8 Essential Soft Skills of Project Management

Last Updated April 13, 2022

A recent study conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) known as Pulse of the Profession^®, revealed that possessing hard skills alone is no longer sufficient in today’s increasingly competitive job market. Although hard skills, which are technical in nature and involve the use of knowledge and tools, are critical for a project manager’s role, the soft skills of project management are equally as important for the collaborative nature of projects.

What are Soft Skills?

Soft skills, sometimes known as “people skills,” apply to all jobs in all industries, particularly leadership positions. They include the ability to communicate well, build trust and resolve conflicts. Soft skills can help provide an edge to managers who have learned to use them well.

In a data-driven world, these skills have been somewhat de-emphasized. That’s a mistake when it comes to project management, where a combination of soft and hard skills is necessary.

The issue is of such importance that PMI has developed the Talent Triangle^®, a model for the ideal project manager skill set that includes a mixture of both hard and soft skills. It focuses on the areas of leadership, technical project management, and strategic and business management. Each part of the triangle is of equal importance.

The following represent some of the most important soft skills for project managers to possess.

1. Leadership

According to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession^® survey, 32% of project management professionals consider both technical and leadership skills to be a high priority.

As a leader, it is important to understand how teams work, and what the characteristics of a good team are. Teams are a constantly changing dynamic force in which objectives are discussed, ideas are assessed and decisions are made in an effort to reach previously set goals. Before working on a particular project, tasks and goals should be clearly defined and understood by everyone on the team. This, along with assigning tasks based on each team member’s capabilities, is the responsibility of a leader.

2. Motivation

Being able to motivate others is a core function of leadership and has become an essential project management soft skill. Motivation is known as the “will to act.” Everyone has motivational forces inside them, and as a manager, it is important to understand what those are for each project team member so as to tap into that and influence their behavior in a positive way. It is important for leaders to keep in mind that listening to and advising team members will likely go further than issuing declarations and expecting them to work.

3. Communication

Poor communication undermines a project’s success. Communicating clearly and openly is a necessity, but it’s important to remember that these exchanges go both ways. Open and honest communication from top-level leadership helps result in the same communication and trust from all other members of the team. Transparent project managers will typically have employees who feel more comfortable about opening up to the manager about their concerns, issues and constructive suggestions.

In turn, listening aligns directly with good communication. Good listening skills allow project managers to learn about and engage with clients and team members. Mastering both of these communication soft skills creates a mutual trust among all parties involved.

4. Conflict Management

Implementing conflict management strategies helps make effective leadership easier during difficult moments for the project team. Conflicts are inevitable, especially when managing a large group of people. Disagreements typically stem from competition for scarce resources, system downtime, communication gaps, personnel policies and unclear requirements. When managed well, conflict resolution has the potential to bring team members together and make them more focused on achieving the overall project objectives.

5. Trust-Building

Good leaders care about earning the trust of their team members. Project managers can build trust within their team by sharing information with the team, being transparent about decisions, getting team members involved in the decision-making process and being genuinely interested in each team member’s growth.

Trust-building is a highly revered soft skill because team members thrive when they have trust in each other, while those who don’t often struggle to survive. Having faith that cohorts will fulfill their duties with skill and speed while providing honest feedback helps create a sense of trust between project team members. That trust can inspire the sharing of truthful information and confidence across all levels of the organization.

6. Decision-Making

Decisions can usually be categorized as routine, strategic, operational or emergency. Depending on the type of decision that needs to be made, project managers may have different sets of criteria that come into play when making a judgment, and how they analyze the individual options may vary.

During the decision-making process, managers should always consider how others will be affected, and when in doubt, consult their peers or colleagues. Generally, team members are more likely to trust a project manager who makes sound decisions by defining problems clearly, brainstorming solutions, exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the various options and bringing together the people needed to implement a solution.

7. Organization

Organization is one of the most critical soft skills of project management to possess. One of the main reasons companies seek out a project manager is to find someone capable of organizing a large number of moving parts. A good candidate can track the multitude of tasks, issues, action items, milestones and decisions, all while ensuring accountability.

8. Time Management

Time management is a vital soft skill and is an area where a number of principles must be considered. For example, projects tend to expand to fill the time allotted. A project due in two weeks is often finished at the last minute. Change the deadline to two weeks beyond that, and the same will happen two weeks later. Longer time frames can lead to more anxiety over a project because people perceive those projects to be more important. Issues such as these can affect team behavior and therefore are an important part of a project manager’s organizational efforts.

How to Develop Soft Skills

Although everyone possesses the soft skills of project management to some degree, it’s essential for project managers to develop these skills for use on the job. Through education and training, project managers can develop highly sought-after soft skills. In Villanova University’s Certificate in Applied Project Management, students will learn how to utilize soft skills throughout the project life cycle.

*Pulse of the Profession is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.