it in practice rather than trying to learn every methodology at once. It is important to learn to word tasks clearly for the team, report problems on time and not hide missed deadlines. Clients and teams trust a manager who is honest about progress.

Where project managers work in Armenia

Project managers are sought by IT companies and startups, outsourcing teams, marketing and creative agencies, construction and manufacturing companies, and banks. Freelance work is possible. Later you can grow into a senior manager, program manager or product manager. The choice of direction depends on your interests, and many specialists try several roles before finding the right one. It is important to keep learning and to document your experience.