20 Traits of Innovative and Invaluable Project Managers

Projects are becoming more complex, with higher stakes and faster delivery times. At the same time automation and AI are changing how projects are designed, managed, and delivered. Indeed, some pieces of project management are now routinely handled by machines. Some may think that AI and automation will make project managers obsolete, or at least less critical to project success. Executives say that’s not the case. Project managers are as important now as they ever were to project success. “As we move forward, the role of project manager is actually becoming increasingly important for finding the right things to invest in, defining scope, and staying focused on value,” says Noah Fletcher , a partner in the operations excellence practice at consultancy West Monroe. “As we continue to accelerate, their value is really about quality — quality of what you’re trying to accomplish.” That doesn’t mean that the role of project manager is static. Rather, the role is evolving, with what it takes to be successful is changing to meet the needs of the moment. To thrive, project managers need to hone a complex combination of technical, business, and interpersonal skills. The Project Management Institute attempts to decode what it takes to be a successful project manager with its PMI Talent Triangle , comprising Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot packed into those three areas. Effective project managers must know how to define the scope of a project , identify necessary resources, and schedule those resources — all part of the technical aspect of the job. They must also manage stakeholders and ensure projects align with business goals — skills that fall under the other two talent buckets. As lengthy as the PMI’s list of required skills is, experienced project leaders say that’s not enough to rise to the top of the profession; highly effective project managers today bring even more to their jobs. They’re curious, flexible, and adaptive — and they learn from and know how to right their mistakes. They’re empathetic, persuasive, and visionary. They know how to play to their own and others’ strengths. Leading project professionals say the most successful PMs are those who know the academic parts of the job — that is, the elements that are taught — but they also bring finesse to the work. So, what characteristics distinguish the most effective project managers? Longtime project leaders list the following key traits and skills as vital to succeeding at a high level. 1. They serve as a strategic business partner Top-level project managers are more than good managers. They have high-level strategic leadership skills and know how their projects fit within overall strategic goals, making them well equipped to make the right decisions for the project and the organization as a whole. “A project exists because it responds to a need of the business. That might be due to trends impacting the business or a challenge in running the business, but without understanding that, it will be hard for the project manager to deliver a successful project,” says Karla Eidem , a Project Management Professional (PMP) and PMI’s global head of transformation and project delivery. 2. They know the business The most effective project managers aren’t just great leaders; they’re also business-savvy. “They understand strategy and business context,” Fletcher says. As they deal with shifting resources and changing market dynamics that happen during many projects, they focus on what work will bring business value — not merely what will tick off items on a task list. “That ability to work on the right thing is one of the most important things that a project manager can have,” Fletcher adds. 3. They’re strong technologists Projects today nearly always involve technology, making it essential to have technology skills. But standout project managers are true technologists, too. “Increasingly IT is touching so many different area, and we’re seeing systems and architecture getting more connected, so understanding how business and operations fit together is critical,” Fletcher says. 4. They’re financially astute Project management always involved budget management, but the task today requires more than balancing the books. It also involves understanding how projects and the core components of any given initiative bring value to the business. That takes financial acumen and the ability to make smart decisions during project execution to ensure the business sees returns on its investment. “The best project managers know the business drivers and can get depth on how the project impacts the business financially,” Fletcher says. “They have a good value management framework, that end-to-end process that can take the business case all the way through.” 5. They possess extraordinary organizational skills Top-notch project managers are highly organized individuals. But it’s not just about making a list and sticking with it. They understand how project plans and resources are intertwined with other goings-on within the organization. That organizational capacity enables them to adjust their plans and resources when needed. Lenka Pincot , chief of staff to the CEO at PMI, says today’s top-notch project managers are “orchestrators” who can pull together the complex components of modern projects and get them to work in harmony. “Organizations need orchestrators who can synchronize all the changes happening so the results all make sense,” she says. She notes that orchestration takes systems thinking as well as the ability to identify and plan for unintended consequences. 6. They’re problem-solvers The best project managers are good at delving into and solving for the “why” behind projects. “They enjoy problem-solving,” Pincot says. “[As project managers], we’re not handed projects; we are handed problems to solve. So we need to get to the bottom of what’s not working. We need to ask questions and really listen for what someone’s true interests are.” 7. They thrive in fast-paced environments Executives constantly talk about the speed of change today. Teams must work fast to keep up with shifting technology and business contexts, and project managers must be able to facilitate that, Fletcher says. “The ability to quickly identify the right tools, assign the right resources, accelerate testing, and to move things forward fast without compromising quality is a huge thing today,” he adds. 8. They are flexible Similarly, highly effective project managers are flexible, so they themselves aren’t flummoxed when project plans need adjustments — something that happens increasingly more often in the modern digital world. “Adaptability is huge,” says Krista Phillips , a PMP holder and project management consultant. “Things are always going to change, priorities adjust, resources adjust, timelines change. Project managers must be able to successfully manage all that.” 9. They are persuasive Project managers typically manage teams but aren’t the boss of any of them, meaning they must be capable of leading and workers without having to lean on any official authority, explains Julie Butcher , a fractional CIO work and transformation principal consultant with Butte Information Group. The best project managers are masters of this skill. 10. They have ‘extreme awareness’ Barry Cousins , a distinguished analyst and research fellow specializing in project portfolio management, project management, and organizational change management at Info-Tech Research Group, says top project managers possess what he calls “extreme awareness of resource capacity and utilization.” “Savvy project managers in the modern era have immediate implicit awareness of the capacity around them, so then they’re going to know right off the bat when their projects are going to fall short,” Cousin adds. Furthermore, they’re more comfortable alerting business leaders to that situation because they’re able to quantify the shortfall.