IT project manager: his role in the management of an IT project

A project manager or PMO (Project Management Officer) has multiple roles, depending on the size and nature of the project.
In the case of an IT project, he or she may be in charge of steering a project from start to finish. HRIS deployment project or a Finance IS, while ensuring that it runs smoothly. He/she manages a team and carries out structuring and project management assistance missions. Project managers have cross-disciplinary skills in project management, analysis and synthesis, leadership and interpersonal skills. The projects they take on can be in various fields (human resources, marketing, finance…). But what are the main roles of a IT project manager in managing a deployment project?

The role of an IT project manager

The IT project manager is responsible for the organization, follow-up and management of his team. The PMO manages the project budget and ensures that the project runs smoothly (quality, cost, deadline).

The PMO must be able to measure the technical risks of the project and estimate their criticality. His analytical and synthesis skills allow him to create reports and progress statements on the project. As the customer’s privileged contact, he or she must communicate on the project’s progress.

He manages the developments as well as the planning of the work of his collaborators who can also be external teams. A team of programmers and developers but also functional consultants work with him on the project. He coordinates the different teams and sets up the governance that facilitates interactions. He ensures that the IT solution delivered to customers complies with specifications.

The project manager monitors the quality of the project. He/she ensures that standards, methods and the constitution of each documentation are respected. He/she may also be required to support change management and define user training actions. In charge of continuous improvement, he identifies areas for improvement and shares best practices. Finally, the project manager leads the project committees, prepares presentations and writes the minutes of the meetings.

The qualities of an IT project manager

The PMO has a wide range of skills, from project management to interpersonal skills.

As a project leader, he/she must be able to involve his/her collaborators, the client’s teams and external contacts in the project. Endowed with a spirit of synthesis and analysis, he/she must be able to analyze a multitude of data and processes in order to synthesize, structure and exploit them in a relevant manner. Flexible, it must be able to adapt to the evolutions and constraints of an IT project.

He will have to re-prioritize his activities all the time. A good communicator, he/she will be able to present the progress of the project in writing and orally in a way that is understandable to all those he/she is dealing with. He/she will be able to lead working groups. The PMO must also adapt his behavior and his speech to his interlocutors, to maximize the quality of the exchanges. But the PMO must above all know how to manage a project.

The project manager knows how to manage a project in its entirety, prioritize his workload and that of his team. He must have performance management skills to measure the results of his activity, control the budget, adapt his action plan and make decisions.

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