Project Managers: What Do They Do & How Do They Help?

Business People Planning Strategy Analysis from financial document report, Office Concept

As businesses continue to pursue goals and objectives in a competitive and ever-changing market, strong project management becomes even more critical.

As experts in helping organizations successfully execute on projects and bolster company growth, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about project managers.

Things to know about project managers:

  1. What is project management?
  2. What does a project manager do?
  3. When should you hire a project manager?

What is project management?

Project management is the process of guiding an employee or team through the actions they need to take to ensure company goals are effectively met. Without proper project planning, organizations won’t be able to execute on key initiatives – or do so on time or within budget.

It can be challenging to procure the internal resources needed to meet key goals and ensure projects are efficiently completed – so oftentimes, it can be beneficial to hire an external project manager who has years of experience in bringing projects to fruition and stepping in to provide support where it’s most needed.

What does a project manager do?

A project manager is there to plan, organize and take the lead on a project to ensure successful completion by developing a roadmap for project execution, identifying potential vulnerabilities, fostering alignment and providing guidance to employees.

Not every project needs a project manager, but using one even for smaller projects allows leadership to have more room to focus on overall strategy and goal development while employees are best equipped to execute on their day-to-day.

Skills & duties of project managers:

  • Analysis of overall requirements and identification of actionable project scopes
  • Establishment of the project plan, communication plan, timetable, and resource requirements
  • Coordinating efforts of internal process owners/internal subject matter experts
  • Identification of potential obstacles to on-time/on-budget objectives and pre-emptive strikes to circumvent
  • Ongoing communication with all stakeholders

When should you hire a project manager?

If your team is having trouble executing on the day-to-day duties needed to drive large-scale project success, it’s a sign it’s time to turn to an expert for help. Plus, hiring a project manager before you need one is instrumental in identifying potential vulnerabilities within your project plan, identifying areas that could be more cost-effective, and helping you make more effective decisions about how to progress.

Benefits of hiring a project manager:

  • Expert development of roadmaps and timelines for achieving business goals
  • Proper and efficient allocation of resources
  • Successful execution of projects, on time and within budget
  • Access to outside perspectives and expertise to help you refine strategies and operations
  • More company-wide alignment

Looking for a Trusted Partner?

DLC is a professional services firm helping companies drive transformation and growth, one project at a time. Our team provides flexible, efficient, on-demand execution of your financial projects.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help or explore our services below.