Brief Summary

As a project manager, there are some extremely important abilities to have in order to succeed.
Actually, being an effective project manager requires a huge arrangement of effort. The big
tasks in a lot of business are broken into individual project, which has its own objective,
strategy and deadline. It is the project manager’s accountability to organize and monitor all the
moving pieces in the project. The entire process involves setting and adjusting deadlines,
inspiring and managing staffs, assigning tasks, dealing with stakeholders, planning and
controlling and organizing events. Therefore, the responsibilities of a project manager are
numerous and diverse, with a wide range of talents and obligations covering. The most
qualified project managers usually have a different arrangement of technical as well as soft
skills.

The most essential technical project management skills are as follow:

Planning

This is the foundation of the success for a project, so it is a good project manager’s
responsibility to build out a realistic, logical and effective plan for the team to follow.

Budgeting

Budget management requires a project manager to have a solid understanding of math,

Organization
To make a project run smoothly, a good project manager must be well organized. Having good
organization skills, it allows one to use the resources efficiently and effectively. 

Delegation

Delegation skills are fairly important for a project manager to lead the team to achieve the goal
effectively and efficiently. This is because when the roles are fitted with the right persons, the
work efficiency can be maximized.
The soft skills are as below:

Leadership
Leadership is a must-have attribute for any type of managing roles, including a project
manager. It covers a wide range of activities, including effective planning, task
coordination, overseeing projects, inspiring team members, and making decisions vital to
setting up a plan of action for project implementation.

Communication
Project managers need to communicate everything from price and deadlines to details of what
can be delivered to ensure good negotiation results. There is no best communication style but
there is always a suitable one for each individual project manager.

Teamwork
Involved in a team, a good project manager is more than a team leader, he is also a member in
the team. Therefore, being collaborative, easygoing and standing at an equal position is very
important to create a healthy energy for the team.

Inspring and motivating

Adaptability
Adaptability of the manager allows a project team to navigate flexibly through these projects.
This needs a project manager to have the willingness to change the project and adapt the plan
using what the team has learned.

Resourcefulness
Resourcefulness for a project manager means knowing how to gather data most efficiently and
effectively. Therefore, these competencies can help a manager inspect situations with clarity, so
he can lead the team to the best course of action.

 
Identify and describe three soft skills in which the interviewee demonstrates competence.
Identify the skill, describe the associated behaviour (e.g., language choice, body language, other
visual cues), and provide a short analysis of why these soft skills are particularly relevant to this
role and to opportunities for advancement at Aquam;
 

1. Leadership
2. Communication
3. Teamwork

Leadership
 
Mr Ahmed's role as a leader in project management entails a broad range
of activities, including effective planning, task coordination, project oversight, encouraging
team members and making critical decisions.

Communication
By having key roles in a team in line with the project's objectives and an accurate
understanding of what they are expected to do, Mr. Ahmed could effectively communicate and
resolves with Chief Hydrologists and Chief Forest Engineers. This is because the conflicts,
discrepancies, and confusion can be minimized if there is good communication, so the team can
achieve the objectives in a more efficient way. Good communication of the manager can also
help build trust in the team and allow everyone to work more effectively throughout the
project.

 
Teamwork
 
Teamwork is the act of bringing all team members collectively to achieve the project goal
successfully. In this case, Mr. Ahmed referred to that they used to have a client from Texas who
was very demanding about the work speed. His concept about work was to hold team building
activities to create good energy and harmony for the team, so the team can crew harmony. He
believed that bringing them collectively can achieve a project success in a quick manner to fulfil
the client’s needs.

 
Identify and describe two unwritten rules that the candidate breaks and why;
 
One unwritten rule is to create a positive energy in the team. Everyone wants to attain a
satisfying outcome of the project, so the professionalism is very important for the team to
maintain. However, it does not mean that everyone in a team need to be serious and boring all
the time. In other words, the team needs to work hard but with fun as well. In my opinion,
maintaining a positive and happy environment is important because the appropriate jokes and
playfulness can bring people in a team closer and ease up the tightness form the pressure. In
this way, the work efficiency can be improved and the team can work in a ‘heathier’
atmosphere in a long haul.

The other one is avoiding the dictatorship in the team. The line between being a leader and a
dictator can be neglected by some managers. As we all know that, as a leader, it is always
important to set clear rules and policies for the employees/team members. However, this does
not mean that all the rules and orders need to be followed strictly without receiving advices to
adjust. Also, it is apparently that not everything a leader says is right. Therefore, being open to
listen to others’ voice in critical to build and maintain the authority and respect for the team
members.

 
Include at least one personal observation and lesson learned that you can apply to your own
future workplace experiences.

 
 
The lesson is experimenting with new things is an excellent method to discover what makes you
happy. You must innovate to ensure that a project moves in the right direction and provides the
appropriate deliverables. You have to be very inventive at times. You should periodically take a
break and consider whether your current method is the best one. You could be pleasantly
surprised by what you discover. 
 
It will be fortunate to have multiple bosses that encourage you to think beyond the box. It
frequently resulted in opportunities to try new things. You may not appreciate every activities
you will attempt but you will discover some new things that would not have found otherwise.
So keep on exploring, trying new things and being open to new ideas.

Personal observation
Working as a project manager in a team which is customer engaged does not only provide the
chance for the manager to grow for daily operations and management, but also learn from the
customers. For example, when dealing with clients with different needs, working style and
personality, it will help a manager to develop more comprehensive communication, negotiation
and contingency-solving abilities. These will benefit the manager to become more competent in
more aspects.

Lesson learnt
What I learnt the most from this case is that it is very important for the everyone in a project
team to keep communication channels open for all parties: the other team members, the team
manager, the sponsor and the client. It does not mean you need to let yourself be manipulated
by every part, but try to listen to all before making decisions. This is also the way to show your
respect and value everybody's opinions, to create a good foundation to build the positive work
environment for everyone.
This is what I have always believed and try to keep it up in my future career, as happy work
environment makes happy employees, and only when the employees have positive attitude,
the work quality can be ensured and the positive energy can be passed to clients.