What qualities to look for in an IT Project Manager?

Project management is a major discipline in overall project development and execution. From beginning to end, project managers ensure that information technology projects are well planned, effectively monitored and controlled, and meet suggested deadlines. In essence, IT projects are normally more challenging than usual manufacturing and business consultation projects. This is because these projects confront conventional project management challenge such as deadlines, budget constraints, and resource shortage, as well as technological challenges, including hardware/ software optimisation, security risks, testing methods, diversity of platforms, configuration, and interoperability /compatibility issues, etc. Therefore, to avoid failure, organisations must consider the resources it plans to devote to a project. It is important to understand the short-term and long-term needs and scope of the project  and to consider the schedule realistically, to be involved and share complete vision with the project workers, and set a development cycle for the project deliverables. Throughout the project design and development cycle, the Project manager plays a crucial role.

Several job roles claim the title of project manager, but in truth, they are a far cry from the conventional role with responsibility for the initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closing of a project. So, how you can be certain you are hiring the right person for the job?

First, profile the kind of person you wish to recruit. Below are some brief behavioural competencies and technological skills essential for a Project Manager in an IT organisation:

Behavioural Competencies

·         Enthusiastic, zealous and driven.

·         Focused and not easily disturbed/distracted.

·         Able to work independently and with initiative to strict schedules.

·         Exceptional interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and teamwork skills.

·         Creative, adaptable, and determined to find the best possible solution.

·         Ability to plan, organise, schedule, and collaborate on multiple tasks at a time.

·         Self-motivated and able to motivate/encourage others.

Technical Skills

General

·         Client communication management

·         Partner/Supplier administration.

·         Acquainted with outsourced and offshore operations.

·         Good people skills. Should be able to develop team, retain interest, and mentor staff.

·         Good influencing skills.

Project Management

·         Complete understanding of different project management methods such as Critical chain project management, PRINCE2™, Agile and PRiSM (Projects integrating Sustainable Methods), etc.

·         Expert in trade-offs between time, cost, quality and scope.

·         Able to produce, review, and update business cases.

·         Proficient in project planning.

·         Issue and risk management capabilities.

·         Familiar with change management techniques.

·         Total quality management systems.

·         Proficient in budgeting and cost control.

IT Skills

 For a technical project manager, it is necessary to have the following skills:

·         Expert in IT development methods.

·         Proficient with software testing methodologies and tools.

·         Business analysis and process design skills.

·         Able to develop service level agreement.

This comprehensive list covers major competencies, qualification, and skills required for an IT project manager role. Once you know what is required of the prospective candidate, create a job specification reflecting required elements. Post Job description/specification on relevant job portals, for example: Vertex IT solutions specialises in IT recruitment and professional development: to get the CVs rolling in. http://vertex-it-solutions.com/