PROJECT COORDINATOR TOOLKIT

Definition:

The Project Coordinator is an integral member of the project team responsible for coordinating projects of varying size and complexity or its parts. Project Coordinator is responsible for organizing and controlling project activities and for communicating risks, opportunities and current state of project to his superior and/or other stakeholders.

Difference between Project Coordinator and Project Manager:

The main difference between Project Coordinator and Project Manager is the scale of responsibility.

Project Manager is ultimately responsible for identifying project goals and objectives, directing, managing and controlling project work, aligning it with strategy and delivering the project. While Project Coordinator is more of a traffic controller, arranging assignments, analyzing course of the project and reporting its status to the management and stakeholders. Project Coordinator doesn't define project strategy or make strategic decisions, they are directed top-down.

While Project Manager is responsible for budget and procurement, Project Coordinator is responsible for coordinating those aspects and reporting issues, risks or wins to strategic management.

Project Coordinator can be working under Project Manager and/or Project Director, covering team coordination, groundwork, data collection, tracking, etc. In a functional organization structure Project Coordinators manage projects within the department under a functional lead. Project Coordinator role can also exist on its own in small companies where strategic decision-making, finances, and procurement are covered by CEO or Director.

Responsibilities:

Project Coordination can cover a lot of roles and responsibilities depending on the organization and type of project.

Coordination can range from administration duties (maintenance of project documentation, plans and reports), directing and coordinating project work (assigning tasks, controlling schedule), through engineering duties (maintenance of headcount databases, materials, configuration management) right up to junior project management duties (updating risk/opportunity registers, schedule updates, financial updates).

The main goal of Project Coordinator is to make sure that the project runs smoothly by tracking project progress and timely communicating its status to management and project members, as well as making sure that project members communicate with each other.

Project coordinators work for a variety of industries, including human resources, production, consultation, healthcare and information technology businesses. They can work on internal company/department projects, including process improvement, documentation update, new system implementation (coordination on the client side if the main Project Management work is fulfilled by a contractor), company website update and s.o.

Main Duties

As a Project Manager assistant

• Assisting and supporting the Project Manager in their daily duties.
• Ensuring that relevant management information is captured and analyzed.
• Assigning tasks
• Working with the team to remove blockers
• Control schedule
• Track, analyze and communicate project risks and opportunities
• Helping the Contract Manager with the development of operating procedures.
• Resolving any financial queries that are raised, including timely communication if extra budget is needed.
• Overseeing procurement and communicating to procurement manager any issues arising
• Involved in Coordinating projects from inception to completion.
• Developing training and briefing material for staff.
• Keeping in close contact with key project members and decision makers
• Track and report project progress
• Update documentation
• Directing Quality Assurance

As a stand-alone Project Coordinator reporting to Functional Manager or CEO

• All the above, plus:
• Make sure that strategy, goals and objectives are stated
• Translate project objectives into tasks
• Create and maintain documentation
• Organize team's work
• Maintain processes
• Communicate with Functional Manager/CEO on team members' performance
• Participate in performance review
• Make sure deliverables are aligned with the goals and objectives requested
• Close project or phase and pass it to project sponsor/Functional Manager/CEO

Areas of expertise:

• Project Coordination
• Planning, directing, organizing project work
• Schedule management
• Quality Assurance
• Risk management
• Procurement management
• Documentation management
• Tenders
• Performance reviews

Skills and Abilities

• Effective time management
• Multi-tasking
• Pro-active
• Organizing skills
• Effective teamwork
• Process oriented
• Ability to communicate effectively, including writing skills
• Initiative, ability to manage own time
• Analytical thinking
• Responsible

Experience Needed

• Proven experience of participating in projects as project coordinator or project management assistant
• Evaluation and report writing
• Experience of working effectively with a team
• Experience of delivering training at a variety of levels
• Experience in planning and schedule management

Certifications that might be needed:

• Bachelor Degree (in company-related field or management is an advantage)
• Scrum certification (if the company uses scrum framework)