IT project management

More technical project management

IT projects are increasingly complex and multi-faceted projects. This complexity comes from the fact that many projects are multidisciplinary, involving engineers, managers, and even principal investigators. IT projects are also increasingly reliant on software to ensure that all of the systems are functioning properly. Today, however, the project management role is largely defined by one product: software. Today, there are two main IT project management software categories:

Enterprise

Enterprise project management software (ETM) is used by large organizations that manage large projects, while also providing the capability to manage smaller projects. ETM excels at a few core competencies, such as formal processes and procedures, stakeholder management, and data collection and analysis.

Agile IT project management for more technical tasks

To meet the ever-changing requirements of the IT profession, enterprises are increasingly turning to IT services. Agile project management, iteration, change, and adaptation are among the most effective methods for changing direction in an organization. Agile project management utilizes an iterative approach, where teams first define the project scope, project schedule, and even project budget before the entire team commits to the task at hand. By constantly reworking the task sequence and planning accordingly, an IT project management team can adapt to changing needs and respond to evolving technology.

Finally, there’s the operational side of things: How well do our IT project managers perform in terms of both time and money invested? We turned to our project management department to find out how well IT project managers perform over a 12-month period. We found that the average project management performance was higher than the usual industry average.
But what about the benefits of IT project management? Well, according to our department, IT project management offers several benefits to its customers. There are several reasons for that:

• First, our IT project management members enjoy great autonomy. „Our research shows that project managers are more likely to initiate new business initiatives than they are to alter existing programs or processes,“ says CEO Christoph Wendl. „That means greater flexibility and benefit to our customers than you might think.“
• Second, IT project management members benefit from better working relationships. „Many of our members make personal connections through their projects, and we strive to create an environment where project management and other stakeholder engagement are valued and encouraged,“ he adds.
• Finally, our IT project management members can rest easy knowing that their efforts are being recognized and appreciated. Many of our company members say they’re not only making a difference on an ongoing basis; they’re helping to define the future of industries. That’s because the vast majority of new technology projects are not only going to be incorporated into existing businesses. They’ll be also introduced into entirely new products and services. “Some of these changes are going to be quite radical, and we want to make sure that as part of our transformation, that we recognize and respond appropriately to them”, says Wendl. That’s especially true since some of these projects may be of big importance. To ensure that alliances are formed and built upon, our members work together across industry verticals to identify security and privacy concerns before introducing these technologies into an already-existing business. Indeed, to ensure that alliances are formed and built upon, our members work together across industry verticals to identify security and privacy concerns before introducing these technologies into an already-existing business.

This is the nature of pivot and change: Teams in an IT project want to ensure that their initiatives are taken into consideration going forward. That’s because IT projects are often reorganized across verticals to create new teams, roles, and responsibilities. If a project does not belong in one vertical, then it needs to be added to another. „We want to make sure that every initiative belongs in one vertical, and that every change is recognized and responded to,“ says Wendl.
That said, IT projects do need to be organized into functional groups. To ensure that all teams on an initiative are adequately assigned and working, our members work together to identify task forces, roles, and responsibilities. Once these have been defined, each team contributes to the overall initiative through a specific set of processes and tools. To ensure that the project execution happens in an orderly fashion, Wendl and other PM leaders host leadership development activities to ensure the project teams get the benefit of the best.