Who Is an IT Project Manager? And How to Become One

For businesses and other organisations, project managers put together teams of individuals to complete a specified task or project. Project management can be a good fit if you’re organised, fascinated by people, and prepared to take on a more significant role in your career. 

As the industry is ready to employ nearly 88 million skilled professionals in project management roles by 2027, it is time to comprehend the intricacies of this profession and jumpstart your journey to learn all about IT project management. 

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Let’s start by learning more about IT project manager roles and responsibilities!

Who is an IT Project Manager?

An IT project manager is in charge of managing complicated initiatives involving an organisation’s IT infrastructure. They are frequently responsible for creating plans, distributing resources, and organising the teams. They may also be in charge of hiring and educating IT personnel in specific circumstances.

What is the work of an IT Project Manager?

Here is a list of tasks that an IT project manager is responsible for planning, organising, allocating, and executing – 

• Software development
• Network upgrade
• Installation of Hardware
• Creating IT risk management strategies
• Cloud Computing
• Projects related to data management
• Overseeing project progress and creating reports

Why is IT Project Management important?

It is impossible to exaggerate the value of project management in organisations.

If done properly, It improves the effectiveness of every part of the company. Besides being distracted by out-of-control projects or unmanageable finances, your team can focus on crucial tasks. Additionally, it enables your staff to understand how their efforts support the strategic objectives of the business.

Here is how IT Project Management can help your company grow – 

• Helps you make better decisions,
• Improves communication skills within the organisation.
• Helps you save time and money. 
• Helps you grow your business and success rate.
• Helps bridge the gap between the technical team and stakeholders.

Course of Action

Here are the steps an IT project manager follows to accomplish the tasks mentioned above –

1. Initiate – Create or identify a project. 
2. Plan – It’s assumed that IT project plans would require frequent revisions. Hence it’s commonly accepted that planning will occur in cycles.
3. Executing the project – Under the project manager’s direction, the entire team works on the activities outlined in the project plan during execution with the ultimate objective of producing the project’s deliverables.
4. Monitor – The project manager for IT monitors and controls the work for the project, including the cost, time invested, quality of the work delivered, and the risks involved. 
5. Closing the project – This happens after every phase and project. It guarantees that all work has been finished and approved and that control has been transferred to the client. 

How to become an IT Project Manager?

If you are looking for an opportunity to become an IT project manager, here’s how you can navigate your way through!

Develop Required Skills

You can have a better chance of getting hired for IT project manager roles if you combine project management and technical IT abilities. Here are the categories of skills you must possess – 

Technical skills

A thorough knowledge of IT tech skills will be helpful as IT project managers are meant to accomplish significant initiatives related to technological innovations. Depending on your industry and career, you may wish to focus on developing a specific set of technical abilities. 

Some of these skills are

• Agile scheduling skills
• Understanding of IT Architecture and Standards
• Proficiency in Project Management Software
• Data centre management
• Infrastructure management
• Cloud Migration
• Database management

The project management process

A project must go through all four of the project lifecycle stages—Initiating, Planning, Executing, and Closing—to be successful. You’ll need to understand how to make plans, assign tasks, budget, evaluate risk, conduct meetings, and more to become a successful IT project manager. 

Methodologies

You should be knowledgeable about the different project management methodologies. Since the IT sector can be dynamic, expertise in strategies and techniques that can adapt to changes is frequently required.

How to get started?

A project manager’s job demands a specific amount of experience in the following roles. Here’s how you can get started on your IT project management journey!

Inherit Experience

IT project managers can start doing practical IT work and work their way up to project management. Work on your management and leadership abilities if you’re in an IT role and want to go along this path. Approach your manager and express your passion for project management. Soft skills are equally valuable as technical abilities; hence work on improving both. 

Get Certified

Owning the right certifications is the key to getting noticed through your resume. Job descriptions frequently call for the Project Management Professional (PMP) and Scrum Master credentials. Therefore, apply for relevant certifications that offer you an edge over other candidates. Top education platforms like upGrad have many such courses to help you strengthen your skills and improve your chances of getting hired.

Support Role in IT projects

If you don’t have any technical experience, working in a support role as a project or programme associate for an IT team can help you break into the industry. Proficiency in both management and IT is required for the role; therefore, seek opportunities that satisfy both criteria. 

Apply for your Dream Job

Your project management and IT experience should be significantly weighted in your resume. What assignment was given to you, and what result did it generate? What knowledge and abilities do you have in terms of technological concepts? Why should the company hire you in comparison to other candidates? Mention all your skills and experience required for the role you are applying for. 

 

Skills IT Project Managers Should Have

Besides honing technical skills, the role of an IT project manager demands soft skills. Understanding the relevant skills for the position might help you advance your professional capabilities if you’re considering a career as an IT project manager. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Communication skills

An IT project manager needs to be proficient in written and vocal communication. This enables you to express yourself effectively in ways that non-technical colleagues and other members of the IT team can follow.

Leadership skills

An IT project manager can benefit from having leadership qualities. With the help of these abilities, you may evaluate the performance of team members and determine the best way to support their growth. 

Organisational skills

A project manager for an IT company can benefit from having both physical and digital organising abilities. Organisational skills are the capacity to keep things in order. Practice organisational skills in your daily life to further incorporate them into your professional life for better work habits. 

Planning skills 

You can plan projects for yourself and other members of the IT team with the use of strong planning abilities. By ensuring that everyone involved in an IT project is aware of expectations and requirements at all times, effective planning can increase the efficiency of project execution.

Time Management skills

A large firm may require you to manage several projects simultaneously as an IT expert. You can plan your work to deliver high-quality performance across several projects while meeting crucial deadlines if you have strong time management skills.

Software Development skills

An IT professional’s profession frequently entails the installation, maintenance, and support of computer software as well as training software developers within the firm. Understanding computer software in general and any software utilised within a business can assist you as an IT project manager in adapting to new options.

Problem-Solving Skills

The team is frequently required to evaluate an issue and pinpoint a potential solution as part of an IT project. Your capacity to weigh multiple possibilities and identify the opportunity with the highest probability of success is reflected in your problem-solving abilities.

Future of IT Project Management

Following the growing demand and significance of this role, the average base salary for IT project managers in India is INR 14,24,188, which can even grow to reach INR 29 Lakhs with evolved skillset and experience. According to Project Management Institute (PMI), through the period of 2017 to 2027, India will require 7 Lakhs additional project managers, projecting the growing demand for this role. 

The PMI report further states that internationally, project manager employment is expected to expand by 33%, creating 2.2 crore new jobs by 2027. These statistics claim a bright future for IT project management aspirants. 

IT Project Manager Salary

Here are the basic salary packages for the different IT project manager roles to help you walk a lucrative career!

Roles	Average Salary (per annum)
Senior IT Project Manager –	INR 20,60,000
Technical IT Project Manager	INR 20,00,000
IT Project consultant	INR 7,20,000
IT Project Engineer	INR 394,676
Project Manager Software Development	INR 1,632,870

Conclusion

IT project management emerges as the assimilation of two crucial roles within any organisation- IT professional and project manager. Juggling the two at the same time requires great proficiency in each of the demanded skills. We hope this blog will guide you to navigate a successful career in IT project management. 

In order to further strengthen your IT project management dream, upGrad brings you an Advanced General Management Program taught under the expert guidance of IMT Ghaziabad. Whether you are a fresher or a working professional, this program will guide you through various management skills required to become an efficient IT project manager.