Creative Project Managers: Skills and Qualities
- Adilla
- May 9
- 6 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Creative project managers have gained importance in the industry. Its role differs from its traditional counterparts, where it prioritises flexibility and creativity.
It is essential to recognise what sets apart creative project manager skills and qualities from traditional project managers.
If you're looking to enhance your abilities as a creative project manager or transition from a conventional project manager to a creative PM, this list will provide an overview of the expectations for this role.
Table of Contents
Hard Skills a Creative PM Should Have
Creative project manager leadership skills not only require knowing how to lead but also the teachable and measurable skills that are required as a creative.
Visual Design and Writing Skills
Creative project managers must directly oversee their creative teams and take a hands-on approach when reviewing their work.
When choosing the right colour, font, or copy for a website, a creative project manager must grasp the fundamentals of visual design and writing. This knowledge helps ensure the creative team can rely on their leader’s decision and trust their expert judgement.
Technical Skills
Creative project managers should be able to navigate software programmes of different types. Depending on the industry, technical skills can help you stand out as a creative leader.
Digital literacy has become an essential skill for a creative project manager to have as remote work continues to grow, and online collaboration tools are increasingly important in the workplace.
Thus, with creative projects, they will not only have to navigate their project management software but also other potential apps and technology to adapt to their team.
Industry Knowledge
An understanding of their industry and knowing how to conduct industry research are essential skills that can significantly enhance the success of a project. This knowledge helps in navigating challenges and achieving better outcomes.
Soft Skills for a Creative Project Manager to Work On
Organisational Skills
If there is one skill that a creative project manager must possess, it is undoubtedly organisational skills. They need to allocate and delegate tasks effectively while documenting the project's progress.
This creative project manager’s skill will determine the project duration and required team size based on the budget allocated by the clients.
Communication Skills
Creative project managers act as intermediaries between clients and project team members. As a manager, you must possess good communication skills to convey the project's requirements to the team and update the client on the project's progress.
Time Management Skills
All of this will not work without effective time management skills. It is essential for keeping the team on schedule and completing the project within the set budget.
So, when clients are given the timeline of the project, creative project managers could give them a schedule they have calculated according to their team’s capabilities.
Conflict Resolution
Disagreements or miscommunications are bound to happen in a space within a diverse team. So, a creative project manager must be prepared to handle situations that need resolution.
Solving team conflicts isn’t only about addressing the issue. Leaders are expected to manage interactions and maintain relationships within their team to maintain good teamwork and collaboration.
Encouraged Skills of a Creative PM Can Improve
How to lead creative teams isn’t just about the soft skills and the hard skills you gain in your work experiences. Critical thinking also plays a big part in it, including these skills:
Emotional Intelligence
Understanding the emotional and mental state of the team is a crucial yet often overlooked skill in creative project management.
While it is important to be aware of your team’s skills and capabilities, recognising their emotional well-being is key to keeping them motivated and enhancing their productivity.
Creative PM not only provides a safe space for brainstorming but also fosters an environment where team members feel valued.
Courage to Experiment
The ideal creative project managers encourage their team members to take calculated risks and experiment. Being overly cautious and careful would hinder creativity and potentially the quality of a project.
Risk Management and Adaptability
Effectively managing risks and adapting to issues that arise can significantly impact the timeline of a creative project. These are essential leadership skills for a creative project manager.
With the unpredictable nature of creative work, to be able to assess and identify risks before they happen is a skill a CPM should have. It prevents potential threats that could disturb the overall operations of a project.
Understanding of Team Dynamics
If you have heard of ‘people skills’, then knowing your team dynamics is part of that. It ensures that your team are able to work together towards a common goal.
Besides communication and emotional intelligence, practising active listening when a problem arises strengthens your team’s trust towards you. In return, it develops a strong team dynamic that is essential for productivity and success.
3 Tips to Develop and Build on a Creative Project Manager’s Skills
Pick Up a Book
Some skills do require experience to improve, but even the greatest chefs refer to recipes and techniques to improve their craft. So, picking up a book on project management can cover the bases that you would need to focus on.
Ask For Feedback
As a creative leader, what better way to improve your leadership than by asking for feedback from the people you lead?
It doesn’t have to be a formal survey. When you have a one-to-one session with your team, check in with them to see if you have given them the support and guidance they need. Hence, you would know what to improve on for your project manager skills.
Participate In Talks or Conferences
Take part in project management events like the Women In Project Management Summit or the Global Scrum Gathering. By being in the space that gathers individuals with the same goal and mindset, you can pick up experiences and tips from fellow project managers to improve your own skills.
Tools and Frameworks for Creative Project Managers
Test Out Project Management Tools
Take advantage of software to streamline your work. Creative project managers are encouraged to use tools to assist in their role. The right tool can improve organisation and efficiency in productivity for you and your team.
Finding The Right Management Style
There are several methods out there to lead your team. However, not all management styles are suitable for creatives. One that you can start with is the agile method, as it comes with the flexibility that is required in a structure for creative projects.
Our creative project management software, TESSR, is made with creatives in mind. Our TESSR Review module is where organisation meets collaboration.
In this module, you can upload and review videos and images so teams can collaborate and give each other feedback with visual annotations and contextual comments.
Additionally, it simplifies the process of documenting your creative team's progress by allowing you to download the project report as a PDF for easy documentation.
Key Takeaways
The skills and abilities of creative project management for leaders are like an octopus balancing all kinds of plates.
Project managers are the team leaders who wear multiple hats to help the project run smoothly and with minimal issues (no issue is a bit of a miracle to do).
If you would like a bit of help to start your creative project management journey, we have a guide for you!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a creative project manager?
A creative project manager is a role to help bridge between clients' and team members’ expectations, to set a project up for success. They plan and organise creative projects while being an active participant in fixing issues or contributing to creative ideas.
What is the difference between a project manager and a creative project manager?
A project manager would follow a rigid and fixed process of planning, where deadlines are rarely catered to creative processes. Meanwhile, a creative project manager would understand this and would give the flexibility for creative teams to produce their work while still finishing the work on time. We have an article on this question if you would like to know more!
Are artist project managers and creative project managers the same?
Yes, essentially, they are. However, what differs between them is the corporate setting. Typically, an artist project manager would be either managing an artist and their business or a creative work that is away from the corporate expectation of an artistic work.
Author Bio
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, including parodies of animated shows and plots for board games like Dungeons & Dragons. She loves to read anything and everything, from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. One day, she is eager to publish her book. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
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