Project managers take an active role in a business proposal to ensure that it meets its goals. They’re present at every stage of the project life cycle. They define the goals of a project, create a plan to meet the goals, outline deliverables and tasks, assign duties and ensure proper completion, monitor and control progress on the project and help sign off on it when it’s over. As the leader of a project team, the project manager is accountable for ensuring the project’s completion is timely and within budget.
Project managers may perform various duties at each stage of the project life cycle, such as:
- Initiation: Determine the purpose of the project, the criteria and desired outcome, stakeholders and funding
- Planning: Create a comprehensive project plan that comprises the project’s cost, timeline and risks, and determine the expected dates of project milestones and the activities involved in meeting each
- Execution: Assign and ensure completion of tasks and resolve issues that hinder completion
- Monitoring and control: Evaluate progress and ensure that personnel meet milestones and remain within budget
- Closing: Ensure payment for third-party contractor or vendors, release resources, review work and evaluate performance for future application
Other duties that project managers perform throughout project life cycles is maintaining communication between involved parties, maintaining documentation, coordinating resources and leading meetings.