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In ancient times, it was said that a project manager needed to possess sixteen different skills; under market economy conditions, today’s project managers should have eighteen such skills. Project managers may differ in personality and hobbies, but their basic skills and essential qualifications are the same. In the process of project management, these eighteen skills include: the skill of contract fulfillment. A project manager should be an expert in contract execution. Projects were carried out in the 1970s, when there was no such thing as a project manager; instead, people were referred to as foremen of various ranks. During that era of a planned economy, many experts in causing disputes were \"cultivated\". Of course, today we have reached the stage of rational management and scientific management; the project manager should be an expert in contract management, capable of negotiating and drafting contracts, as well as filing claims during their execution. What is a claim? A claim arises when losses are incurred by the contractor due to reasons not attributable to the contractor himself, and in such cases the contractor has the right to file a claim against the owner. During the previous planning period, we relied on visas; only with visas could we receive payment. Now the client is unwilling to issue visas, and without them, our work goes unrewarded. There are also reasons other than those related to the client, such as natural disasters like earthquakes and storms. But the project manager must understand that claims should be filed as long as it is not due to the contractor’s fault. These days, many of our project managers don’t know how to file claims, don’t want to file them, and are afraid to do so; in some cases, our local supervisors even prevent us from filing claims. They think that after you’ve done the work, they should still demand payment? That’s unfair and doesn’t conform to the principle of fair exchange. In the past, it wasn’t called contract fulfillment; it was referred to as completing tasks. Is that still the case today? Nowadays, people seek out tasks and sign contracts in order to ensure the survival of their companies, and once a contract is signed, it must be fulfilled. Therefore, project managers need to have the skills necessary to fulfill contracts. Risk control skills. The project manager takes on the risks; a building cannot be completed just through slogans or determination. There are risks throughout the construction process. There is another fee included in the charges, called the unforeseen costs – that is, fees that cannot be known in advance, which are essentially risk fees. The project itself involves risks during the construction process. There are several ways to manage risks during the construction process. First, it is necessary to acknowledge that risks exist objectively; by accepting these risks, one takes them on and bears them. Second is to transfer risks – not to bear them oneself, but to have someone else take them on. Leave it to the insurance company to bear the risk. Third is to reduce risks; since the risks are already high, various technical measures are used to minimize them. Now there are insurance and guarantees; insurance is for risk transfer, while guarantees are for risk reduction. Please note that Article 40 of the \"Model Texts for Construction Contracts\" issued this year by the Ministry of Construction and the Administration for Industry and Commerce deals with insurance, while Article 41 deals with guarantees. Program optimization as a skill. It is what is commonly referred to as schedule control. A good project manager manages projects in an orderly manner; if such a manager lacks systematic skills, it will lead to chaos in the project. Work should be organized following scientific procedures; by learning from Hua Luogeng’s methods of overall planning and streamlining construction processes, the project timeline can naturally be shortened. In the past, to shorten project timelines, people worked hard and tirelessly, extending their working hours – working sixteen hours a day with only five hours of sleep. What if they don’t consider things from a procedural perspective? There is a sequence to tasks, and one should learn Hua Luogeng’s method of overall planning by identifying the key contradictions; therefore, it’s necessary to determine where those contradictions have the greatest impact on the project timeline. Strategic debt collection skills. The procedures for recovering overdue project payments vary depending on the project, and it depends on whether the project manager takes action to demand payment. Not being paid for one’s work is a major “feature” in the field of construction in our country. **Four ministries, including the Ministry of Construction, issued a joint statement to address the issue of overdue payments, but the results were unsatisfactory, and the amount owed continued to increase. Therefore, project managers need to know how to collect debts, using emotional tactics for that purpose. This construction payment should not be delayed until a large amount is owed; it should be claimed at any time. Of course, it’s impossible to come up with that amount all at once when there’s a large accumulation; one needs to start by asking for 100,000 or 200,000. It’s necessary to proceed step by step – one can’t just expect large amounts of money without being willing to accept smaller ones as well. The standard is to be familiar with martial arts. It’s essential to understand the standards when working on construction projects. For example, the author was once the chief engineer at the Ministry of Construction, and now serves as the client in charge of the **Grand Theatre project. When Party A is in charge of the contractor, it is of course necessary to understand the quality of the workers on the construction site. Ten workers from the front line should be selected randomly for inspection according to the production process; if four of them do not know the relevant standards, then those workers must stop working. Of course, it’s not about memorizing the standards word for word, but one must understand the main ideas clearly. Efficiently organize martial arts skills. Because managing a project isn’t something that can be done by just the project manager alone. It is necessary to lead and organize a team of people for the project; this organization should have a friendly structure, with each person taking on their own responsibilities. The size of the project management team is determined based on the scale of the project. Too many people won’t work, and too few either; everything has to be handled by the project manager, but even that project manager isn’t good enough. With hundreds or even thousands of people working on a project, is it sufficient to turn to the project manager for everything? The project manager needs to be able to organize things, and do so efficiently. Harmonious encouragement in martial arts. A project manager deals directly with people. While there are various factors such as human resources, finances, and materials involved in a project, the most important aspect is still dealing with people. For example, Fan Yushu, a national model worker and project manager at Tianjin Sanjian, went to a small county in Hubei during the Spring Festival to pay New Year greetings to migrant workers from Hubei. Visiting on the first day of the New Year moved the migrant workers working on these projects; they said, “Old Fan can tell us what to do, and we will do it no matter how strictly he demands it.” These migrant workers voluntarily followed Old Fan to ensure the project was completed well. I also heard that there is a project in which the relevant authorities come to inspect the ISO9000 quality certification; the project team keeps the workers in one place, preventing them from leaving or speaking freely. Can the workers complete the work well under such treatment? This is completely inhumane. Strict management and lack of compassion are two different concepts; strict management should be carried out with a people-oriented approach. Field preparation martial arts. Proper management of the site requires expertise; it’s like taking care of a home. Some homes are well-organized, while others are in disarray. We cannot imagine that a messy construction site can produce high-quality work, and it’s impossible for such a site to avoid safety accidents. There are 12 points regarding project management: “Five small” facilities should be kept tidy ； “The “five piles” should be arranged neatly ； “The five tasks must be completed daily ； “The “three treasures and four mouths” must meet safety standards ； The load switch must be tightened properly ； “The “five-prevention” system must be complete ； When stacking materials, it should be at “50%” ； The mechanical operation system must be strict ； Special rectification measures must be implemented ； All types of signs must be visible ； Behavior related to spiritual civilization must be standardized ； The functions of the construction site’s organizational structure and the necessary funding must be in place. Environmental harmonious martial arts. The environment is divided into the internal environment and the external environment. The internal environment refers to the relationship between the project manager and the project team; they need to discuss and coordinate with each other to avoid inconsistencies in the project team’s opinions. There are even more external relationships. Today, the construction site serves as a \"window\" through which enterprises engage with society; at the same time, it is necessary to properly manage relationships with the local residents as well as with the relevant regulatory authorities, and these aspects are also part of the competition in a market economy. Some people don’t understand competition well; they think it means a fight to the death, where the big ones eat the small ones and the small ones eat the shrimps. In fact, in market competition, they are sometimes rivals and sometimes partners; sometimes cooperation leads to greater competition, as it is only through collaboration that one can compete more effectively. Technical planning: martial arts skills. A project manager can’t know everything, nor can an expert know everything; if someone knew everything, they wouldn’t be considered an expert. Therefore, the project manager should act as an expert, seeking out the right expert to solve any difficulties that arise. We used to have problems such as \"not letting benefits go to outsiders\" and \"self-sufficiency\". In fact, there are various consulting and planning organizations in society, and it’s worth spending some money to hire an intermediary. The material is familiar with martial arts. Construction projects involve the stacking and combination of materials; therefore, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of these materials. Differences in quantity, quality, and price of materials are crucial for project managers in their management tasks. The samples of the materials now differ from the actual ones; a steel bar can break into 3 pieces when dropped from a table height of one meter onto the ground, and these are all real occurrences. All the valves at Beijing West Railway Station were replaced due to poor quality, as the material suppliers used fake and substandard products. Computer operation skills. Project managers are not required to write software, but they need to be able to use it. The inspection of a construction site at Tsinghua University in Beijing had not yet ended when a piece of paper was brought to me; it contained my photo as well as a brief description of the project. It was printed out immediately after taking a photo with a digital camera and uploading it to the computer. This is the application of high technology on construction sites. Extract and summarize martial arts skills. A project manager needs to know how to summarize; it’s essential to be able to do so, by drawing out conclusions through careful reflection. In a project, it is necessary to be able to summarize aspects such as people, machinery, materials, methods, and the environment. Therefore, upon completing a project, there should be three outcomes: first, a high-quality project ； Second, a book needs to be published to summarize engineering experience ； Third, it is necessary to cultivate a group of people. Transform educational martial arts. One must know how to transform contradictions and how to educate. One must also know how to convey one’s ideas to superiors, and be good at expressing one’s own correct views. Those below also need to be transformed, so that they can serve you. One must know how to assess people properly and make use of their strengths. You should be good at turning the people under your leadership into talents, thereby demonstrating your leadership skills. The most incompetent leader is the one who blames the low quality of those under their leadership; in fact, it is their own poor quality that is to blame. Use legal tools. The project manager understands the law, the systems, and the regulations. If a project manager doesn’t do their job well, they end up either as the plaintiff or the defendant; some project managers always end up on the defensive side, and this is related to their lack of knowledge of the law. In project management, there are also the three violations of illegal operations, unauthorized command, and improper work practices. Learn skills from others. It is about using others’ successful experiences to benefit oneself. A project manager said, \"All the projects I’ve worked on have been completed with excellent results.\" Some people call this boasting, but it’s not actually boasting. For a project manager, having all projects completed excellently and having every project fail are the same thing. Since a project manager works on just one project over several years, if the quality is excellent then every aspect of the project is excellent; if the project fails to meet standards, then every aspect of it fails as well. Because only one project is undertaken, success is the only option – failure is not acceptable. Additionally, it is necessary to understand the patterns of construction work; days with weather disturbances, storms, and holidays are all periods with a high incidence of accidents. Improve one's martial arts skills. It can be said that no project manager gets angry or irritated in project management. But this isn’t a skill; one must be good at self-improvement. Integrity and diligence are required in the project. Many problems will arise during the construction process, and the project manager must keep a close eye on them. Secondly, one needs to have a professional attitude and ethical standards, as well as the determination to face challenges and see them through to the end. Marketing strategy skills. When working on a project, a project manager should adopt the mindset of focusing on winning the first battle, striving for the second, and keeping an eye on the third. In terms of time, one is \"doing things in Shanghai, thinking about Hangzhou, and looking towards Beijing.\" ” Additionally: Successful project managers should learn the *twelve animal spirits. Look at them – as a project manager, which one or ones have you embodied? Dutiful shepherd dog: What is most criticized about the new generation is their lack of sense of responsibility. As a newcomer, learning to develop a responsible mindset will make supervisors and colleagues think that they can be trained. With a mindset of doing more and learning more, you will quickly get into the groove. United and cooperative bees: When new employees join a company, they often don’t know how to leverage the power of the team to get work done. Today’s businesses place great emphasis on teamwork, which not only involves seeking resources through a team but also includes actively helping others and taking pride in the group. The persevering salmon: Beginners, being unsure about their own lives, often hesitate and do not know what they want to do in the future. Setting goals is the first step to take, and then it’s about persevering and moving forward. Of course, one should stop along the way to review the results, but those who keep changing their approach usually achieve nothing. The ambitious geese: Too many young people give up challenges that could lead to promising futures, in pursuit of short-term ease. One should always encourage oneself to set ambitious goals. The eagle with sharp eyes: Beginners must first learn to distinguish right from wrong and understand how to observe the situation carefully. Simply following instructions without questioning right from wrong will yield half the results, and no appreciation or encouragement will be received. The down-to-earth elephant: The elephant moves slowly, but takes one step at a time, building up considerable strength over time. Newcomers should avoid making grand promises that they cannot fulfill. People who are down-to-earth give others a sense of security and are willing to assign more responsibilities to you. The camel bearing burdens: work pressure and interpersonal relationships are often burdens that newcomers find difficult to bear. The path of life is long; only by learning from the camel’s spirit of bearing burdens can one reach the destination safely. Punctual roosters: Many people lack a sense of time; being late for work or failing to deliver tasks on time are all consequences of this lack of time awareness. Time is cost; developing an awareness of time costs during one’s early career helps improve work efficiency when advancing in one’s career later on. The grateful goat: You can absorb others’ experience like a sponge, but the workplace isn’t a tutoring session – no one is obligated to teach you how to do your work. By learning from the spirit of goats that feed their parents, and by having a heart full of gratitude, work will be more enjoyable. The lion that dares to take on challenges: it is willing to undertake major and new cases, serving as the best training ground for newcomers. If given the chance, one should bravely take on impossible tasks to gain experiences that others cannot obtain, and you might be the next to get promoted. The resourceful monkey: Work processes are often fixed, and the advantage of newcomers is that, not knowing the established methods, they can come up with new ideas and innovations. Simply accepting completed work only allows one to learn the superficial aspects of working methods; only those who are capable of thinking and adapting can grasp the essence of these methods. Understanding dolphins: Often ask themselves, What should I do as a supervisor? A method that helps in handling things efficiently. Being understanding at work reduces the burden on supervisors and colleagues, and also makes you more popular.