4 key things a project manager must do

According to my way of thinking, there are four key things that a good project manager must do:

1. Clearly define work.  Defining what is owed by when.
2. Assign work.  Defining who owes what.
3. Manage risk in the supply chain.  Knowing what you'll do if you do/don't get what you're waiting for. 
4. Lead.  Using your own time efficiently and effectively to unblock and dis-impede the project (lead).  

Clearly defining work is a key element of being a project manager.  What this means is that you are crystal clear on what needs to be done by when.  The project manager must know the "Definition of Done" and what is good enough from a quality perspective.  In order to do this, the project manager must speak with both the customers and the suppliers of any given work item and very clearly define what's needed.  Before the work is produced, there should be a commitment for each item on the statement of work.

Assigning work is a very important part of being a good manager as well.  Assigning the work is all about getting good commitments and trusting that the resources you have doing the things are quality and committed and for real.

Managing risk in the supply chain is a hard part of the project manager's job.  The project manager has to have mitigation plans for what they will / won't do if they do / don't get what they're expecting.  In this way, a big part of the job is to wait for things to happen but when they do or don't happen be very prepared to act upon the failure.

Leading is of course an overall critical skill that the PM must have.  This takes many forms but in this context I'm using it primarily to mean that you are a good professional and know how to use your time and others effectively.  You are efficient and effective at getting the things done that you have to do (the steps mentioned above) and making sure that the whole thing is tracking.

There's a lot to being a project manager, but maybe thinking about it in these four simple "competency areas" will help you figure out where you should focus your efforts at the moment!!