The project manager or project leader, as the name suggests, steers the project from start to finish: he or she is the reference person able to identify the stakeholders, the stages, the changes, the actions to be taken, the feedback, etc. He or she is the project's orchestra conductor, trained in project management, a demanding and exciting discipline. He/she is the project's conductor, trained in project management, a demanding and exciting discipline. Paris School of Business proposes a high level Bachelor and Master Program for international students.
What is a project manager?
Also called project manager, the project manager intervenes at each stage of the project to ensure its definition, realization, follow-up and sustainability. His/her role is multiple because he/she knows each facet of the project he is in charge of.
His/her missions vary according to the progress of the different stages that he/she is responsible for orchestrating.
Upstream, he/she is responsible for creating the project specifications and its design (definition of the need, actions, objectives, implementation and identification of stakeholders). He/she will then be required to manage the project by leading the team that he/she has put together around the various tasks to be carried out. He/she will ensure that they are well coordinated and that the expected level of quality is maintained until delivery. At the same time, he/she ensures the profitability and the follow-up with the clients or sponsors.
Skills and qualities of the project manager
The profile of the project manager is as varied as the projects to be managed, but certain professional and human qualities distinguish the best managers.
The propensity for multitasking is first of all an undeniable quality given the context in which the project manager carries out his mission. He must be able to move from one subject to another while keeping in mind the coordination of each task. He/she has a curiosity and an interest in many subjects, and is able to quickly acclimatize to various environments, both technical and administrative. He/she also has a good sense of contact which allows him/her to establish quality relationships within the project team as well as with the clients or sponsors. He/she is also reactive and creative, able to convince, or find solutions to possible difficulties encountered.
- Sense of deadlines and organization
- Human contact
- Negotiation skills, diplomacy and customer orientation
- Adaptability
- Ability to prioritize
- Spirit of initiative
Which degree to become a Project Manager?
Training in project management is mainly found in business schools and universities, but also in engineering schools.
- Business schools, specialists in project management training, offer numerous courses from Bachelor's to Master's degrees that allow students to choose their specialties. This is the case of Paris Business School whose programs allow students to access project manager positions in various sectors such as banking, finance, e-commerce, marketing, etc. Discover the Bachelor specialisations here, and the Master specialisations here.
- Engineering schools have also integrated project management modules into their programs or at the end of the curriculum.
- Universities and IAE offer different titles of Masters in project management.
- There are also professional certifications that allow you to validate this skill in continuing education, such as the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification from the PMI (Project Management Institute) or the IPMA (International Project Management Association) or the PRINCE2.
Salary and career of the project manager
Project management has as many profiles as there are projects, so salaries and opportunities vary greatly depending on the company, the assignments, and the sector.
A project manager in the banking sector will not have the same skills nor the same missions as a project manager in the industry, agri-food or digital sectors.
The salaries listed under this job title nevertheless show a median income of around 35 K per year, and 25 K at the very beginning of the career.
The project manager can evolve hierarchically within his company by being assigned projects of greater scope or increased responsibilities.
Project management jobs are also practiced as consultants and offer higher salary prospects, particularly in the Web, data and IT sectors.
