IT Project Management

IT Project Management is an example of where some technical knowledge is combined with financial and communications skills. Project management is about working out timescales and resources needed for a project, for example installing all the IT necessary for a new oil rig and then making sure the project keeps to budget and meets the deadline.

Project Management Skills

The skills most relevant to project management are:

  • leading a team
  • communication skills
  • being able to plan and execute tasks to a deadline
  • problem-solving
  • handling a budget, or at least tracking how much of the work in hand has been completed.
  • ability to manage risks inherent in projects - both general and specific

You don't need IT skills to be an IT project manager, although you may find that employers (and your new team) take you more seriously if you have a technical background. As your project management skills develop you will establish enough credibility to be able to manage projects relating to any topic. However, in the early days it can help to have a grounding in the subject matter so you know when colleagues are pulling the wool over your eyes, especially in relation to estimating task durations!

Getting a job in project management

You would be surprised at what project management experience you already have: planning parties or a gap year, managing your household budget, influencing stakeholders at all levels in a voluntary or part-time job. All this is good material for your application. Anything you learned as part of your studies will also help: presentation skills, communications skills, analysis, report writing, working with other people on a particular task, and hitting deadlines.

You can also turn to the wealth of project management material already available from recognised organizations, so you are speaking the same language as your future employers. You could get a copy of PMBOK, the Project Management Institute's book of knowledge, or PRINCE2, which is more widely used in the UK and Europe. For IT roles you could also research ITIL and CMM.

Read widely: there is plenty of information online available for free that will give you the jargon required to 'talk the talk' with prospective employers, and make your first day on the job that little bit less daunting. One list of useful resources is available at here, and a Google search should bring up plenty of others.

If you are enthusiastic, keen to learn, treat your colleagues with respect and have a great skill set to build on, you will be recognised for your talent and hard work, and you’ll get that project management job you’ve been working for.