Catalog

6.1 Qualities of a Good Project Manager

The appointment of the EA’s project manager is a critical factor in the success of project implementation; it is important that the EA project manager is assigned to the project full time. After the project has been completed, the EA project manager sometimes becomes the manager for operating the facilities. The project manager must have the following qualities to perform the duties and to meet the challenges of the position:

• effective communication skills to ensure that all parties are kept fully aware of all activities and nothing is overlooked;
• solid human relations and leadership skills;
• sound knowledge of project management principles, tools, and techniques;
• ability to make timely decisions and take responsibility for them;
• ability to exercise effective control of difficult and complex situations, with a sense of fairness in making judgments;
• ability to negotiate fairly and to compromise where necessary to ensure the success of the project; and
• ability to concentrate on the overall picture and to delegate responsibilities as appropriate.

Sources for a project manager could include the following:

• an individual permanently employed within the EA,
• a permanent member of a project management group in the EA or another department or agency of the borrower,
• an individual specially hired by the EA from outside the government; and
• an independent consultant or consulting firm specializing in project management (and perhaps specializing in operating and maintaining facilities as well).