An Accountant Needs Project Management Skills

Projects are a likely way of doing business in an accounting department.  So it seems to me that accountants should have good project management skills.  Such skills have been identified, developed, and documented by educators and practitioners.  Taking advantage of this and learning the skills should be a goal for accountants.

Several websites are good resources for leaning about project management practices.   Max Wideman maintains a website which serves as a good introduction to project management.  Click here and then click Issacons.   Free Management Library also provides good information on project management.  Click here.  The British site ProjectSmart is a resource that tries to help managers at all levels improve their project management performance. Click here. 

PMPODCAST has available several podcasts on project management, including one on project management for non-project managers (episode 211).  Click here to go to PMPODCAST.

A top goal of a project is for the project to bring value to the company.  Part of an accounting manager’s responsibility is deciding to proceed with a project only when the potential resulting value justifies proceeding.   The accountant should be able to comfortably discuss the project’s value with others in the company.   Determining a project’s value is part of being a good project manager.

Becoming a good project manager takes time, education, and experience.   Accountants should take the time, learn good project manager skills, and apply them.  If they do, they will be better able to help the company’s leaders transform the company.