Managing projects large or small can be challenging! How do you manage all aspects of the project management lifecycle, and what type of skills and tools would you need?
These are commonly asked technical project management questions, and rightfully so. Let’s dig in!
Most seasoned Project Managers have experienced those moments when things didn’t go as planned—whether it was forgetting to include a key stakeholder or delaying a kick-off meeting. If you’ve been in the game for a while, you’ve likely encountered one (or both) of these challenges.
While such mistakes may feel disastrous at the time, they’re rarely as lasting as we imagine. However, the key to avoiding these bumps in the road is equipping yourself with the right technical skills.
As you embark on your project management journey, it’s crucial to develop a solid foundation in technical skills to navigate not only calm waters but also stormy seas.
Whether you’re in IT, Healthcare, Manufacturing, or another industry, effective project management is essential to business success. These four technical skills will help you stay on course, no matter what sector you’re operating in.
4 Essential Technical Project Management Skills
Project management skills can be broadly divided into two categories: soft (interpersonal) skills and hard (technical) skills. While soft skills are invaluable, this post focuses on the technical expertise you need to excel in today’s fast-evolving business environment.
#1 Contract management and procurement
In 2024, the growing complexity of global supply chains has made contract management more crucial than ever. Project managers must be adept at converting business needs into tangible products and services, often juggling relationships with multiple vendors. Familiarity with procurement processes and regulatory requirements, along with tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365 or SAP Ariba, can make a significant difference in how smoothly your projects run.
This skill involves understanding the nuances of negotiation, managing stakeholder expectations, and navigating procurement processes to ensure that all parties meet their contractual obligations. With the rise of AI-driven procurement systems, mastering this area also involves staying up-to-date with automation tools that streamline supplier selection and contract monitoring.
#2 Risk management
Project risk management has become more sophisticated with advancements in predictive analytics and AI. In 2024, it’s not just about identifying risks—it’s about leveraging technology to forecast potential issues before they even emerge.
Whether it’s supply chain disruptions, cybersecurity threats, or resource shortages, successful project managers need to implement both proactive and reactive risk mitigation strategies.
Use platforms like Microsoft Power BI for real-time risk analysis and to create visual dashboards that track key project metrics. The integration of these tools with AI systems, like Microsoft Copilot, allows for faster, more accurate decision-making. Risk management is no longer a one-off task; it’s a continuous process of monitoring and responding to shifting project conditions.
#3 Budgeting and scheduling
Budgeting is a crucial part of every project as it requires careful planning, monitoring, and executing of the project.
Scheduling and monitoring help to ensure that the budget is properly aligned and then monitored for possible overage. Typically, budget overage is never a good thing as it can burden the initially executed contract as well as create unnecessary overhead to the project management company. Setting the right expectations from the get-go is extremely important.
Familiarity with scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project or Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the best way to stay on top of the project schedule, manage budget, manage resources, manage constraints, create task dependencies, create status reports, link tasks and projects, link sub-projects, among other great tools.
#4 Planning and Scope Management
Planning goes beyond setting deadlines—today’s project managers need to be masters of scope management, ensuring that all aspects of a project are clearly defined and agreed upon.
Successful planning includes ensuring every task is connected to the overall project objectives, using Agile or hybrid project management methodologies. It’s about creating a flexible roadmap for iterations while ensuring the project stays on track. Tools like Jira and Trello are invaluable for visualizing work progress, assigning responsibilities, and managing timelines in an Agile framework.
Soft Skills Matter Too!
Though we’ve focused on technical skills, the importance of soft skills can’t be overstated. Effective project managers are also great communicators, strong leaders, and skilled negotiators.
While these traits are harder to measure, they’re the glue that holds a project together. Your ability to communicate, lead, and manage expectations will play a pivotal role in the success of your projects.
The Best Way to Learn
Now let’s reflect on these four technical skills you need to succeed. Even though every technical skill is different and requires managing, discipline, understanding, and executing, they are all interconnected and work in ways to help you be the best at what you do, project management. Of course, this is just a summary of functions and expectations of each technical skill as you truly start developing even more sub-skills and traits as you dive into the meat of things.
The best way to learn something is to start. The ability to just dive in and learn as you go will not only teach you how to be flexible and humble, but it will also teach you discipline, responsibility, accountability, teamwork, and much more.
Resources
If you’re looking for more project management training, head over to Advisicon Academy. You’ll find an abundance of free webinar training. Plus you can earn PDUs while you learn.
We also have tools! Check out our selection of custom-created flowcharts, templates, and guides. They can be a huge help!
If you have any additional questions or comments, reach out. We’d love to hear from you.