Successful audiovisual (AV) project implementation isn’t just about provisioning solutions with the most expensive products or the latest technology. It’s about the people who employ a human-centric approach to ensure that technology feels like an enabler and not a barrier in effective communication. That’s why we believe that it’s critical to engage skilled and competent AV project professionals who understand the AV space and can build and implement customised solutions that meet the specific requirements of different industries. 

Read on as we walk you through the “power skills” that drive the top AV project professionals. 

AV Projects Have Transformed Over the Last Few Years

Gone are the days when AV project management was a technical job staffed by technologists. Today’s customer organisations are looking to embed AV technology into the very fabric of their corporate communications, employee engagement, and customer experience strategies. As AV solution providers and AV systems integrators for the top enterprises, we have seen how this has caused AV projects to undergo a massive transformation. Most projects today are extremely ambitious, with bigger requirements, extended scope, and multiple solution elements. 

While these new requirements and expectations provide AV project professionals with several opportunities to work with complex and technologically advanced solution landscapes and cutting-edge products and technologies, they also bring about significant challenges. 

Professionals are expected to work on extremely tight deadlines, juggling product deliveries and equipment availability. There is also the widespread problem of training and upskilling AV design teams and empowering on-field staff with the knowledge to build, deliver, and manage these solutions. 

So Have the Skills Needed for Successful Implementation

As the AV landscape evolves, project managers need to possess various skills that go beyond the necessary technology areas. In addition to core AV skills such as design and installation, there are several power skills that are becoming increasingly important. Especially in complex multivendor projects, the ability of teams to collaborate with one another, manage time, and showcase empathy has become crucial to achieving project success. 

In addition, the capability to influence desired actions, solve problems, and stay focused enables project managers to always keep the big picture in mind as they drive their team as well as other contributing teams towards the common final objective. These power skills are a complex basket of capabilities that include: 

1. Problem-Solving

As AV projects get more and more complex and convoluted, one of the top power skills professionals need is problem-solving. Comprising several aspects across logical and analytical thinking, creativity, and information processing, problem-solving skills enable AV teams to embrace a systematic approach to AV project design and delivery. By breaking down difficult problems into smaller, more manageable parts, problem-solving skills allow them to think outside the box and reach conclusions faster. 

2. Decision-Making

AV project professionals need to constantly juggle resources and take quick decisions. Decision-making directly impacts the quality of AV solutions being designed, as it influences productivity while helping build trust and promote a positive work environment. Well-thought-of and carefully crafted decisions enable them to consistently improve quality and performance standards and create a work culture that’s fulfilling and productive.

3. Team Management

Today’s AV projects aren’t just the work of a handful of resources. It takes an army of qualified consultants, designers, developers, installation experts, and maintenance professionals to deliver successful AV projects. This makes team management a must-have skill. By working together towards a common goal while respecting one another’s uniqueness, team management skills enable everyone to achieve more.

4. Workload Management

AV project teams have various tasks at hand:

• Determining requirements to designing customised AV systems 
• Choosing best-in-class hardware and software to dealing and communicating with vendors
• Installing and integrating diverse components to testing them for quality and efficiency
• Training users on how to make the best use of installed systems to regularly maintaining and inspecting them

This diverse list of tasks can easily overwhelm even the most skilled delivery analyst, project builder, or tactical business lead, which makes workload management another key power skill. Teams must have the ability to split tasks into sub-tasks, set achievable deadlines, and take a task-focused approach to monitor dependencies and limit distractions.  

5. Trust

AV project professionals need to be able to generate confidence among stakeholders. And the only way this is possible is if these professionals can build and maintain trust within the team. Trust is vital to an effective AV team, as it provides a sense of safety. It enables members to feel comfortable with each other while taking appropriate risks and working collaboratively on opportunities. It is this trust that allows them to delight customers and exceed their expectations with service that is as superior as the products and solutions designed. 

6. Vendor Relationship Management

AV project professionals also need to be able to effectively manage vendor relations. A good relationship enables them to have better control over the quality of their interactions and minimise risk when it comes to working with independent contractors. AV professionals must also be ethical and accountable in their dealings, thereby earning trust and respect.

As AV trends continue to evolve, projects have become incredibly complex, with several moving parts and conflicting dynamics. If you want to drive repeated AV project delivery success, having these power skills is crucial. 

If you feel you possess these power skills and can handle complex AV projects, explore our latest job openings. Also, take a look at how AV teams at Resurgent deliver successful projects time after time – on schedule and within budget!