Key Capabilities of Next-Generation Project Managers

Key Capabilities of Next-Generation Project Managers



By Meridith Levinson
October 21, 2009 07:15 PM ET

CIO - Project managers might just have the toughest job in IT, responsible as they are for ensuring that high-stakes IT projects are completed on time and on budget. According to a new report from Forrester Research, the project manager's role is getting even more demanding and difficult to fill.

It's no longer enough for project managers to possess good people skills and to be fluent in project management best practices, tools and methodologies. To succeed--and get hired--today, project managers need enhanced leadership skills; they need to be flexible and focused on business value; and they increasingly need to be familiar with Agile software development methodologies, writes Forrester Analyst Mary Gerush in Define, Hire and Develop Your Next Generation Project Managers. A former IT project manager herself, Gerush and colleagues interviewed IT professionals and project management experts from a variety of organizations, including Chevron, Microsoft and LiquidPlanner, for the report.