The document outlines a competency model for project managers developed by a team at Renewergy, detailing the essential skills and responsibilities required for the role. Key areas include leadership, management towards goals, communication, managing relationships, planning, and knowledge, with specific competencies and typical actions listed under each category. The model was informed by interviews with current project managers and analysis of job postings to determine valuable skills and competencies in the field.

1. Competency Model:
Project Manager
A Competency Model
on Project Management
Developed By:
Jonathan Davies
Project Manager
Billy Gurowski
Documentation Specialist
Jenny Spitz
Research Analyst
Pedro Maldonado
Presentation Specialist
“Our job was to create an original Competency Model for Project Managers at Renewergy.”

2. Competency Model:
Project Manager
What is the role of a Project Manager?
“A Project Manager is a person that oversees a project that has a
clear beginning, middle, and end. A Project Manager can be called
upon for projects that extend over a large period of time as well as for
those involving many stakeholders. It is the responsibility of a Project
Manager to oversee all operations and work with its various stakeholders to get the project done on time and within the budget while
reaching the project’s set goals.”

3. Competency Model:
Project Manager
Model Overview
A. Leadership
A:1. Motivate Project Team
A:2. Demonstrate Ability to be Flexibly Authoritative
A:3. Employ Active Listening
B. Management Towards Goals
B:1. Time and Resource Organization
B:2. Demonstrate Flexibility/creativity/innovation
B:3. Task Delegation
B:4. Ongoing Evaluation
C. Communication
C:1. Defining Client Goals and Objectives.
C:2. Building and Running Project Team.
C:3. Managing Stakeholder Concerns and Needs.
C:4. Awareness Of Language
D. Managing Relationships
D:1. Manage Customer Needs
D:2. Model Good Interpersonal Skills
D:3. Build and Maintain Networking
E. Planning
E:1. Develop Project Charter
E:2. Strategic and Organized Execution
E:3. Budget Development and Management
F. Knowledge
F:1. Illustrate Knowledge Project Management
Methodology
F:2. Develop and Have Content Specific
Knowledge
F:3. Align With Company’s Strategy

4. Competency Model:
Project Manager
Competency Model
KEY
Competency Category
Competency Sub-Category
Competency(s)
Typical Actions
Priority

5. Competency Model:
Project Manager
A. Leadership
Priority
A:1. Motivate Project Team
A:1 1) Plan and Direct Team 1) Use known successful techniques
1) Encourage outstanding performance of team members
Building Activities
A:1 2) Define Incentive
2) Know when to implement incentives
A:2. Demonstrate Ability to be Flexibly Authoritative
A:2 1) Balance Democratic
and Authoritative
Styles
1) Determine proper leadership attitude based on project needs and project
team members
A:2 2) Plan and Direct Team 2) Lead project team with direction
2) Consider and Recognize team feedback/input when appropriate
Development
A:3. Employ Active Listening
A:3 1) Understand and
Acknowledge that
People Mean More
than They Say
1) Use other people’s ideas appropriately
1) Able to think of the team as a whole

6. Competency Model:
Project Manager
A:3 2) Communicate
Problems Which Are
Important To Team
Members
2) Be concerned of people in your team
2) Foster trust
B. Management Towards Goals
B:1. Time and Resource Organization
B:1 1) Use Project 1) Provide and Share information to the team
Management Software 1) Make Gantt charts
1) House and Organize project risk
B:1 2) Organize and Create 2) Keep on top of the Project
Notes and Minutes
2) Continue to learn
B:1 3) Prioritization of Issues 3) Recognize milestones of Project
3) Consider all phases of project management
3) Use resources efficiently and effectively
B:2. Demonstrate Flexibility/Creativity/Innovation
B:2 1) Recognize Current
Events
1) Be aware of other projects in same field or general
1) Make use of all resources to continue Project Management Development
Priority

7. Competency Model:
Project Manager
B:2 2) Adaptability
B:2 3) Capability for Design
2) Be able to change direction of project when necessary
2) Quick on your feet
3) Regard aesthetics
3) Incorporate existing functions for use in Project Team
B:3. Task Delegation
B:3 1) Implement According 1) Delegate work based on Team Member’s strengths
to Project Team
Members
Competencies
B:3 2) Evaluate Priority of
Tasks
2) Evaluate tasks completed of individual team members
B:3 3) Create Deadlines
3) Manage team to have tasks completed on time
3) Give proper information for team members to complete tasks accordingly
B:4. Ongoing Evaluation
AB:4 1) Provide Constant 1) Know what information needs to be given to each Project Team Member
Feedback & Attain
Assessment of
Activities/Performance
Priority

8. Competency Model:
Project Manager
B:4 2) Give Constant
Scheduled Feedback
2) Distribute Verbal and written content
2) Provide feedback when reaching milestones of Project
C. Communication
C:1. Define Client Goals and Objectives
C:1 1) Present Ideas Clearly
1) Demonstrate Written Skills
1) Demonstrate Oral Presentation Skills
C:1 2) Make Mission 2) Align missions of all organizations involved as well as own mission
Statements or Client
Goals
C:1 3) Create a Time line
3) Determine work breakdown structure
C:1 4) Create a Task List
4) Consider who will work best for Project process
C:2. Build and Manage Project Team
C:2 1) Define all Issues within 1) Know project team members
Project Team
1) Define strengths, weaknesses and sensitivities
Priority

9. Competency Model:
Project Manager
C:2 2) Maintain a Clear
Channel of
Communication
2) Support open communication
C:3. Manage Stakeholder Concerns and Needs
C:3 1) Have Regular Contact 1) Have ongoing feedback and communication
and Assessment
C:4. Awareness Of Language
C:4 1) Use Understandable
Language
1) Use appropriately jargon
C:4 2) Ensure there are no
Language Barriers
2) Facilitate honest, open, clear communication
D. Managing Relationships
D:1. Manage Customer Needs
D:1 1) Foster a supportive
environment
1) Foster and Ensure open and honest communication
Priority

10. Competency Model:
Project Manager
D:2. Model Good Interpersonal Skills
D:2 2) Connect on level
unique to work
2) Be Open to personal communication
D:3. Build and Maintain Network
D:3 3) Build the appropriate 3) Establish trust amongst network
team for Project
D:3 4) Maintain regular
contact with
constituents
4) Follow up on all projects for strong relationships
E. Planning
E:1. Develop Project Charter
E:1 1 ) Assess Project Goals
1) Create goals considering all stakeholders
E:1 2) Talk Collectively About
2) Meet needs of team members
Goals
Priority

11. Competency Model:
Project Manager
E:1 3) Agree on the Terms
3) Establish a schedule that works for everyone
E:1 4) Sign Contract
4) Obtain signed documentation of team members
E:2. Strategic and Organized Execution
E:2 1) Risk Management
1) Track risk
1) Know when risks are likely to occur
1) Avoid risk derailing a project
E:2 2) Time Management for 2) Use project management software
Project Deadlines
E:3. Budget Development and Management
E:3 1) Know your Budget
1) Use financial resources to ensure accountability
1) Determine how much your client is paying you
E:3 2) Allocate Funds Properly2) Determine who and what needs money
and Timely
F. Knowledge
F:1. Illustrate Knowledge Project Management Methodology
Priority

12. Competency Model:
Project Manager
F:1 1) Develop a mantra
1) Bring creative exercises and phrasing to team
1) Design Project Team atmosphere
F:1 2) Know critical software 2) Have proper resources for specific software
F:2. Develop and Have Content Specific Knowledge
F:2 1) Understand Project
Content
1) Have a basic knowledge of Project Content
1) Conduct research if you need to develop your knowledge
1) Know how to work with Content Experts
F:3. Align with Company’s Strategy
F:3 1) Awareness of Vision
1) Be acquainted with project’s vision
1) Provide direction
F:3 2) Create Budget Goals
2) Define financial responsibilities
2) Keep within budget allotment
2) Allocate funds properly
F:3 3) Awareness of Target
Market
3) Research your target market
3) Identify communication channels
F:3 4) Have a Method of
4) Have a PR strategy
Releasing Information 4) Manage clients’ reputation
to Press (PR)
Priority

13. Competency Model:
Project Manager
About our Process:
A Project Manager is a person that oversees a project that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. A Project Manager can be called
upon for projects that extend over a large period of time as well as for those involving many stakeholders. It is the responsibility of a Project Manager to oversee all operations and work with its various stakeholders to get the project done on time and within the budget while
reaching the project’s set goals.
Our group was first introduced to competency models in class. These models gave our team the basic understanding of what to include in a competency model, and how one is typically structured. These in class resources and other competency models we found online
gave our group a clear idea of how to structure the model and what information is typically included.
We then started a journey to find the content. What are the competencies of a Project Manager and how did we decide what to include? First we looked at job posting for project managers, we pulled out the key words and skills that we saw companies looking for. Next
we schedule six interviews with current Project Managers. We as a team then collected data from experienced and relatively inexperienced
Project Managers through face-to-face team interviews, phone interviews, and e-mail interviews. We also interviewed all of the current
Renewergy Project Managers. Since we had different levels of expertise of the Project Managers we interviewed, our team was able to gauge
what the most valuable competencies are based on repeated themes across all interviews.
We evaluated our interviews through a series of weekly, and sometimes biweekly meetings. During these meetings, we would all
insert quality competencies into our Google Drive, that the whole team had access to, in a brainstorming, free flowing process. We encouraged each other to write down anything that came up in an interview, or when transcribing an interview to get down all possible ideas and
thoughts on competencies for a Project Manager. Many of our ideas for what our competencies encompass are original and unique to our
Renewergy Project Manager. In addition, our brainstorming-like process allowed for each project member to come up with valuable complementary information for our main competencies.
Our Google Drive provided an online tool that could be accessed by anyone of our teammates at anytime, to continuously edit our
competency model draft. Our Project Team manager then took on the responsibility of creating a template to insert the competencies outlined in our draft into what will be our final document, while other group member’s work on creating our workshop to reveal this model.
Included on the following pages are the interview questions that we used for all interviews and the consent form that each participant
signed. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the professionals that shared their time and expertise with us to assist in the
development of this model.

14. Competency Model:
Project Manager
Interview Questions
1. What is your background both education and professionally?
2. Did you have a mentor to get where you are?
3. What do you do as a Project Manager?
4. In your opinion what are the top 5 qualifications for being a Project Manager?
5. What kind of resources do you use/or think that are helpful to further your professional development?
The next questions are asking about your experiences as a PM. Consider the skills that lead to these results, think
about your management and communication style, and try to be specific.
Tell us about one of your most successful projects. What of that made it so successful?
To counter that, what was one of your say unsuccessful projects? What made it so unsuccessful or not up to par with
what you normally do?
7. What do you think is the most important competency of being a project manager?
8. What is the first step you take when starting a project?
9. Do you believe it is more efficient and effective when you have an authoritative or democratic management style?

15. Competency Model:
Project Manager