The following article discusses the career path of IT Project Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of IT Project Managers.
Job Duties
IT project managers are responsible for the planning of set projects, making sure that they are properly executed within budget and on time. This means they must evaluate progress and the performance of workers on a daily basis, while providing strong leadership and motivation. They must also ensure that everybody works according to a shared vision and that they understand where the project is heading. They set the roles of the different members of the team and monitor their progress, making changes when things are not going well. They also hold budgetary responsibility.
They are responsible for the entire project from start to finish. Once completed, they will evaluate the work done and determine whether further projects are required. During the project, they often supervise staff and ensure that the relevant departments collaborate appropriately.
Other duties of the IT project manager are:
- To work together with the technical team to develop and design tasks
- To use life cycle methodology for all software applications
- To create a project plan and maintain it, showing the different tasks, resources, deadlines, status, and so on
- To coordinate beta delivery and releases of production while maintaining quality standards
- To work together with the test team to ensure that the project is progressing appropriately
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 367,600 Computer and Information Systems Managers in 2016, a profession most closely related to that of IT project manager. The largest employers of these professionals are:
- Computer systems design and related services: 22%
- Information: 11%
- Finance and insurance: 11%
- Management of companies and enterprises: 10%
- Manufacturing: 8%
How to Become
In certain cases, an IT project manager will have to be certified, including the professional project management certification. Additionally, a bachelor’s degree is almost always required, preferably in a field related to computer science or information technology. An IT project manager is a senior management position, which means that many years of professional experience in leadership are also required.
IT project managers can be found in any element of the economy. As a result, they often also have additional certifications in fields related to their particular niche or industry. This is generally not a legal requirement, but it does increase job prospects and it demonstrates a commitment to excellence.
Education Requirements
Normally, an IT project manager has a bachelor’s degree in a field related to computer science as a minimum. This is particularly required if their programs focus on computer programs, which is usually the case. Knowledge of management information systems (MIS) is particularly important.
Furthermore, a graduate degree is often required with the master of business administration (MBA in Information Technology Management) being the most popular. One of the reasons for this is because it requires professional experience, which further enhances the career prospects. Indeed, professional experience is incredibly important, with the most senior IT project managers having as much as ten years experience in the field, although this does vary depending on the size and age of the organization they work for.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective IT project managers have the following traits to some degree or other:
– Strong analytical skills
– Excellent business skills
– Great communication skills, both verbal and written
– Strong decision making skills
– Excellent leadership skills
– Great organizational skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
National Salary
The national average salary estimate for IT Project Manager was $90,604. This number is estimated from over 1,435,036 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $47.19 and monthly of $7,550.
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Salary by State
The following section lists IT Project Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Maine had the largest quoted salary of $127,334 while Georgia had the smallest quoted salary of $58,270.
Top 20 National Employers
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a IT Project Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
---|---|---|
Babich & Associates IT Project Manager | Texas | $200,000 |
CyberCoders IT Project Manager | Illinois | $177,531 |
eco services IT Project Manager | New Jersey | $165,329 |
Stanford Health Care IT Project Manager | California | $163,576 |
ka-hoot llc IT Project Manager | Virginia | $150,000 |
DataWiz Corporation IT Project Manager | Virginia | $142,171 |
Prospance Inc IT Project Manager | California | $140,000 |
Client of Roljobs technology Services IT Project Manager | California | $140,000 |
Qlaire Systems Inc. IT Project Manager | Maryland | $135,474 |
AIC IT Project Manager | Missouri | $134,765 |
FBI IT Project Manager | DC | $133,426 |
Johnson & Johnson IT Project Manager | New Jersey | $132,797 |
Perennial Resources International IT Project Manager | New Jersey | $131,747 |
Department of Labor IT Project Manager | Virginia | $130,255 |
Tri-S Recruiters, Inc. IT Project Manager | New York | $128,538 |
Cannon Search Partners IT Project Manager | Massachusetts | $128,213 |
Request Technology IT Project Manager | Virginia | $127,974 |
North Star Solutions IT Project Manager | Michigan | $127,521 |
Liberty Mutual IT Project Manager | Massachusetts | $126,991 |
Learn More
- Computer and Information Systems Managers : Occupational …
- Technical Project Manager — Central Intelligence Agency
- Project Management Training – VITA
- 13 Things You Can Do with a Information Technology Degree
- Best Health Information Technology Degree
- Best Computer Science Careers
- Salary Outlook with Computer Science Degree
- Top Online Computer Science Degrees
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