These are the keys that I used as a Project Manager. Planning Planning is an essential duty of a project manager. Determining what needs to be done, who is going to do it, and when it needs to be done are all part of the planning process. Keep in mind that planning is an iterative process that takes place throughout the life of the project. Some key planning duties include... Define and clarify project scope Organizing is about setting up the project team's structure. A major driver in this aspect is the company's existing structure. Companies are usually set up as functional, matrix, or projectized organizations. When organizing your project, you will need to take the company's structure into account. Some of the key organizing duties include... Determine the organizational structure of the project team Leading refers to carrying out the project plan in order to achieve the project objectives. Leading the project is one of the more challenging aspects for new project managers because it involves a lot of "soft skills." Skills such as communicating clearly, team motivation, and conflict resolution. Some key duties for leading projects include... Setting team direction Controlling is all about keeping the project on track. Project control can be performed using a three-step process... Measuring: Checking project progress toward meeting its objectives Defining project baselines Tracking project progress Project status reporting Determining and taking corrective actions