What Is IT Project Management?

Are you wondering if you need an IT project management professional for your next big technical project? If you are attempting to undertake a project within your business without someone overseeing the process, it could end in chaos.

Having a specific person to keep track of the progress and liaise with both the wider business and the IT team, is what makes the process run smoothly and efficiently.

In this blog, I will answer the question ‘What is IT project management’, by discussing a standard project manager job description, the skills these professionals need to have, areas of involvement, the stages of IT project management, and the benefits of hiring someone with this core knowledge base.

What is IT project management? A standard project manager job description:

An IT project manager is a person who often takes charge of, and supervises, a company’s project from start to finish. Though a major part of this role is overseeing the delivery team (such as the developers and engineers), if you think this role is straightforward – think again. Project managers often must take on a variety of tasks, balancing differing responsibilities with the project goals.

The tasks and responsibilities of a PM (Project Manager):

• Negotiate the parameters of the project, establishing goals and key results
• Be the first point of contact for others in the company regarding the project
• Lead meetings with other stakeholders
• Track the progress and balance the workload of the team
• Adapt responses to changing variables, such as new risks
• Make sure the end result works and fits the specifications which were agreed at the beginning of the project
• Maintain a schedule and budget

If you are looking to get your business’s project management recruitment right, you will need to find a professional who is capable of both organising projects and managing teams.

Skills you should be looking for in a good IT project management professional:

Recruiting a good project manager for your assignment can be the difference between the assignment falling apart and being a success.

For successful PMs, both soft and technical skills are needed, such as:

• Leadership experience
• Business management knowledge
• Great communication skills
• Ability to pay attention to the smallest details
• Experience with maintaining a schedule and a budget
• Thorough technical understanding of the project’s associated systems and applications

Often, to be successful in this area, you need to have technical knowledge in the area you are project managing. This is in addition to the soft skills that are necessary to manage the people, the tasks, and the deadlines, effectively. These are the key skills to focus on if you are looking into project manager recruitment for your organisation.

Which technical areas of a business are IT project managers involved in?

With an ever-growing remote workforce, many businesses are now moving their data, resources, and their communications online and using cloud-based solutions. They are quickly realising how tremendous of an undertaking these tasks often are. If you don’t use IT project management, you may find that your project may be delayed and goals will not be met which, ultimately will have a detrimental impact on your business.

Business areas that might need assistance from IT project management professionals:

• Software Development
• Information Security
• Information Systems
• Communications and Internal Networks
• Databases
• Mobile Applications

Whenever you are hiring technical talent for a specific project, you should also be hiring a project manager. Employing a PM means that you let the developers, engineers and other tech professionals do their tasks without having to take on additional roles, such as managing teams and communicating with stakeholders.

The standard stages involved in project management

At the heart of the question ‘What is IT project management?’ is the process of managing, planning, developing, and executing IT initiatives. These 4 stages symbolise the life cycle of an IT project.

Initiation

• During this stage, the objective is identified. The reason why the project is necessary and the goals they want to achieve are finalised.

Planning

• This is a vital part of any successful project. A good PM will set out the expectations of the project at large and of each individual. A budget and timeline will be set, and any risks will be identified.

Execution

• For this stage, the focus is the deliverables. The PM will delegate tasks, update the business on progress, and lead the team throughout. This can be the longest section as the team work towards the end goal. To be successful, the project manager will monitor the process and make sure it is working on time and within budget.

Closing

• Once everything has been completed, the PM will generally call for a meeting to evaluate its successes and failures. This includes what went well and what they can work on in the future.

The benefits of employing an IT project manager:

You will have someone who:

• Is a dedicated team lead
• Can take the stress off the business by organising, planning, and monitoring the process
• Is skilled and experienced in delivering projects
• Increases productivity and efficiency by monitoring the team
• Allows the technical team to focus on the deliverables
• Is a dedicated liaison between the business, the stakeholders, and the team
• Can clearly monitor timelines and budgets

There are many benefits to having a PM involved in your IT initiative. Make it easy for yourself and use an IT project management professional to organise and execute your new IT developments.

Recruiting your next project manager:

I’m sure, from reading this article, you’ve realised how important recruiting the right project management professional for your business is.

If you rush through the recruiting process, you run the risk of hiring a project manager who isn’t a good fit for your business. You are already spending a lot of money, time, and effort to organise and finance a new IT project, the last thing you need is a PM who is unsuitable and may leave before the end of the process. This can delay the project and ultimately increase the expected budget.

As project manager specialist recruiters, we can take the stress out of the hiring process. While you focus on what you want to accomplish with your next project, we can put the top talent in front of you to help you achieve your goals. As specialists, we know the market and the skills the candidate will need to succeed and can help support you through the hiring process.

Need any help with your project manager recruitment? You’re in luck! At VIQU, we have a wealth of experience when it comes to the project management and leadership space. Please contact us for any advice or support with your hiring processes.