You don’t need to be a project manager to need project management skills

When you hear the words project management, what job comes to mind?

Probably a Project Manager.

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to have “Project Manager” written on your job title to manage projects.

Think about how many different activities in the average New Zealand workplace could technically be described as a project.

Launching a new website. Implementing a new piece of software. Organising an office move. Introducing a new HR system. Developing a new product. Improving an internal process. Running an event. Rolling out training across an organisation.

All of these have a goal, a timeline, people involved, tasks to complete and, more often than not, a budget to consider.

In other words, they’re projects.

And that means project management skills aren’t only for Project Managers.

Whether you work in marketing, HR, IT, operations, finance or another area entirely, developing some fundamental project management skills could help you become more organised, confident and effective at delivering change.

You might already be managing projects without realising it

Project management isn’t limited to major infrastructure programmes or multimillion-dollar transformation initiatives.

Projects happen in organisations of every size and across virtually every industry.

You could be a:

Marketing Manager launching a new website or campaign.

HR Manager introducing a new employee benefits platform.

IT professional implementing new software.

Operations Manager relocating an office or improving a business process.

Business Analyst supporting a transformation initiative.

Learning & Development professional rolling out a new training programme.

Team Leader introducing a new way of working.

Small business owner launching a new product or service.

You might not describe yourself as a Project Manager, but you’re still dealing with deadlines, priorities, stakeholders, resources, risks and changing requirements.

Learning how professional Project Managers approach those challenges can therefore be incredibly useful.

What are project management skills?

Project management isn’t simply about creating a plan and making sure everyone sticks to it.

Effective project delivery draws on a wide range of practical and interpersonal skills.

Here are some of the fundamentals that can benefit professionals in almost any role.

1. Planning

Every successful project needs a clear understanding of what needs to happen, when it needs to happen and who is responsible for making it happen.

Good planning helps turn a large or potentially overwhelming objective into manageable pieces of work.

Rather than simply saying:

“We need to launch the new website by December.”

Project planning encourages you to think about:

• What needs to be delivered?
• What tasks need to happen first?
• Which activities depend on something else being completed?
• Who needs to be involved?
• What resources do we need?
• What could delay us?
• How will we know when the project is complete?

Those questions are useful whether you’re managing a multimillion-dollar project or your company’s next website launch.

2. Managing risk

Things don’t always go according to plan.

That’s true of every project, regardless of its size.

Good project management isn’t about trying to predict the future perfectly. It’s about thinking ahead and considering what could affect your ability to achieve your objective.

What happens if a supplier is late?

What if the budget changes?

What if an important team member becomes unavailable?

What if the technology doesn’t work as expected?

What if stakeholders change their requirements halfway through?

Identifying risks early gives you the opportunity to decide how you’ll respond rather than waiting until they become problems.

3. Stakeholder management

Projects involve people and people can often be one of the most complicated parts of delivering them.

A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in, influence over or is affected by your project.

That might include senior leaders, colleagues, customers, suppliers, regulators or members of the public.

Different stakeholders can have very different priorities.

Someone in finance might be focused on cost.

A customer might care about usability.

A senior leader might be focused on whether the project delivers the expected business benefits.

A team member might be concerned about how the change will affect their day-to-day job.

Being able to identify your stakeholders, understand what matters to them and communicate appropriately is a valuable skill in almost any professional role.

4. Communication

You can have the best project plan in the world, but it won’t get you very far if nobody knows what’s happening.

Good communication keeps people informed, manages expectations and helps problems get addressed before they become bigger issues.

And good project communication doesn’t mean sending everyone a 20-page update every Friday.

It means understanding:

Who needs to know what?

When do they need to know it?

What’s the best way to communicate it?

Learning how to communicate effectively with different stakeholders is a skill that extends far beyond project management.

5. Managing time and priorities

Most of us have experienced that feeling of having ten things that are apparently all “urgent”.

Project management techniques can help bring some structure to competing priorities.

Breaking work into activities, understanding dependencies, setting realistic deadlines and monitoring progress can make complex workloads feel much more manageable.

These techniques can be useful even if the “project” you’re managing is simply one part of your wider job.

6. Managing change

Delivering something doesn’t automatically make it successful.

Imagine you’ve spent six months implementing a new internal system.

It’s technically working. It’s within budget. You’ve launched it on time.

Success?

Not necessarily.

What if nobody uses it?

Projects frequently introduce change, and successful change requires people to understand, accept and adopt something new.

That’s why project management and change management often go hand in hand.

Understanding the human side of change can be particularly valuable for professionals working in HR, operations, IT, transformation and leadership roles.

7. Understanding value

A project shouldn’t exist simply because somebody had a good idea.

There should be a reason for doing it.

What problem are we solving?

What benefit are we expecting?

Is the investment worthwhile?

Are those expected benefits actually being achieved?

Learning to think about projects in terms of value and outcomes, rather than simply completing a list of tasks, is another important project management skill that can benefit decision-makers across an organisation.

Do you need a project management qualification if you’re not a Project Manager?

Not necessarily.

You don’t need a qualification simply because you occasionally manage a project.

But if projects are becoming an increasingly important part of your role, professional training can give you a much stronger foundation.

It can help you understand the terminology your project colleagues use, introduce structured approaches to planning and managing work and give you practical techniques you can apply to your own projects.

And you don’t necessarily need to start with an advanced qualification.

There are several options that can suit professionals who want to develop project management skills without already being experienced Project Managers.

Which qualification could be right for you?

The best choice depends on what you want to learn.

New to project management? Consider APM PFQ

The APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) provides a broad introduction to project management.

It’s particularly suitable for people who want to understand the fundamentals without needing previous project management experience.

That can make it a useful starting point for professionals who are beginning to take responsibility for projects as part of a wider role.

Want to understand a structured project management method? Consider PRINCE2

PRINCE2® provides a structured approach to managing projects.

PRINCE2 Foundation can be particularly useful for people who work with project teams or want to understand how projects can be organised, governed and controlled.

You don’t necessarily need to be the person managing the entire project to benefit from understanding the method.

Work in a fast-moving environment? Consider AgilePM

If your projects need to respond to changing requirements, AgilePM® can help develop your understanding of agile project management.

This could be particularly relevant to people working in areas such as digital, technology, product development and business transformation.

Responsible for getting people on board with something new? Consider Change Management

If the hardest part of your projects tends to be getting people to embrace the outcome, Change Management training could be worth exploring.

It’s particularly relevant to HR professionals, managers, transformation teams and anyone responsible for helping people through organisational change.

Involved in investment decisions? Consider Better Business Cases

If your role involves developing, reviewing or contributing to business cases, Better Business Cases™ can help you understand a structured approach to developing proposals and supporting investment decisions.

This can be particularly useful for people working within or alongside New Zealand’s public sector.

Managing multiple connected projects? Consider MSP

If your responsibilities have grown beyond individual projects and you’re now involved in coordinating several related projects towards a wider organisational objective, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®) may be a more appropriate next step.

Project management skills can make you better at your existing job

One of the biggest misconceptions about professional development is that it always has to be about changing jobs.

You don’t have to want to become a Project Manager.

Perhaps you love working in marketing.

Or HR.

Or IT.

Or operations.

Learning project management doesn’t mean leaving that behind.

Instead, it can help you become the person in your team who knows how to turn an idea into a realistic plan.

The person who thinks about risks before they become problems.

The person who asks what success actually looks like.

The person who keeps stakeholders informed.

And the person who can bring some much-needed structure when a complicated piece of work starts to feel overwhelming.

Those skills can be valuable wherever your career takes you.

Project management skills are valuable for organisations too

There’s also a wider benefit for employers.

Not every project within an organisation will have a dedicated professional Project Manager assigned to it.

Smaller initiatives may be led by departmental managers or subject matter experts who understand what needs to be delivered but haven’t necessarily received training in how to manage a project.

Giving those employees a grounding in project management can help establish a more consistent approach across the organisation.

It can also help develop future project talent from within.

Someone managing a small internal initiative today might discover that project management is something they’re particularly good at – and want to develop further.

Organisations can support this through individual qualifications or group and bespoke project management training tailored to the experience, objectives and needs of their teams.

Could project management be your next skill?

You don’t need to change your job title.

You don’t need to manage enormous budgets.

And you certainly don’t need to be responsible for one of New Zealand’s biggest projects.

If part of your job involves turning ideas into outcomes, working towards deadlines, coordinating people or delivering change, you’re probably already using elements of project management.

The question is whether developing those skills could help you do it even better.

Ready to develop your project management skills?

Whether you’re an aspiring Project Manager or simply want to become more confident managing projects as part of your existing role, Training ByteSize New Zealand can help you find a qualification that suits your experience and goals.

We offer recognised training across project management, agile, change management, programme management and business cases, including APM, PRINCE2, AgilePM, Change Management, MSP and Better Business Cases.

With flexible online learning and virtual classroom options available across our course portfolio, professional development can fit around your work and other commitments.

Explore our project management courses in New Zealand and find the right next step for you.

Not sure where to start? Speak to the Training ByteSize team by completing our online form and we’ll help you compare your options and choose a course that matches what you actually want to achieve.

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