ARCHIVED - Project Management Core Competencies

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2. Project Management Core Competencies

As shown in Figure 1, project management requires the following three areas of knowledge.

General Management	To ensure proper management practices.
Project Management	To ensure quality project process and results.
IT Management	To create or acquire quality IT product.

First, the PM must have skills in general management. Skills such as leadership, negotiation, communication, team building and other human resource management skills are necessary in any management position.

Second, the PM must have knowledge of the generally accepted project management areas, such as project scope management using a work breakdown structure; project time management using Gantt and program evaluation and review technique (PERT) methods; and project cost management using budgeting and accounting methods.

Third, the PM of an IT project must have IT management skills, such as skills in lifecycle phasing, estimating, constructing of software, reporting progress based on technical milestones and testing.

Figure 1. Project Management Core Competency Areas

Figure 1. Project Management Core Competency Areas – Text version

The three areas illustrated in figure 1 complement and build on each other. For example, the PM of an IT project must plan the scope, time and cost of his or her project using skills detailed in the Project Management section. Then the PM may have to form an effective development team to implement the plan. For this, the PM needs basic team building skills, as detailed in the General Management section. An IT development team, however, must be formed in a very specific fashion: it must be small; it must have a combination of very specific skills; it must grow and shrink with the phases of the software project; and the appropriate IT tasks should be delegated. The skills required to do this are detailed in the IT Management section.

Figure 2. Sub-core Competency Areas under General Management

Figure 2. Sub-core Competency Areas under General Management – Text version

Figure 3. Sub-core Competency Areas under Project Management

Figure 3. Sub-core Competency Areas under Project Management – Text version

Figure 4. Sub-core Competency Areas under IT Management

Figure 4. Sub-core Competency Areas under IT Management – Text version

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