Project Management Stack Exchange
Project Management Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [personal-skills]

Question about personal skills in project management.

23 questions
25
votes
15 answers

Dealing with a coworker who keeps making the same mistakes over and over

I've been struggling in a peculiar situation since a while ago and would like your inputs on it. In our project (which is a maintenance project), there are some tasks that are done from time to time (on a weekly basis) and, although simple, needs to…
Tiago Cardoso
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23
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15 answers

Which skill set is necessary for a project manager?

I know that this question depends a lot in the environment the Project Manager works in, but still want to know on the average, which skill/skill set that need to be focused more than others. To name a few skills that seems to be necessary: Time…
Hoàng Long
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19
votes
6 answers

What personality traits suggest that a person should move towards project management?

I've just started as an intern for a big company, so this obviously doesn't immediately apply to me. I love programming, however, I'm still considering potential career paths I may be most suited for. I've read a lot of stories on here about people…
Casey Patton
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19
votes
11 answers

Does project management mean managing people?

Does project management mean managing people? So far, from my understanding, managing people is somehow part of project management. But I don't have any formal training in this direction and I can't form a very educated opinion.
Mihai Oprea
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14
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9 answers

How do you encourage project members to document their work for end-of-project handover?

It seems that the worst aspect of any project is documentation - what developers have done, what contractors delivered, who owns what, how to support the end result, etc. How do you encourage all project members to contribute to handover…
warren
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13
votes
5 answers

Should a team leader/project manager be a public speaker

From my experience I can see that Project Manager/Team Leader is often responsible for many tasks not directly connected with his day to day job. For example he often takes part in sales meetings. On the other hand he has to persuade his team or his…
Piotr Leszczyński
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13
votes
5 answers

Conflict between priorities and skillsets in the backlog

So we have a very diligent PO who does a good job of prioritising the User Stories in the backlog when it comes to planning. Much of the work is highly specialised though, and - as well as being Scrum Master - I'm a generalist developer and my team…
Julian Gold
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12
votes
6 answers

What techniques are necessary to convince (upper) management to abandon a project once time has been invested?

I want to convince my manager and (probably) his manager that a project needs to be scrapped and we need to purchase an off-the-shelf solution. Somehow it was recommended that, rather than use a pre-built solution like FogBugz to do our task/issue…
Wayne Werner
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10
votes
10 answers

How to determine the skills of a software developer in a job interview?

I have come to a new challenge in my career that involves handling some job interviews, and I must determine if the applicant really has mastered the skills he/she lists in his/her CV. How do I accomplish this? Do I: Prepare an assignment? Ask…
Kayser
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10
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9 answers

How can I improve my management skills in preparation for a potential career shift from programmer to manager?

I’m a long time programmer (15 years), who likes his work, but I see that a lot of people have changed their career after few years and moved to management. I never liked management, and most of all I think I don’t have any skill at all to be a…
jefrainmx
8
votes
4 answers

Does anyone use a personal Kanban / Scrum board for project management activities (rather than work items)?

I've seen plenty of people using Kanban or Scrum boards to manage the work of a project. However, I also use a personal Kanban board to manage my work at home, so I was curious - does any PM use a Kanban board to manage the work that they,…
Lunivore
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7
votes
4 answers

How to become solution-oriented and self-organized?

I recently got a conversation with my team leader. He told me that I'm currently not solution-oriented and not self-organized. And that I have to do something about it. I'll try to do better, but that feels aimless to me. What are common trainings…
Marcus
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6
votes
5 answers

How to implement kanban principles into one's personal life?

I'm impressed with kanban from a team perspective, and I'd like to suggestions on how to implement kanban from a personal perspective.
LewisLin
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5
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7 answers

How "pushy" should a PM be?

Most PMs are driven by results, and that is probably a good thing, most of the time. However, I have a colleague who has become utterly focused on delivery, and won't accept any answer that she doesn't want to hear. This results in her challenging…
Iain9688
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4
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3 answers

How to work with a team member with a severe tic?

I am a researcher at a university. I have supervised some Master's theses, but never a work project. Today, I informed my first ever student assistant that she is hired. She is a nice girl and has more work experience than the average student. But…
rumtscho
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