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Team leaders, business project managers plan, manage, and execute all the steps of business projects from start to finish. Businesses in all industries, from marketing to healthcare, hire business project managers to develop new products, create promotional strategies, streamline services, and meet a variety of business goals intended to increase profits. They primarily work in office environments, reporting to assigned managers or supervisors, and may travel to job sites and client meetings in their normal day-to-day duties.
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Business Project Manager Duties and Responsibilities
Business project managers work in a variety of industries, performing many duties specific to the business where they work. However, the core job duties for business project managers are generally the same in every industry:
Create Project Plans
Business project managers design project plans, estimating how many staff members will be needed to complete projects and outlining the materials needed to bring proposed projects to completion.
Develop Long-Term Strategies
Business project managers look to the distant future to determine ways to increase company profitability, developing long-term business goals and strategies to grow the company.
Analyze Projects
Business project managers analyze project costs, schedules, consumer response, risk analysis, and other factors. They analyze business projects before, during, and after they are carried out.
Report to Upper Management
Business project managers create verbal and written reports for upper management and executives, briefing them on whether projects are meeting their schedules and deadlines. If projects are running behind, business project managers explain what went wrong and how the issue is being fixed.
Meet with Staff
Business project managers supervise staff progress on implementing projects, meeting with staff members to advise them on how to best stay within their timeline and budget goals for individual projects.
Business Project Manager Skills and Qualifications
Critical thinkers, business project managers are leaders who can look at both the big picture and the small details. Businesses look for business project managers who have the following key skills needed to perform the core tasks associated with this job:
- Communication - to create detailed reports and plans
- Problem-solving - to keep projects on track and meet project goals
- Leadership - to supervise and brief staff on how to carry out projects
- Organization - to manage multiple projects at once
- Computer skills - many companies use digital systems and software to create documents
- Customer service - to know what customers need and find ways to provide it for them through focused project solutions
Business Project Manager Education and Training
A majority of employers look for business project managers with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, business administration, project management, or a field of study directly linked to the job industry for which they are applying. Many employers also seek candidates who have past work experience in a management or business field.
Business project managers go through an on-the-job-orientation program after being hired. This program provides business project managers with extra supervision for one to two weeks while they learn more about the company’s products, services, and business goals.
Business Project Manager Salary and Outlook
Statistical data from 2016 shows that training and development managers earned a median yearly income of $105,830 and a median hourly wage of $50.90, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Training and development managers plan and manage programs and employees responsible for carrying out programs. Their daily duties and responsibilities are very similar to those of business project managers. There were more than 34,000 jobs available for training and development managers in 2016, a number that is projected to grow by 10 percent through 2026. This is faster than the national average job growth rate.
Employers provide business project managers with benefits packages that include health, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage. Business project managers also typically receive vacation pay, sick days, and retirement benefits. Some large companies provide additional perks that include free meals, gym memberships, and other discounted services.
Helpful Resources
Use these resources to learn the skills and strategies it takes to be a successful business project manager:
Project Management: A Quick Start Beginner's Guide For The Serious Project Manager To Managing Any Project Easily
Start to master all the basics of project management with this guidebook, which details the steps needed to plan, manage, and execute a successful project. Written in straightforward language, this book outlines everything that business project managers need to know.
Association for Project Managers
Find useful articles, educational resources, and information for business project managers in all fields at this website.
Project Management: Proven Principles in Agile Project Management for Successful Managers and Businesses (Project Management 101)
Learn how to avoid common mistakes in business project management and develop the skills needed to successfully manage projects of all types, including managing resources, schedules, and risks.
A/E/C Project Management Association
On this website, business project managers can find out how to become certified, view studies and reports, network with other professionals, and attend webinars to increase their skill set.
Project Manager: All you need to be a complete project manager (Manager, Leadership, Project, Events Manager)
This book covers every aspect of being a successful business project manager, from acing the interview to resolving conflicts to helpful project management techniques.
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