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Just like a ship's captain, a project manager directs team members and attempts to foresee and avoid storms in order to successfully navigate the ship to a predetermined destination. 
It is the Project Manager's job to:
Get the project completed on schedule.
Complete the project within budget.
Meet the project goals defined by the project team and stakeholders.
In order to accomplish these tasks, Project Managers need to have an enthusiasm for the project and strong communication, team building, and negotiating skills. In addition, they need to know and understand the basic steps of project management. (These steps are based on the "Project Management Body of Knowledge reference document developed by the Project Management Institute.) Step 1 - Project Initiation The initiating step involves developing a vision and setting goals for the project. During the initiating process you begin to: 
Define the overall scope and goals of the project.
Select project team members.
Define general expectations of customers, management, or other stakeholders.
Write an agreement/contract for the project.
Step 2 - Project Planning The planning step involves defining the project in terms of resources, schedule, budget, etc. In the planning phase you should: Refine the project scope in regards to time, resources, and desired results.
Identify the tasks necessary to accomplish the project goals.
Sequence tasks in the most efficient manner.
Develop a workable schedule and budget.
Get the plan approved by the stakeholders.
Step 3 - Project Administration The Administrative step involves coordinating team members, monitoring the project, measuring progress and correcting unplanned/detrimental plan deviations. During the Administration step, you may need to: 
Procure the necessary resources (money, people, equipment, and time).
Coordinate and meet with team members.
Monitor for plan deviations and take corrective action.
Evaluate requests for project changes from the stakeholders and team members.
Reschedule tasks and reassign resources, as necessary.
Resolve conflicts/problems that arise.
Step 4 - Project Closing The closing process is the final project management step. At the close of a project you should: Acknowledge achievements and results.
Shut down operations and disband the team.
Review the project process and outcomes with the team members and stakeholders.
Write a final project report.
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