What is Project Management?

In the ongoing, long-term process of the business, temporary-natured projects are put in place for the delivery of unique products or services or process. Often, these projects do not come with set specific frameworks. It is the responsibility of the teams undertaking these projects to start from scratch and develop the framework.

Project management is the application of tools, methods, techniques, skills and knowledge to deliver on standards set for the project and to meet the specific needs of the project while adhering to the predefined budget and envisioned time frame.

Typically, project management begins with planning, followed by initiation, execution, monitoring and ends with closing. Business leaders and industry experts agree that the difference between completing a project and completing it successfully is the efficiency and effectiveness of its management. There is a long, on-going debate on whether project managers need to have project management skills or domain expertise. It is crucial to have project management skills since subject matter experts can always be added to the project team while the project manager focuses on its executive and delivery. Project management courses are the best way to learn these skills.

What is Team Management?

Team management, on the other hand, is about bringing a set of people together, administering and coordinating them to work as a team for the completion of a given task or function. It involves setting goals, priorities and performance objectives for the team, enabling and leading the team in effective decision-making and problem-solving, continuous review of methods employed and appraisal of the performance of members.

The Comparison

Project Management skills include

• Leadership
• Team management
• Communication
• Planning
• Budgeting
• Risk Management:
• Time Management
• Negotiation
• Quality Management

While team management skills include

• Leadership
• Team building
• Emotional intelligence and empathy
• Effective communication- speaking and listening
• Critical Thinking
• Negotiation
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Confidence-building and morale-boosting

From a cursory look at the definition and the skills that constitute project management and team management, the two concepts may seem similar. But it is not so.  Team management is an integral part of project management since projects bring together varied individuals from different departments and roles for the completion of a project in a defined time frame and budget. To be able to do effectively and efficiently, the varied interests need to be brought together, their activities coordinated, performance-optimized and also increase their level of satisfaction.

Projects are constituted for a specified duration and are not an ongoing process. So, project management may be required to manage projects as long as they exist, and team management is required whether or not projects exist because organizations have employees with varied interests that need to be brought together. But learning project management skills which include team management skills will benefits managers to give their career a boost and being a useful resource to the organization.

Being such a central concept, team management is taught in all the best project management courses as a course skill. Enrol yourself in one of these best project management courses and help deliver success, create a happy clientele and promote collaboration within your organization.