With all the new technology that is coming available at such a rapid pace, IT projects are now becoming far more complex than in the past. It has created a need now more than ever for quality IT project management.
What Is It Project Management?
This is comprised of:
- Management of the plan itself
- Organisation of it
- Accountability for reaching to set goals
There are normally five phases that this IT Project Management is comprised of. Usually, there are different techniques that can be used for this, but one of the most common is referred to as the Waterfall method. Also, another technique that may be used is called the Iterative method. Then there is a third method calls adaptive.
Waterfall Method
With this method, the process involves defining the entire project before it is implemented. Then each phase is totally completed before moving on to the next one.
Iterative Method
In this method, the process is done in increments. An iteration will go through the process of planning the analysis and design to reach its specific goal.
Adaptive
This method is even more flexible than what Iterative is. Here the method will rely on timelines that are created into shorter activities which are called sprints.
IT Project Management
The IT project manager has a lot of responsibilities. They have to be able to take on many tasks at once. Some of the responsibilities that they are faced with are:
- Handle the firmware
- Integrate software
- Construction of website
- Storage of database and its management
Be able to build infrastructures and networks. All of this has to be done at the same time as being aware and planning for any security weaknesses and risk for data.
Throughout the project process, the project manager has additional responsibilities, such as:
- Communication with teams and clients
- Setting goals
- Knowing what resources are required for each task
- Researching
- Being able to manage the transition
- Carrying out a needs assessment
- Planning the sequence of the tasks necessary for the project
The project manager’s responsibility has additional tasks added to it, such as:
- General management
- Project support
- Assessing the capabilities of the technology that is in place
- Reducing duplication
- Choosing the right team members with the applicable skills
- Maintaining budgets and controlling the cost throughout the process
The Challenges
The implementation of project management comes with some challenges. The project manager has to be prepared to face these, which may consist of:
- Making duplicate assumptions with the installation process of the hardware or networks and even the software.
- Being able to manage the expectations of the business which is the client
- Being able to keep up with changes in technology, which may mean an upgrade is needed throughout the process.
The IT Project Manager has a lot of responsibilities and is the one that will see that the project is completed successfully.