---
title: "Essential interpersonal and managerial skills"
subject: "ICT Project Management"
chapter: 2
key: "semester_7/ict_project_management:interpersonal-managerial-skills"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/interpersonal-managerial-skills
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Essential interpersonal and managerial skills

ICT Project Management · Chapter 2: Project Management Body of Knowledge

- Asked in: year not given; year not given
- Video: [Interpersonal Skills for Project Manager](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba92hXdcT_k) — Project Management
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/interpersonal-managerial-skills
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/ict_project_management/chapter-2

## Question

What are the essential interpersonal and managerial skills?

## Short answer

Interpersonal skills focus on people: leadership, communication, team building, motivation, influencing, negotiation, conflict management, decision making, emotional intelligence. Managerial skills focus on work and resources: planning, organising, time management, delegation, controlling, problem solving, risk handling, financial management.

## Answer

Project managers work through people, so besides technical skill they need interpersonal (people) and managerial skills. PMBOK lists these among the project manager's competencies.

#### Interpersonal skills
1. **Leadership**: create a vision, give direction, inspire and motivate the team.
2. **Communication**: listen actively, give clear and timely information, adjust to the audience.
3. **Team building**: develop trust, cooperation and a shared purpose.
4. **Motivation**: understand what drives each member and recognise good work.
5. **Influencing**: persuade others without direct authority, especially in matrix structures.
6. **Negotiation**: agree on scope, price, time, resources and contract terms.
7. **Conflict management**: resolve disputes by collaboration, compromise or problem solving rather than avoiding.
8. **Decision making**: choose between alternatives using facts.
9. **Emotional intelligence and empathy**: understand own and others' feelings.
10. **Political and cultural awareness**.

#### Managerial skills
1. **Planning and organising**: set goals, prepare WBS, schedule and budget.
2. **Time management**: prioritise and meet deadlines.
3. **Delegation**: assign work to the right person and follow up.
4. **Controlling and monitoring**: track progress and take corrective action.
5. **Problem solving**: identify cause, find options, act.
6. **Risk handling**: anticipate and manage uncertainty.
7. **Financial / budget management**.
8. **Technical and organisational knowledge** of the application area.
9. **Stakeholder management**.

| Skill type | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Interpersonal | People and relations | Resolving a clash between two developers |
| Managerial | Work and resources | Preparing a baseline schedule |

Strong skills in both areas help the manager keep the team productive and satisfy the customer.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Influencing skill is especially important in matrix structures because:
   A. Managers have full authority
   B. There is no team
   C. The manager must persuade others without direct authority
   D. Budgets are fixed
   Answer: C. In matrix structures staff do not report directly, so persuasion is needed. (Key point: Influencing)

2. Which is the recommended way to handle conflict?
   A. Avoid it
   B. Resolve by collaboration, compromise or problem solving
   C. Escalate it immediately
   D. Ignore the parties
   Answer: B. Resolving disputes rather than avoiding them keeps the team productive. (Key point: Conflict management)

3. Which is a managerial skill rather than an interpersonal one?
   A. Empathy
   B. Motivation
   C. Team building
   D. Preparing a WBS, schedule and budget
   Answer: D. Planning and organising work and resources is managerial; others focus on people. (Key point: Interpersonal vs managerial)

4. Good delegation means:
   A. Assigning work to the right person and following up
   B. Doing everything yourself
   C. Assigning blindly without follow-up
   D. Avoiding responsibility
   Answer: A. Delegating by skill and following up is a managerial skill. (Key point: Delegation)

## Related in other subjects

- [Levels of management and managerial skills](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Forganization_and_management%3Amanagement-levels-skills) — Organization and Management, chapter 2, asked 3×
- [Managerial skills; importance of management](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Forganization_and_management%3Amanagerial-skills-importance) — Organization and Management, chapter 2