Project Managers play a crucial role in guiding technology projects. They have responsibility for bringing large, complicated projects to a close within a set time and under or at an established budget.
This article will help you understand the role of the IT project manager and whether this kind of job is right for you.
Understanding the Role of IT Project Manager
Project managers work with IT departments as well as other functional departments in a company. The day-to-day workload varies by industry but also by the type of project. Some of the tasks typically undertaken include:
- Meeting with project stakeholders to ensure that the scope of work is accurate.
- Forming a team to assign and accomplish tasks.
- Meeting with the team regularly to make sure they stay on track.
- Providing additional resources to the team to ensure they have what they need to accomplish their assignments.
- Managing all of the tasks to a specific timeline. If the individual tasks aren’t completed on time, a project manager must be prepared to get things back on track.
- Keeping a running tally of expenses and the hours used to complete each task. If the project runs over the projected budget, it is the project manager that must take steps to correct the course of the project.
- Reviewing each task against what was expected and promised. If the tasks aren’t going as expected, the project manager must change the scope of work, the timeline, or the personnel to bring everything back on track.
- Project managers must also manage any conflicts between stakeholders and keep everyone motivated to keep pushing toward the completion of the project.
Project managers must control the flow of information between stakeholders and those doing the work. These professionals must be highly organized; they may juggle several projects at once or one very large task.
Project managers can be responsible for multi-million dollar undertakings over several years. The pressure and the rewards can be very satisfying, but it takes a certain skill set to pull the job off, especially in IT. What kind of personality and skills does an IT project manager need?
Do You Have The Personality to be an IT Project Manager?
Project managers need to be both introverted and extroverted to do the job. They must be technology-oriented, analytical, and good with numbers. Projects are managed by having facts and data and benchmarks. The project manager must logically track and make decisions based on the data at hand.
On the other hand, a good project manager must also be good with people, to motivate and inspire teams to produce their best work. Above all, they must be extremely detail-oriented or run the risk of falling behind on a project or missing critical signals that the work is falling behind.
Ready to Explore Your Options?
If you think you’re ready to explore a new role as a project manager, talk to the team at Blackstone. We have IT positions for project managers in a variety of organizations. Talk to our team today to explore your options.