Information Technology Project Managers
Overview
SaveJob Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
Plan, initiate, and manage information technology (IT) projects. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. Serve as liaison between business and technical aspects of projects. Plan project stages and assess business implications for each stage. Monitor progress to assure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met.
Yearly Salary
| High: | $152K |
| Median: | $92K |
| Low: | $45K |
Demand
Core Tasks
- Manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope.
- Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
- Monitor or track project milestones and deliverables.
- Submit project deliverables, ensuring adherence to quality standards.
- Assess current or future customer needs and priorities by communicating directly with customers, conducting surveys, or other methods.
- Initiate, review, or approve modifications to project plans.
- Schedule and facilitate meetings related to information technology projects.
- Direct or coordinate activities of project personnel.
- Develop implementation plans that include analyses such as cost-benefit or return on investment (ROI).
- Develop or update project plans for information technology projects including information such as project objectives, technologies, systems, information specifications, schedules, funding, and staffing.
- Identify need for initial or supplemental project resources.
- Perform risk assessments to develop response strategies.
- Prepare project status reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends.
- Develop and manage annual budgets for information technology projects.
- Identify, review, or select vendors or consultants to meet project needs.
- Develop and manage work breakdown structure (WBS) of information technology projects.
- Establish and execute a project communication plan.
- Coordinate recruitment or selection of project personnel.
- Monitor the performance of project team members, providing and documenting performance feedback.
- Assign duties, responsibilities, and spans of authority to project personnel.
- Negotiate with project stakeholders or suppliers to obtain resources or materials.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
English Language
86%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service
85%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Computers and Electronics
84%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Administration and Management
80%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Engineering and Technology
72%
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Economics and Accounting
67%
Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Administrative
66%
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Telecommunications
64%
Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Mathematics
63%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Personnel and Human Resources
63%
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Top 10 Skills
Critical Thinking
83%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination
80%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension
80%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Time Management
80%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing
80%
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Management of Personnel Resources
78%
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Speaking
78%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems Analysis
75%
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Judgment and Decision Making
73%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension
80%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning
78%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
78%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering
78%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Oral Comprehension
78%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity
78%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Fluency of Ideas
73%
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Near Vision
73%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Top 10 Work Activities
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
98%
Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
94%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information
94%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
93%
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Working with Computers
91%
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Developing and Building Teams
89%
Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Scheduling Work and Activities
89%
Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
88%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Monitoring and Controlling Resources
88%
Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
88%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Detailed Work Activities
- Manage information technology projects or system activities.
- Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.
- Monitor financial information.
- Inspect products or operations to ensure that standards are met.
- Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies.
- Collect data about customer needs.
- Develop detailed project plans.
- Supervise information technology personnel.
- Develop guidelines for system implementation.
- Identify information technology project resource requirements.
- Analyze security of systems, network, or data.
- Analyze data to identify trends or relationships among variables.
- Prepare analytical reports.
- Participate in staffing decisions.
- Manage budgets for appropriate resource allocation.
- Develop information communication procedures.
- Assign duties or work schedules to employees.
- Coordinate resource procurement activities.
Education
Interests
Enterprising
86%
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
Conventional
76%
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
Investigative
53%
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
Social
38%
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
Artistic
27%
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
Realistic
25%
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
Work Values
Achievement
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions
74%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Relationships
48%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
48%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.