Hiring Project Managers

The right person in this role can turn your project into a well-oiled machine. The wrong project manager can mean outright failure. There’s a lot at stake, and that’s why it’s important to hire the person who matches your company’s specific needs.

Project manager is a critical role. The person you hire will control how the budget is allocated and how teams work. They’ll be responsible for planning and execution, ensuring that project goals fit into the larger purpose and strategy of your organization. They’ll put in place quality control measures for each phase of the project. The larger the budget and the more stakeholders there are, the more complex a project’s needs become, and the more important this role becomes.

A good PM provides planning, direction, and leadership. Without someone to fill this role, lack of coordination and focus leads to wasted resources, missed deadlines, and poor results.
Tips on finding and hiring the right project manager.

Finding the right project manager can feel like searching for a unicorn. There are so many requirements you wonder if the right person even exists. Take heart! He or she is out there, and these five tips will help you find the best candidate.

Don’t wait until just before a project begins to hire a manager. That’s like waiting until the day before the holiday to do your shopping. With the clock ticking you’ll settle for anything that seems remotely suitable without really thinking about what would be the perfect gift: “Oh look, another vanilla-scented candle…” Your project deserves more than a vanilla-scented candle. Be sure to do a thorough assessment of what this role requires, then leave time to find and interview the best candidates.

There are basic project management functions that are the bare minimum for the job, and then there are qualities you need for your specific role.

Job basics:

• Cost estimation
• Resources management
• Risk assessment
• Quality control
• Team management

A PM takes all of these factors into account and comes up with a plan to fit all the elements into time and budget constraints.

But that’s really just the starting point. 

In order to coordinate all these elements, the PM must communicate with all levels of stakeholders to discover everyone’s priorities, then continue to facilitate communication at every step along the way.

Depending on your business, you may have technical knowledge requirements on top of all this. Does your project manager need to understand construction, or software engineering? 

Or, you might be tied to a specific methodology that your new PM will be required to follow.

It’s all about balancing priorities. Obviously, a good project manager has strong attributes in many different areas. You’re unlikely to find someone who has 100% of all of them, however, so prioritize these characteristics. 

What’s most important to your company? What education and experience must a candidate have in each area to be considered for the position?

Leadership and decision-making skills

This role requires someone who responds well to the stress of juggling multiple priorities: deadlines, resource management, problem solving, and dealing with people of various levels. Ideally, you want a big-picture thinker who also knows how to get the best out of a team.

Results oriented

A good PM implements quality control at every step of the way to ensure the project meets its final goals.