How To Become An IT Project Manager

The IT project manager role requires qualified professionals to supervise IT projects and teams to make sure that projects meet time and budgetary guidelines. On this career path, students will learn how to perform key project management tasks and techniques that will allow them to seek management roles within the IT industry. Cybrary's expert instructors and virtual labs provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to become qualified IT project managers.

What is an IT Project Manager?

An IT project manager is a team leader who directly manages IT projects' activities, including managing team members, overseeing the project's schedule and budget, and maintaining an effective communication plan for the project's duration. The IT project manager is essentially responsible for ensuring that the daily work performed on a project goes as smoothly as possible.

Sometimes, IT project management is called computer and information systems management, and it typically requires managers to have a bachelor's degree and a certain amount of work experience. However, like other IT roles, extensive work experience is sometimes accepted in place of a degree.

Most IT project managers work full-time, with overtime on evenings and weekends as the project requires. Project managers may be able to telecommute for some activities but usually need to be onsite to manage teams and supervise the project.

What Does an IT Project Manager Do?

IT project managers are responsible for supervising a company's IT department to execute IT projects on schedule and within budget. Some of the common duties of an IT project manager include:

• Creating and managing a management plan that stakeholders approve.
• Supervising and managing IT team members.
• Determining project priorities and creating plans to meet them.
• Coordinating and tracking tasks and smaller project goals within the project's lifecycle.
• Assigning tasks to IT team members.
• Maintaining project schedule and budget.
• Creating status reports during the project and communicating them to team members, leadership, and stakeholders
• Procuring and managing resources for the project, including team, equipment, etc.
• Using project management tools to track performance and progress.
• Assessing risk and responding accordingly.
• Collaborating with all affected departments to ensure that project work is completed according to demands.
• Leading regular status meetings with team members, leadership, and stakeholders.
• Ensuring the project runs smoothly with consistent and continuous follow-ups.

While project managers' skillsets across different industries are generally the same, an IT project manager is unique in that they're focused solely on an organization's IT needs.

How Much Does an IT Project Manager Make?

The average salary for an IT project manager is $88,980 annually in the US. The range of salaries for this role is $57,000 to $139,000. Specific salaries for IT project managers vary depending on several factors, including the manager's previous work experience and education and factors like the company size, location, and industry.

What Makes a Good IT Project Manager?

The IT project manager is typically expected to have technical knowledge of computers, networks and service desk administration, operating systems, and other project-specific subjects. In addition to technical skills, a successful IT project manager should have various soft skills, including good communication, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and leadership and collaboration skills.

Analytical thinking ability and having a knack for motivating teams and keeping projects on track are also qualities needed to be a good IT project manager. Attention to detail and identifying the small things are essential to ensure that each task is completed properly.

A big part of successful IT management is having a passion for the work itself and conveying it to project team members.

Where Do IT Project Managers Work?

The technology industry continues to be a leader in job availability, with no signs that it's slowing down. Organizations worldwide are expanding their scope of IT operations to stay ahead of their competitors in the market. This has created exponential growth for various IT sectors, including project management.

The IT project manager's role is to plan, budget, execute, and track all the project elements. As a result of the abstract nature of the role, IT project managers can work in any industry, with any organization size, and in any location with information technology needs. However, IT project managers most commonly work in organizations with multiple teams, upper management structures, and departments involved in various extensive IT projects at any given time.

Do you want to begin the journey to become an IT project manager? Cybrary can help. Signup today.