How to get into Project Management: Guide for Beginners

Want to know how to get into project management, but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place. The Knowledge Academy has put together a basic project management guide to help give you better understanding of what project management is, how to become a project manager, as well as its benefits, both to you and your company – big or small.

So, whether you are a graduate looking to begin a career as a project manager, or you are looking for a career shift or longing for a promotion, carry on reading our guide to project management to help you find out everything you need to know about project management and whether it’s the right job for you.

An Introduction to Project Management Guide

CONTENTS

What is project management?
- What are the benefits of project management?

What does a project manager do?
- What is a typical working day?
- What are the responsibilities of a project manager?

How to get into project management: Skills needed
- What is the future of project management?

How to be a project manager
- What are my options to be a project manager?
- Why should you become a qualified project manager?
- What can a project management qualification mean for you?

What is project management?

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In the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘project management’ can be defined as the activity of organising and controlling a project.  

Project management is a powerful business tool that can deliver many advantages to businesses of all sizes. Consequently, project management can help companies to become more profitable and productive. Every project that is completed successfully, on time and within budget – which is paramount – can help generate a healthy turnover and keep everything running smoothly.

Project managers take a lead role in dealing with planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing projects of varying topics, from film production to investment banking. They are held accountable for the entire project, the team, the resources, budgeting and the success or failure of the task at hand.

To find out more about the skills needed to become a project manager, jump to the “Skills needed” section (see contents) of our project management guide, to find out whether you’ve got what it takes.

Thanks to the rise of technology and economic growth, companies are able to focus more time and energy into their business project management. As a result, the demand is increasing worldwide for project managers in a wide variety of fields.

What are the benefits of project management?

The main benefit of good project management is that it helps you to manage your projects effectively, enabling you to resolve problems more quickly. This is vital when you are stuck to a tight timescale; often the case in project management. Understandably, it can take a great deal of time and money to manage a project successfully, however following good project management practices can help your business to:

• Secure good results
• Improve productivity and quality of work
• Encourage communication
• Prioritise your business’ resources
• Re-evaluate business strategies and improve where possible
• Schedule and budget accurately
• Mitigate risks of a project failing
• Increase customer satisfaction

What does a project manager do?

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There is often a lot of deliberation about exactly what a project manager does, and it often encompasses more responsibilities than many of us think. Keep reading our project management guide to discover what a typical working day is for a project manager.

A project manager is the focal point of any project and is the bridge between upper management and the teams tasked with the execution of the project. They make sure the scope of the project will be successful, report regularly on the progress of the project and make sure it is on schedule, to ensure effective project management is carried out.

Essentially, the project manager’s role is responsible for making sure that each project is meticulously planned, developed, implemented, controlled and closed, whilst keeping everyone in the loop and motivated.

A few examples of projects include the following: launching a website, introducing changes into a business, opening/closing an office, construction work, or hosting an event. Whilst carrying out these kind of tasks, project managers often use online project management tools, such as Trello, Asana, the Gantt Chart or the business messenger, Slack.

What is a typical working day?

As a project manager, you will manage every aspect of the specific job from start to finish. Although specific responsibilities vary from industry to industry, the role of a project manager will generally be similar and often includes carrying out some – or all – of the following jobs on a daily basis:

• Execute, monitor, control and close a project
• Create and implement schedules to reach all-important deadlines
• Estimate budgets and stick to them
• Structure a team and delegate tasks
• Communicate clearly with everyone involved
• Perform quality assurance
• Manage and mitigate risk

What are the responsibilities of a project manager?

A project manager is responsible for numerous things, and this is why it is so important to be organised and on-the-ball at all times. Managers spanning across all industries use the four functions of management over and over again, as it is a tried and tested method. The four functions are:

• Planning

Planning is an essential component of project management. You must decide what needs to be done, who will be completing it, and when it needs to be completed by.

• Organisation

Organisation is key when you are a project manager. You must structure your team and delegate roles and positions, in a way that will help you and your colleagues will work coherently and efficiently.

• Leading

Leading all aspects of a project in order to achieve the desired outcome for all parties is a challenging part for new project managers, and often leaves many facing a number of issues. To succeed, it is important to communicate clearly and motivate your team, make sure everyone knows what they are doing and resolve any issues that may arise quickly.

• Controlling

Controlling is all about keeping the project at hand on track, to avoid going over budget or longer than the set schedule. This can be maintained by following a three-step process:

1. Measuring
2. Evaluating
3. Correcting

How to get into project management: Skills needed

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Like any job, if you want to become a project manager, you must have the right skills. If you are passionate about being organised and keeping a diary, and have a strong attention to detail, then becoming a project manager could be the perfect career for you.

To become a project manager, you must be able to have the capability of leading a team. Therefore, you should have good management skills and the ability to motivate and delegate tasks to your peers. You should also be able to work well under pressure, and ensure you are meeting all the set deadlines effectively and efficiently. You can find out more about how to become a project manager and the courses you can take later on in our project management guide.

Some of the key skills and values needed to become a project manager include:

• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Excellent decision-making and leadership capabilities
• Time Management
• Communication skills
• Budgeting
• Contract negotiation
• Able to tolerate stress
• Conflict resolution experience
• Adaptability
• Attention to detail

Alternatively, if you are looking to re-acquaint yourself with your project manager role or get in your boss’ good books, follow the advice in this project management guide to help improve your project management skills and show everyone that you are worthy of a job or promotion.

What is the future of project management?

However, it is worth noting that according to The Future Project Manager report by AXELOS, project managers are being urged to develop more strategic skills to enhance their success in the future. This is becoming more important than ever now that new technologies are bound to generate risks that must be managed carefully – and 90% of project managers agree.

The CEO of AXELOS, Peter Hepworth, says:

“It is clear that agile methodologies and working practices will continue to influence the project management profession as the business looks to take advantage of technological innovations. Project managers need to ensure they have the necessary skills to work in an agile way and demonstrate that their response to project delivery is fast-paced, flexible, and business-oriented.”

How to be a project manager

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You may be wondering how to get into project management, and where to begin. There are many entry points into work as a project manager; there is no one path. There are more linear routes that you can take to learn project management and become a certified project manager. Below, in our project management guide, we outline your options to help you find out which route is best for you.

What are my options to become a project manager?

To become a project manager, it is not a necessary requirement to have a degree. However, it is recommended to have some kind of qualification under your belt which is specific to the industry. 

You can learn project management through either enrolling onto a course at college or university, or completing a training course, which can easily be completed online in your spare time. Interestingly, there has even been a spike in the number of virtual reality courses available using headsets, allowing more courses to be held and better access to expert trainers around the world.

There are two major bodies that offer the very best project management training: PRINCE2 and the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI offers a certification called Project Management Professional (PMP), which has become the primary certification for professionals and is often referred to as ‘the gold standard for project management’. As a result, the PMP course is valued by companies worldwide, much like the PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner qualification, which is a highly valued methodology practised by the UK government and many industries worldwide.

Despite this, there are a handful of others that are still highly-valued in the profession too, covering a wide variety of practises and strategies to apply to a real-life working environment. For example, Agile training has seen a surge in popularity in recent years – particularly as it focuses on business needs.

Some other courses include:

• Scrum Training
• Association for Project Management Training (APM)
• Lean Six Sigma Training
• Managing Successful Programmes (MSP)
• Certified Global Project Management Training (CGPM)
• Certified Digital Services Project Management Training (CDSPM)
• Other PRINCE2 qualifications
• Kaizen (a less well-known type of project management training) 

If you want to learn more about the different types of project management qualifications on offer, take a look at our blog post – or our guide to the PMI-ACP certification to learn more about PMI's qualification for Agile project managers.

Although, it should be said that many people become project managers without any education or certification in the field as it is something you can easily learn over time “on-the-job”, and on project management training courses. It is said that a combination of working experience and formal learning make the most successful project managers.

Why should you become a qualified project manager?

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Not only is project management widely accepted by employers worldwide, it is also a great addition to your CV. Having project management skills or a qualification under your belt can make you considerably more employable, as you will be bringing a number of skills, which can only benefit a company.

What can a project management qualification mean for you?

Understandably, everyone is always looking for ways to get a promotion at work and be in their boss’s good books. Training courses can be highly useful for this, by either completing in your spare time to show your commitment, or through being funded by your company.

According to Business Insider, if your company decides to invest money into your professional development, it is because ‘they see potential in you’ and see you ‘as part of their succession plan’.

Training courses, such as the highly-credited PRINCE2 accreditation, can really help with career progression, as it shows you are willing to learn and better your skills. The PRINCE2 project management course in particular is a great example of training that employers want employees to have on their CV – alongside Six Sigma Training and First Aid or Health & Safety training. This can mean securing a more senior role, or bagging that all-important promotion you’ve been wishing for. According to a study in Forbes, those who have been promoted are twice as likely to have had training than those who haven’t been promoted.

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