Information technology, or IT, project managers are talented jugglers: they deliver projects on time, on budget, and within scope, while keeping the project team’s daily work environment organized and on track. IT project managers plan and manage IT projects at every phase, including defining project goals, determining the systems and technology needed; creating detailed schedules; building a budget; identifying staffing needs; and hiring and managing the project staff. They break the work down into stages, and monitor progress with an eye on deadlines. Cyber security is a major issue that IT project managers must handle. Communication skills are essential in this field, along with attention to detail and management. IT project managers also need the technical skills to understand the capabilities of their organization’s technology, its limitations, and how it might best be applied to suit the project’s needs. Motivating the team, and keeping organizational leadership informed are also top priorities. Most IT project managers work more than 40 hours per week, in an office environment. Most positions require a related bachelor’s degree.
What they do:
Plan, initiate, and manage information technology (IT) projects. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. Serve as liaison between business and technical aspects of projects. Plan project stages and assess business implications for each stage. Monitor progress to assure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met.
On the job, you would:
Manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope.
Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
Monitor or track project milestones and deliverables.
Arts and Humanities
English language
Business
customer service
management
Engineering and Technology
computers and electronics
product and service development
Communications
telecommunications
Basic Skills
thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
People and Technology Systems
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
Resource Management
managing your time and the time of other people
selecting and managing the best workers for a job
Verbal
communicate by speaking
communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
notice when problems happen
Math
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Leadership
Integrity
Initiative
Stress Tolerance
Adaptability/Flexibility
Dependability
You might use software like this on the job:
Project management software
Atlassian JIRA
Microsoft Project
Development environment software
Eclipse IDE
Microsoft PowerShell
Web platform development software
AJAX
JavaScript
bachelor's degree or associate's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
$88,550
$43,780
$146,440
You might like a career in one of these industries:
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