Project manager

A project leader or project manager is someone who is responsible for the successful realization of a project. A project leader realizes the project by coordinating and / or directing project employees, the project management.

Project leader is a generic role, which is encountered in various fields. For example, there are project leaders within civil engineering, construction and ICT.

In the past, project leaders were often PhD specialists in their field. In 2020, the role of project leader is seen more as a separate specialism.

General

The job content of a project manager depends on the stage of the project.

• In the initial phase of a project, the task of a project leader consists of establishing contacts with the client (s) and suppliers of products and / or services. The project leader explores possible solutions during this phase (the realization process).
• In the start-up phase, the project leader is mainly busy setting up the project team and creating sufficient support for the project.
• During the implementation of the project, the project leader is mainly concerned with the implementation, planning, of the project.
• In the final or delivery phase, the project leader is working on reducing the project team and possibly generating follow-up assignments.

A project leader can lead a pure project team or a project team consisting of members of a matrix organization.

Education

A project leader is a socially skilled person with a broad general knowledge, gained in project environment. The project leader also has knowledge of the relevant field in which the project is active.

There are also several institutes today that offer project management training. International providers include the American Project Management Institute and the Swiss International Project Management Association. In addition to these institutes, there are many smaller project management training providers. There is no universal standard of training.