Project management roles are some of the most desired IT jobs. They’re crucial to managing IT in many modern businesses. All leaders in the IT space need to have at least some understanding of project management and how to successfully run a project. Project management skills can become ever more necessary as you take on more senior roles and your scope of work expands too. To achieve successful IT project management, you need to understand which strategies to employ and which ones will get the best results.
No matter the nature of the project you’re working on, there are some essential skills and pieces of knowledge you should have. Let’s explore some of the strategies you can use to manage an IT project efficiently and effectively.
Build a Strong Team
When working on any IT project, the team you put together is always a crucial thing to consider. Your project is only as good as the people working on it, so you don’t want to choose the wrong team.
When selecting the individuals who will be working on any project, start by outlining the skills that will be required to complete it. You can then compare the skillsets of each person to what you’re looking for so that you can identify those who are the best fit. Look for signs that they will work well in a team too, with each person contributing to the group effort. Remember that relying on credentials alone isn’t always the best way to do things. Look at previous projects they’ve worked on and speak to others about the capabilities.
Ensure Good Communication
Communication is always vital for any project manager. While having the correct IT skills is important, it’s essential that you don’t ignore soft skills when managing a project. Ensuring your team has the right communication skills is only the beginning, however. You also have to facilitate good communication, helping to make sure everyone is collaborating effectively. Choose the right tools for communicating among your team, outline how and when everyone should be communicating with each other, and encourage regular updates and questions.
Understand All Your Stakeholders
There can be several stakeholders with interest in the outcome of an IT project. This means that you have to carefully balance their motivations and goals to get results that satisfy everyone. It’s important to have an understanding of everyone connected to the project and manage these relationships. Spending time discussing the project with all stakeholders both at the beginning and as the project progresses will help you check all the right boxes.
Set Clear Goals
Goals are needed on any IT project, but setting the right goals may not come naturally to you. It’s crucial that the goals you set are clear and can be measured. If they’re too vague, it can be almost impossible to determine whether your project is actually heading in the right direction. The best thing to do is to follow the SMART goals model; create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-related. Avoid being vague, setting goals that are too difficult, or veering too far away from anything that’s helpful for the project’s main objective.
Empower Your Team to Make Decisions
It’s often tempting to assign decision-making powers to those in the most senior IT jobs or with the biggest salaries. But if you want your IT project to be successful, you should consider whether this would mean that the right people are making the decisions. Instead of focusing on the most senior or highest-paid, consider the benefits of empowering those closest to the work to make decisions. If they’re the ones working closely with certain aspects of the project every day, they’re probably in a better position to make key decisions about what they should be doing. Of course, some big decisions might require approval from those higher up, but not all of them will.
Manage Risks
Any IT project is going to come with risks. But risk management is one of the skills you need for these types of IT jobs, so you need to be prepared to identify and mitigate possible risks. When planning the project, it’s necessary to outline any risks that you could come up against while it’s in development. There could also be risks that make themselves known while the project is ongoing. Be prepared to both plan in advance and respond quickly if anything previously unidentified becomes a problem.
Successful IT project management requires a range of skills to be an effective leader. If you’re looking for the right IT jobs to grow your experience, a role as a project manager could be for you.
