What is a project manager?

A project manager is an organizer, a coordinator. The quarterback. The nexus of the project. A jack of all trades. While specialists use their skills and experience to create specialist products (deliverables), project managers need general management skills, some knowledge about what each specialist does, and a knack for problem-solving.

A project manager is…a leader/manager. The one who takes charge of the project. The liason to the stakeholders.

• A team-builder. The liason among the team members.
• A problem-solver. A creative thinker. That outsider that adds the new perspective.
• A negotiator. A consensus-builder.; helping the members of the team work together.
• A communicator. All parties to the project must understand the goal(s). Each member must understand their relationship to the team and the project.
• An organizer. Bringing all aspects of the project together. The time-manager.
• A planner. Bringing the vision to reality.
• A budget manager. Bringing the vision to reality, within budgetary constraints.