Surveys have shown that the primary skill needed to be a project manager is communication skill. The typical project manager spends approximately ______percent of his or her time communicating.

Question

Options

• A40-50
• B50-60
• C90-95
• D75-90
• E60-75

• A
  3% (2)
• B
  6% (4)
• C
  1% (1)
• D
  79% (53)
• E
  10% (7)

Explanation

Project managers are fundamentally communication hubs - coordinating stakeholders, teams, sponsors, and vendors - which is why research consistently shows they spend 75-90% of their time communicating (option D), covering meetings, status updates, reports, emails, and negotiations.

Options A (40-50%) and B (50-60%) drastically underestimate the role; those figures are more typical of individual contributors who spend significant time in heads-down execution. Option E (60-75%) is closer but still falls short of what studies show. Option C (90-95%) overshoots and is actually sometimes cited for more extreme communication-intensive scenarios, but is not the standard benchmark for project managers.

Memory tip: Think of a PM as a "communication switchboard" - if you remember that nearly all of a PM's value comes from connecting people rather than doing technical work, the 75-90% range feels intuitive. Round it mentally to "about 80%" and you'll land squarely in option D.

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