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1. What is a Project Manager?

A project manager is leading in planning, implementing, monitoring, controlling, and completing projects. They are responsible for the entire project scope, project team, resources, and the success or failure of the project.

A project manager, with the help of their team, takes part in various responsibilities throughout the 5 stages of a project lifecycle (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure).

The project management stages intersect with 10 areas of knowledge, including integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, procurement, risk, and stakeholder management.

Meanwhile, IT project managers plan, organize, and integrate multifunctional IT projects with significant scope and impact. Core aspects of the work involve organizing people and time resources and shepherding the project from initiation to completion. Project managers are responsible for meeting the business needs of customers or clients.

2. What does an IT Project Manager do?

IT project managers are responsible for planning, organizing, allocating resources, establishing budgets, and overseeing specific IT goals. Such projects can include:

• Software and application development

• Hardware implementation

• Network upgrades

• Cloud computing and virtualization deployment

• Projects around business analytics and data management

• IT services

IT project management works with various groups within the organization such as:

• Hardware (operating systems and platforms) and software

• Networks (firewalls and connectivity)

• Data and business analytics

• Service management (contracts and procurement)

• Helpdesk

• Information security (compliance and administration)

An IT project manager may be in charge of the following phases for each of these projects:

• Initiation: Project goals are defined and the project is initiated.

• Planning: Planning for the IT project will require frequent updates

• Execution: During implementation, the entire team, led by the project manager, works from the tasks outlined in the project plan, with the ultimate goal of creating the final products of the project.

• Monitoring: the IT project manager monitors and controls the work regarding timelines, costs, scope, quality, risks, and other factors of the project.

• Completion: It ensures all work has been finished, approved, and ownership transitioned from the project team to operations

3. What are the important skills for an IT Project Manager?

An effective project manager needs more than just technical expertise. This role also requires certain soft skills; often, these softer skills determine whether the project manager - and the project - will be successful. Project managers should minimally possess these seven soft skills: leadership, motivation, communication, organization, prioritization, problem-solving, and adaptability.

Highly effective project managers are strategic business partners entrusted fully with the success of the organization and they must have the ability to handle, reflect, and learn from inevitable failures. Combined with the necessary hard skills, certain attributes will elevate them to a higher level of responsibility as project managers, providing a solid foundation to adapt to continuous project changes while putting stakeholder needs above all. Highly effective project managers are those who:

• Become strategic business partners

• Encourage and recognize others' meaningful contributions

• Respect and promote stakeholders

• Emphasize integrity and accountability

• Are entrusted fully with the success of the project

4. The Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Manager

The role of a project manager includes many activities such as:

• Planning, defining scope and sequence of operations

• Scheduling resource

• Developing schedule

• Managing time

• Estimating cost 

• Developing budgets

• Creating charts and timelines

• Risk analysis, risk management, and issue handling

• Monitoring and reporting progress

• Collaborating with business 

• Working with vendors and stakeholders

• Analyzing scalability, interoperability, and mobility

• Controlling quality 

• Accomplishing outcomes

Ultimately, senior management must provide the project manager with support and authority to facilitate smooth and successful team management