Table of Contents
Introduction
Imagine cake without icing! Imagine cookies without yogurt! Imagine someone who knows less than you about IT giving you directions because, apparently, he has that one skill that most companies would use to determine who gives the order to and coordinates the IT experts.
Learning the world’s most in-demand IT skills makes you a hot cake, but if you want to put an icing on the cake and unlock better salaries and perks, then there are other skills that need to complement your IT skills and top of that list is project management.
Don’t worry, project management is not for everyone: if your dream is to remain in front of one computer, be told exactly what to do and how to do it, then you do not need to be a good project manager.
If however, you want to control more than one computer, you want to grow in your role and get to a stage where you can lead a team of IT experts, and you want to be able to map out what to do and give out orders rather than just being told, you need project management skills.
What Do IT Project Managers Do?
A project manager is the liaison between those who ordered the project and those who bring it to life. A project manager is responsible for planning and giving specific orders after being told what needs to be delivered.
A project manager would determine if a goal is achievable, how it would be achieved, what resources would be needed, how long it would take and how much it would take.
Strong interpersonal skills are needed as a project manager must relay the goals of the project to the team and the issues that arise back to the stakeholders. A project manager will triage problems as they come up, determine how they can be fixed, and maintain records of expenditures.
Why IT Project Managers Are Increasingly Needed
During the pandemic, many companies were forced to shift their operations to deal with the pandemic. This increased the need for companies to work with system admins, cyber security experts and other technologists who are given the task of keeping the systems and networks.
In most companies that are not IT focused, the bosses often have little knowledge of IT and so, they rnd up needing a trusted person to manage the IT experts they have; someone who can translate the company’s demands into details that are understandable to the IT experts, evaluate, based on his understanding of IT, the financial demand of a particular task, identify the risks, and regularly compare the progress being made to the end goal.
This clearly defines why IT experts who have knowledge of Project management will increasingly have an edge over those who do not and cannot be entrusted with the tasks of a project manager.Â
Why Companies Cannot Do Without Project Managers
Big companies that have IT related tasks cannot do without the service of project managers who have specific knowledge in the IT field because the project managers are there to ensure that what is being delivered is right. This cannot be done by just any project manager without IT skills.
Without an IT project manager, there would be no one to navigate through the ups, downs, clashes and catastrophes of a project.
IT project management is not all about delivering on time, within budget and within scope though, it is also about uniting the clients and teams; and without a project manager who understands the IT experts working with him, there would be little unity.
Job Outlook For IT Project Managers
Opportunities:Â From 2016 to 2026, CompTIA, a globally recognized IT certification company, projects an increase of 12% for project managers, with 44,200 net new jobs expected during that 10-year period.
Pay:Â The median pay for a project manager is $139,200, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.
Conclusion
Project management skills are highly necessary for anyone in the IT would who is seeking a raise in his position; it is what companies look at to determine who will be put in charge of other IT experts and projects.
