How to recognize the perfect Project Manager(PM) for your unique product development? How can you be sure that a person you are considering for the job is the right choice? If you are having the same kind of questions murmuring in your mind, you are not alone.
Finding the right product management skill set in one person is a bitter pill to swallow. Here we have listed some qualities you should look for while hiring a project manager. It is for turning your exceptional product idea into a real-life product.
If the candidate has all or most of the below-mentioned qualities, you are heading in the right direction.
#1. Set up a productive task force
Even when you have a team of skilled professionals, they might not assure effectiveness. Only hiring the right talents for your product development task will not turn out well.
You need a leader to get the best out of all the team members. A project manager assures that all the team members perform tasks cordially to address the main aim. He can build a team with a vision for the success of your product. He manages by encouraging a team and giving them the needed help to get their best.
#2. Maximize the potential of a product team
Search for a product manager who can motivate and inspire all the team members by communicating constantly. He needs to ensure that every team member is responsible for everyday tasks and completes them within the time and budget limits.
One of the major elements of great product management is enabling your team members to make their own decisions to boost productivity. The decisions a PM makes will unblock their team so they can proceed to product development. They don’t have to make all the decisions, but they need to ensure that decisions should be made either by them or their team.
#3. Quick decision making
Being a good decision maker means making decisions as quickly as possible with the right amount of information. A true worth of a product manager rests in the capability to provide budget-friendly, on-time service even if there are different barriers on the way.
It is best to approach a product manager who has years of experience in managing quick changes effectively. Consider real-life scenarios and ask a candidate how he would deal with it as a product manager. It will help you to identify his thinking approach and how he acts on the go.
#4. Recognize and minimize risks
All projects have risks and if those risks are not determined at an early stage, your project will be at high risk. The right product manager can recognize and count every risk while planning the product development.
It helps to discover a large portion of the hurdles right at the initial phase. However, a product manager needs to analyze the potential risks and can take effective steps in advance to manage all risks.
#5. Analyze business strategy
A great project manager will not just get the work done but analyze how a product can help their end users, assess your business model thoroughly, and usually provide savvy tactics to promote the product.
A product manager is also responsible for enhancing your product’s strengths by enabling more features.
#6. Problem-solving skills
Most of the brands give more attention to the problem-solving ability a PM candidate must have. They need a PM who provides creative solutions to unexpected challenges. A product manager must have a problem-solving aptitude and creative thinking.
Ask your candidates how they will manage or enhance your product quality. Discuss with them. Determine their problem-solving aptitude. You will get to know what approach they will follow to solve emerging issues.
#7. Clear and effective communication
A PM candidate might top all the criteria like solid product management background, industry experience, technical knowledge, etc. But if he is not great at communication with professionals and teams of the company, everything is ineffective.
A great PM must have exceptional knowledge of sales and developer speak. He must know different department-specific dialects. So it is basic but one of the required skills you should look for before hiring a product manager.
#8. Natural leadership ability
In the organization’s hierarchy, a VP of engineering is on the upper level of the product manager.
So how a product manager can successfully bring a product to the market when he does not have any authorization power over the people. That is when natural leadership skills come into the picture.
A PM must have the ability to generate chemistry and eagerness between teams and departments. A product manager must have a fascination to make the cross-functional team feel invested in the product’s success.
#9. Comfortable with setbacks
Smart product leaders have a long and broadened vision. They know any product or a product launch might fail due to various circumstances. So they can not shatter at the first product failure. Instead, they respond adequately, regret for a while, and then start collecting learnings that can drive the success of the upcoming product launch.
Concentrate on hiring a PM who thoroughly understands the value of the learnings from the failures.
#10. Expert in task delegation
Task delegation is another essential skill needed for a product manager. He should be able to judge team members’ skills and assign tasks according to their strengths.
He can show his team members that he trusts them and their skills that will help an organization to improve the product quality.
On a concluding note
Leadership, communication, and problem-solving are the skills that play a significant role for anyone to be a good project manager. In addition, he needs to be a good decision maker for the smooth functioning of the product development journey.
There are specific qualities and characteristics that we have mentioned above a project manager should possess. Check for each one before deciding on anyone as a project manager.