“What Is an IT Project Manager? Breaking Down This Unique Tech Career” on Rasmussen University, March 20, 2021
If you’re wondering what an IT project manager (PM) is and why organizations across industries value this role, you’re in the right place. Put simply, IT project managers bring a mix of business-savvy, technical know-how and a strong understanding of how an organization operates in order to lead large IT projects.
“All businesses these days are in the technology business,” says Alan Zucker, founding principal of Project Management Essentials LLC. Zucker explains that pretty much every company needs to build and implement new software applications, hardware systems or technology platforms to keep up with their competitors. “IT project managers are the people who deliver these solutions.”
In this position, IT project managers become the connection point for all the areas of expertise needed in a given project. They can explain technical constraints to business teams, and they can weave financial, timeline and company concerns into the technical stages of a project. “The PM’s primary role is to work with people throughout the organization to meet the project’s objectives subject to constraints of time, cost, quality and risk,” Zucker says.
What is the best thing about working as an IT project manager?
IT project managers typically enjoy a fair amount of ownership in the projects they work on. “Being a project manager is like owning your own small business,” Zucker says. Companies entrust their IT PMs with valuable resources to complete a project that will help the whole business.
“Early in my career, I was asked to take a leadership role in delivering critical projects to my organization,” Zucker recalls. “I had far more responsibility than many of my friends and peers. It was fun and exciting to feel like I was doing important work.”