Project managers need better leadership skills, say experts

Survey finds that only a third of project managers consider completing projects on time and within budget to be a priority

A lack of clear leadership and business skills among project managers is jeopardising IT projects according to experts debating new research at a roundtable sponsored by IT business services specialist Parity this week.

The survey of 200 project managers found that only around a third thought that completing projects on time and within budget are top priorities, while only one respondent admitted he had worked on a failed project.

"This should come as no surprise – the disconnect between project teams and the business is critical; they often use different measures of success," commented Parity chief executive Alwyn Welch. "Technical skills are fine but project managers need a different set of skills to be successful – they need to be able to lead, manage and motivate."

To ensure successful projects, firms must work on shared goals between business sponsors and project teams, and ensure the business sponsor is closely connected and committed to the project team, Welch added.

"As career-limiting as it is, it can also be career-enhancing [for both sides]," Welch added. "They have an equal amount of responsibility; the business sponsor needs to be prepared to compromise, adapt and be flexible, because projects do go wrong."

Mary McKinlay of the International Project Management Association said that the research chimed with recent studies her organisation commissioned, which highlighted the importance of soft skills in the project manager's repertoire.

"Success in project management is in the eye of the beholder, so the first thing they have to do is to identify the eye of the beholder – we don't do that enough," McKinlay explained.

Nick Allaway, executive director of information and corporate services at the Charity Commission, argued that "a post-project period of care", in which the project leader stays on to oversee the handover to the business sponsor, would also be beneficial.