What Do IT Project Managers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

IT Project Managers 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. They also manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope.

Other tasks include:

• Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
• Monitor or track project milestones and deliverables.
• Submit project deliverables, ensuring adherence to quality standards.
• Assess current or future customer needs and priorities by communicating directly with customers, conducting surveys, or other methods.
• Initiate, review, or approve modifications to project plans.
• Schedule and facilitate meetings related to information technology projects.

We asked IT Project Managers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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70% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, IT Project Managers direct or coordinate activities of project personnel. They confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.

A typical day for an Information Technology Project Manager will also include:

• Monitor or track project milestones and deliverables.
• Schedule and facilitate meetings related to information technology projects.
• Manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope.
• Initiate, review, or approve modifications to project plans.
• Develop or update project plans for information technology projects including information such as project objectives, technologies, systems, information specifications, schedules, funding, and staffing.

We asked some IT Project Managers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	81% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	65% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	68% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	16% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	6% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	19% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, IT Project Managers also perform risk assessments to develop response strategies. They may also submit project deliverables, ensuring adherence to quality standards.

On a weekly to monthly basis, IT Project Managers Prepare project status reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends. They might also Assess current or future customer needs and priorities by communicating directly with customers, conducting surveys, or other methods.

In addition, they Identify need for initial or supplemental project resources.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Identify, review, or select vendors or consultants to meet project needs.

To some IT Project Managers, it is also their responsibility to Negotiate with project stakeholders or suppliers to obtain resources or materials.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as an Information Technology Project Manager, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/computer-and-information-systems-managers.htm

http://www.acm.org/

http://www.techamerica.org/

http://www.cra.org/