The work of project managers is fast-paced and varied.  Not only they have direct reports to manage, but to achieve results, they must work effectively with different stakeholders; and must carry out their work in accordance with the project plan, implementation schedule, and budget.  Anticipating needs, overcoming resistance, and building common understanding are essential to the project’s success.  Critical thinking is an essential skill for successfully implementing a project from initiation to closure, and it is one that needs to be continuously developed and strengthened.  A project manager will use critical thinking to: 

• Understand and use new information
• Identify, evaluate, and solve problems 
• Make sound decisions 

Critical thinking is the process of identifying and evaluating evidence in order to make an appropriate decision.  This evidence can be gathered through observation, experience, research, reasoning, or conversation with others.  The critical thinker uses a logical analysis of evidence to make decisions and to communicate his or her decisions clearly. Critical thinking is a process of thinking that examines a situation in an objective manner.   Critical thinking is the application of excellent problem-solving skills.  It requires that the project manager thinks open-mindedly and recognizes and assesses assumptions, implications, and practical consequences. As a critical thinker, the project manager will:

• Raise vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely.
• Gather and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively, arrive at well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, and testing them against relevant criteria and standards.
• Think open-mindedly within alternative orders of thought, recognizing and assessing the assumptions, implications, and practical consequences.
• Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Project managers are constantly exposed to different types of information and need to make decisions not based on personal judgments or biases. To develop critical thinking traits, a project manager should adopt a perceptive rather than judgmental orientation; that is, avoiding moving from perception to judgment as one applies critical thinking to an issue.

Want to learn more? Register for the next session of our online course Leadership in Project Management for Development Organizations and NGOs and learn how to use a flexible project management methodology. https://www.pm4dev.com/elearn/ecourses/elpm.html