What Does a Project Manager Do?

September 25, 2024

If you’re considering a project manager career, it’s important to understand the role and its responsibilities. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to advance your education, we’re here to help you navigate your path to success. Explore the duties of a project manager below and how you can prepare yourself for success in your project management career.

Essential Project Manager Job Duties

A project manager is a professional who is responsible for planning, executing, and finalizing projects. They oversee a project from start to finish, ensuring that it is completed on time, within the objective, and within budget.

Throughout each phase of a project, a project manager has a number of key responsibilities. So, what does a project manager do at each stage? Some core duties of a project manager include the following.

Planning the Project

Getting a project planned and in order is the first step of any initiative. What does a project manager do to plan the project? One of the project manager’s job duties is to be responsible for deciding on the scope, objectives, and deliverables for the project, including:

• Setting clear goals
• Developing a detailed project plan
• Allocating tasks
• Identifying deadlines

Managing Resources

Resource management is an essential aspect of your project management career. This includes ensuring that the project has the right people, tools, and materials available when they are needed. Key aspects include:

• Team management – Selecting and managing a team with the necessary skill sets to complete each task
• Resource allocation – Distributing resources to avoid overlap of work and ensuring a smooth progress flow
• Monitoring of resources – Keeping track of the resources being used to prevent shortages
• Adjusting resource levels – Making changes to resource allocations throughout the course of the project to meet any changing requirements

Communicating with Stakeholders

Clear and consistent communication with stakeholders is one of the most essential project manager job duties. Project managers must provide frequent updates on the progress of a project, actively gather feedback from stakeholders to ensure expectations are being met, and keep all parties informed about timelines and costs to avoid any misunderstandings.

Managing the Budget

What does a project manager do when it comes to budget management? Staying within budgetary restraints is a top priority and ensures that the resources in each phase are being used efficiently. Some of the budgeting duties of a project manager include:

• Creating a budget and estimating resources required
• Tracking expenses and monitoring spending
• Making adjustments and reallocating funds
• Reporting on finances to stakeholders

Monitoring Progress

Tracking project progress is an essential part of a project manager career, as it ensures the detection of early timeline issues and helps keep the project in order. Monitoring the progress of a project includes tasks such as:

• Setting milestones
• Using timelines
• Reviewing objectives
• Adjusting plans
• Reporting on progress

Advance Your Project Manager Career at P.I.T.

Our Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, paired with our stackable project management certificate, will equip you with the skills needed to thrive in a project management career.

Some key takeaways from our bachelor’s in business administration degree and the stackable project management certificate include the following:

• B.S. in Business Administration – Provides a comprehensive foundation in business principles, including finance, marketing, operations, and management, preparing you for roles in various business settings
• Project management certificate – Designed for students taking the B.S. in Business Administration who wish to acquire the skills to excel in project manager careers, including intensive learning on how to initiate, plan, execute, monitor, and close projects effectively

FAQs About Beginning a Project Management Career

What are some other possible careers with the business administration degree and project management certificate?

After earning a B.S. in Business Administration and the stackable project management certificate, students can explore numerous career paths beyond a project manager career. Some of these options include:

What is the outlook for project management careers?

The project management career path can be particularly lucrative. As the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, the current median salary for project managers is approximately $98,580. The field is projected to grow by 7% from 2023 to 2033, which is faster than the national average for all professions.

What are the benefits of choosing P.I.T. to prepare for my project management career?

Just some benefits of obtaining a business degree and project management certificate at the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology include:

• Completely online format
• Access to financial aid, scholarships, and grants
• Free tutoring support
• Small class sizes with a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio

How do I apply?

If you’re interested in pursuing a project management career, consider applying to our Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree today.

Begin Your Journey at P.I.T.

Need assistance with applying to either of our programs, or wanting to know more about a project manager career? Contact our team of professionals. We look forward to assisting you in this exciting journey.