AccountancyISCO 3343

Project support officer

A project support officer is a person who provides the services a project needs in order to be delivered, working from a central project management office that supports projects across an organisation.

Check yourself in a minute: project support officer

Rate 5 of the 23 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

ensure compliance with legal requirements

perform risk analysis

carry out project activities

manage project information

provide cost benefit analysis reports

About project support officer

The officer manages project documentation, so that the current version of a plan is the one people are working from, organises project meetings and supports project managers in scheduling, resource planning and coordination, and in producing progress reports. Administrative systems are managed as part of that: the registers, templates and tools in which a project's record lives.

The officer prepares financial statements for a project, communicates cost-benefit analysis reports and carries out risk analysis, which means keeping a register of what could go wrong and whether anyone has acted on it.

The officer is also responsible for quality assurance and monitors adherence to methodology guidelines and other organisational standards, and advises on the use of project management tools and the related administrative services. Training staff belongs here too, along with introducing new employees to how projects are run in this organisation. Company standards govern the work. Formal requirements are set by the employer.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (23)

project management principlesproject management principlesDifferent elements and phases of project management.project management methodology (PM²)project management methodology (PM²)An open project management methodology developed and endorsed by the European Commission and used by the majority of the European Institutions as well as by public and private organizations and instit...quality assurance methodologiesquality assurance methodologiesQuality assurance principles, standard requirements, and the set of processes and activities used for measuring, controlling and ensuring the quality of products and processes.project configuration managementproject configuration managementThe process for the effective management of the key project artefacts and deliverables, ensuring that the correct versions are delivered to the project requestor and allowing project managers to ident...office softwareoffice softwareThe characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.ensure compliance with legal requirementsensure compliance with legal requirementsGuarantee compliance with established and applicable standards and legal requirements such as specifications, policies, standards or law for the goal that organisations aspire to achieve in their effo...perform risk analysisperform risk analysisIdentify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation's functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.carry out project activitiescarry out project activitiesCarry out project activities based on the project work plan and schedule. Assist in the development and execution of project plans.manage project informationmanage project informationProvide accurate and relevant information to all the parties involved in a project on time.provide cost benefit analysis reportsprovide cost benefit analysis reportsPrepare, compile and communicate reports with broken down cost analysis on the proposal and budget plans of the company. Analyse the financial or social costs and benefits of a project or investment i...document project progressdocument project progressRecord the project planning and development, the work steps, the required resources and the final results in order to present and keep track of the realised and ongoing projects.use ICT ticketing systemuse ICT ticketing systemUtilise a specialised system to track registration, processing and resolution of issues in an organisation by assigning each of these issues a ticket, registering inputs from involved persons, trackin...maintain a central project repositorymaintain a central project repositoryStore project files and documents in a central repository accessible to the project manager and to all the project teams. Use available online tools and dedicated software.manage administrative systemsmanage administrative systemsEnsure administrative systems, processes and databases are efficient and well managed and give the sound basis to work together with the administrative officer/staff/professional.introduce new employeesintroduce new employeesGive new employees a tour in the company, introduce them to the colleagues, explain them the corporate culture, routines and working methods and get them settled in their working place.monitor the conformance to the project methodologymonitor the conformance to the project methodologyEvaluate the activities carried out in the execution of a project (from initiating to closing) in order to ensure the compliance with a given methodology which aims to ensure that projects are run eff...organise project meetingsorganise project meetingsOrganise project meetings such as the project kick-off meeting and the project review meeting. Plan the meeting agenda, set up conference calls, address any logistical needs and prepare documentation ...create a financial reportcreate a financial reportFinalise project accounting. Prepare an actual budget, compare the discrepancy between the planned and actual budget, and draw final conclusions.estimate duration of workestimate duration of workProduce accurate calculations on time necessary to fulfil future technical tasks based on past and present information and observations or plan the estimated duration of individual tasks in a given pr...train employeestrain employeesLead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the perform...liaise with managersliaise with managersLiaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.draft project documentationdraft project documentationPrepare project documentation such as project charters, work plans, project handbooks, progress reports, deliverables and stakeholder matrices.follow company standardsfollow company standardsLead and manage according to the organisation's code of conduct.
Optional (17) — show
Agile project managementAgile project managementThe agile project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.Prince2 project managementPrince2 project managementThe PRINCE2 management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.quality standardsquality standardsThe national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.lean project managementlean project managementThe lean project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.manage relationships with stakeholdersmanage relationships with stakeholdersCreate and maintain solid internal and external relations with stakeholders at operational level based on mutual trust and credibility in order to achieve organisational goals. Ensure organisational s...manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.customise project methodologiescustomise project methodologiesAdapt a predefined project management methodology to the specific needs, size and type of a project and tailor the methodology to organisational needs, culture, processes and policies. Adjust specific...maintain internal communication systemsmaintain internal communication systemsMaintain an effective internal communication system among employees and department managers.conduct quality control analysisconduct quality control analysisConduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.manage project changesmanage project changesManage requested or identified changes to the original project planning, assess the need to implement the changes and communicate them to the different project stakeholders. Update the relevant projec...ensure equipment availabilityensure equipment availabilityEnsure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.perform PESTEL analysisperform PESTEL analysisAnalyse political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors to identify the external aspects that influence an organisation, and therefore, could have an impact on the objectiv...manage project metricsmanage project metricsGather, report, analyse and create key metrics for a project to help measure its success.perform project managementperform project managementManage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project's progress in order to achieve a specific g...organise information on availability of the teamorganise information on availability of the teamTake note of unavailability and confirmed availability of members of the artistic and technical teams. Take note of constraints.manage standard enterprise resource planning systemmanage standard enterprise resource planning systemCollect, manage and interpret data relevant for companies related to shipping, payment, inventory, resources and manufacturing using specific business management software. Such software as Microsoft D...maintain financial recordsmaintain financial recordsKeep track of and finalise all formal documents representing the financial transactions of a business or project.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

Frequently asked questions

What does a project support officer do?

Project support officers provide different types of services for the successful execution of a project as part of a horizontal project management office. They offer administrative support, assistance and training to project managers and other staff members, manage the project’s documentation and assist the project manager with project scheduling, resource planning, coordination and reporting. Project support officers are responsible for quality assurance activities and for monitoring the adherence to methodology guidelines and other organisational standards. They also offer advice on project management tools and related administrative services.

What skills does a project support officer need?

A project support officer needs 23 essential skills, including project management principles, project management methodology (PM²), quality assurance methodologies, project configuration management, office software.

Will AI replace project support officer jobs?

The AI disruption score for project support officer is 49/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: maintain a central project repository, provide cost benefit analysis reports, organise information on availability of the team. Most resilient: office software, liaise with managers, introduce new employees.

Quick Facts

ISCO GroupBusiness and administration associate professionals
Essential Skills23

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