Tasks, planning & risks: What project managers really (must) do

Project management often sounds like Gantt charts and to-do lists. But in reality, there is much more to it than that. A project manager is not just a plan manager — but someone who provides guidance when goals change, who provides clarity when expectations are unclear, and who makes decisions when the time is not actually there.

Many companies underestimate how much coordination work is required in projects — until deadlines tip over or budgets explode. If you don't have a structured project manager on board, you quickly lose track of things. In this article, we will show you how to effectively manage projects — with practical tips and concrete impulses for project planning and risk management. You will also learn how digital tools relieve you and save time.

Everyday project life: Little routine, lots of responsibility

There is no typical daily routine for project managers — but there are patterns. The day often starts with a check: What happened overnight? Which tasks are open? Where does the team need support?

This is usually followed by meetings — with internal stakeholders, customers, or team members. Project managers are central contacts, translate requirements, keep an eye on deadlines and mediate between interests. The real challenge is not so much the technical issue — but the human aspect: Motivation, communication, conflict resolution.

In between, they review progress, refine timelines, or reconcile the budget. If you don't use automated processes or tools for this, you quickly lose time maintaining tables. Time that flows better into real control.

Planning that works: structure instead of gut feeling

Effective planning doesn't start with tools, but with clarity. Good project managers ask uncomfortable questions at the beginning: What exactly should be achieved? Who decides on success? What are the risks?

Only then are timelines, responsibilities and resource plans created. Anyone who tries to skip these steps — due to time pressure, for example — pays for it later: with delays, additional costs or dissatisfied customers.

A common mistake: Project plans become static documents. But projects are dynamic. Successful project managers therefore work iteratively: They regularly compare their plans with reality — and adjust them as needed.

Tools like ZEP help with this Target/actual comparisons to be carried out automatically. Instead of manually maintaining error-prone tables, project managers receive specific information: Which tasks are getting out of hand? Where is there a risk of overbookings? Which budgets are tight?

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Managing risks before they become real

There are uncertainties in every project. But not every risk becomes a crisis — if you recognize it early on. Experienced project managers therefore rely on structured risk management: They identify potential disruptive factors, assess their probability of occurrence and prepare targeted responses.

But that alone is not enough. It is at least as important to regularly feel the pulse of the project: Are the times still right? Is communication clear? Are there any imminent bottlenecks?

ZEP makes just that possible — through live data on project progress, budget consumption and team workload. If you recognize these signals early on, you can act before escalation is necessary.

The role of the project manager in the course of the project: tasks, competencies and career path

A project manager is responsible for planning, implementation and monitoring of projects in various industries. He controls that project team, develops schedules, is responsible for resource management and ensures that all requirements are met. The role requires both professional know-how as well as leadership and communication skills to successfully complete the project. In doing so, the project manager works closely with stakeholders, clients and often with departments such as marketing and sales.

🔄 Project phases and key tasks

The main tasks of a project manager are typically divided into three phases:

• Project preparation: In this phase, the project manager selects the team, creates the project plan with objectives, time and budget planning, assesses risks and defines countermeasures.
• Project implementation: Here, the project manager monitors budget and schedules, resolves conflicts, motivates the team, ensures communication with customers, partners and clients, holds regular team meetings and ensures documentation and compliance with all guidelines.
• Project completion: At the end of the project, the project manager prepares the final calculation and report, presents the project results and records findings for future projects.

🧠 Key competencies of a successful project manager

A project manager requires a wide range of skills that go beyond pure expertise:

• professional expertise: Understanding the specific requirements of the project in order to effectively monitor it and quickly identify and solve problems.
• managerial expertise: Project management skills are essential. The project manager must be able to plan, manage and control all project phases. Techniques such as Agile and Scrum can make work more efficient, particularly in modern project environments.
• leadership skills: A successful project manager leads his team through motivation and clear communication. The ability to constructively resolve conflicts and create an atmosphere of trust is crucial for project success.
• Entrepreneurial expertise: Even though project managers do not run companies, they act in their role as “entrepreneurs in the project.” They plan budgets, assess risks and optimize processes to ensure sustainable project success.

📈 Career path and qualifications

Project managers are often qualified for the position through practical experience in the company. There is no specific degree to become a project manager, but a relevant study or training background is usually required, such as business informatics or engineering. Soft skills such as communication and teamwork skills are often considered just as important as professional competencies. Continuing education in project management and leadership skills is also available for a well-founded qualification.

Project planning with ZEP: More control, less effort

Efficient project planning requires more than just spreadsheets—it needs a tool that offers both flexibility and accuracy. With ZEP's project planning module, you get exactly that: a central platform for defining, controller and monitoring your project hours.

🎯 Flexible planning: top-down and bottom-up

ZEP allows you to define both fixed and dynamic plan figures. Whether you're looking at your projects from top to bottom (Top-down) or based on individual tasks (Bottom-Up) want to plan — ZEP adapts to your preferred planning approach.

📊 Real-time target/actual comparison

With ZEP, you always have an overview of project progress. The system automatically compares the planned hours with the actual hours worked and immediately displays discrepancies. This allows you to react to changes at an early stage and adjust your planning accordingly.

🚫 Overbooking protection included

To avoid budget overruns, ZEP offers integrated overbooking protection. You set the maximum hourly quotas and the system alerts you as soon as these limits are reached. This ensures an efficient resource usage and protects against unexpected additional costs.

🔄 Centralized control and adjustment

All planning hours and project budgets are managed centrally in ZEP. Changes can be made flexibly without losing track of things. This makes coordination between different teams easier and divisions and ensures consistent project planning.

Conclusion: Project management needs clarity — and tools that think along

The job of a project manager is not to distribute tasks. It is about responsibility — for goals, people and resources. If you want to manage projects successfully, you need not only experience but also structures that support you.

Digital tools such as ZEP offer exactly this structure. They connect planning, time tracking and controlling — and thus create exactly what project managers need today: transparency, orientation and speed of response.

🎯 Your time is too valuable for manual spreadsheets

With ZEP, project managers save an average of 47.2 hours per year — that equates to over €1,700 in savings per capita at full capacity.