An analysis of industry relevance of acquired project management skills within a University of Technology

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the understanding and awareness of Project Management graduates regarding the soft and hard skills of Project Management, specifically the application of these skills in the successful outcome of projects. The research participants for this study were BTech Project Management graduates from CPUT. This study investigates the perceptions of the critical cross-field outcomes of the BTech Project Management programme in association with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) with regard to hard and soft skills. As Project Management continues to grow as a discipline; it is becoming more evident that success of the role of project managers cannot be attained with technical skills only. Hard skills are being recognized as one of the minimal requirements for a project manager. A need for excellent interpersonal or soft skills are necessary conditions for success, and although some would disagree, others advocate that these are skills that can be taught and learned rather than skills that are innate or genetic. Considerable effort has been made in the area of hard skills processes, tools and techniques. Project Management methodologies are being developed and improved, but still a large number of projects do not deliver. Apart from hard skills, research in the area of soft skills is promising. A range of soft skills attributes required by project managers has been acknowledged. Good Project Management requires not only knowledge of and the ability to apply technical or “science” skills, but also the softer “art” skills, which include human behaviour and interactions. Applying the right balance or mix of art and science, which will vary for different projects, is key to successful Project Management.