“What is IT project management?” The simple answer is those efforts involved with managing the processes and activities associated with ensuring the success of IT projects or systems management-related responsibilities. But to more fully understand what is at the heart of IT project management, it helps to consider a few more questions…

1. A Beginner’s Guide to IT Project
Management
A crash course in how IT teams manage
their work to maximum efficiency

2. Introduction
“What is IT project management?” The
simple answer is those efforts involved
with managing the processes and
activities associated with ensuring the
success of IT projects or systems
management-related responsibilities.
But to more fully understand what is at
the heart of IT project management, it
helps to consider a few more
questions…

3. What is an IT project?
It can be any type of project that deals with IT infrastructure, information
systems, or computer technology. This can include, but is not limited to, the
following:
- Developing a mobile app
- Programming large-scale software systems
- Updating a web page, creating an online shopping site
- Developing an entire Web infrastructure
- Designing an organization’s IT infrastructure
- Employing IT security measures

4. These are the most common IT project
categories:
- Research
- Service
- Software development
- System deployment
- Change management
- Infrastructure
- Needs assessment

5. What do IT project managers do?
IT project management starts with
assessing, prioritizing, and planning
potential IT projects. This includes:
- Determining the scope of work and
available resources
- Assigning resources
- Setting expectations for project
milestones

6. From there, IT project managers take on other
project management activities, including:
- Coordinating the project workload and
workflows
- Managing the actual work
- Producing project deliverables
- Facilitating communication and collaboration
between team members
- Measuring the project’s results

7. What is an IT project management
methodology?
For an IT manager, project management
methodologies are all about specifying the
best way to initiate, plan and execute IT
projects. Waterfall and Agile are two of the
most prominent methodologies used in IT
project management today.
Each methodology has its own advantages and
disadvantages.

8. Waterfall is considered a more traditional methodology. It employs a sequential, top-down
approach to IT project management with the goal of eliminating risk and uncertainty upfront.

9. Agile is a relatively new methodology. It’s grown in popularity with its change-driven approach
that gives IT project teams the dynamic ability to quickly adapt to needed changes and make
course corrections.

10. Some IT project managers implement a hybrid approach with their teams, using the
methodology that makes the most sense for the specific IT project being considered.

11. What tools do IT project managers use?
It depends. Individuals or small groups that
only need to manage small IT projects
might be able to get away with using
spreadsheets and email.
Just beware: these systems can lead to
significant inefficiencies,
miscommunications, and other problems as
projects grow in size.

12. And then there are software solutions that are made specifically for IT project management.
These can simplify and enhance the efforts of IT project managers and teams, but you have to
be careful.
Many of these solutions are designed strictly for project execution, while neglecting other
important IT project management activities.

13. The best IT project management system is
one that facilitates all aspects of
management, including:
- Request management
- Project assessment
- Prioritization
- Planning
- Collaboration
- Reporting
- Accommodating multiple PM
methodologies

14. IT project managers will also get more value out of a PM solution that centralizes project
data, makes data accessible to involved via the cloud, and gathers that data in real time as
projects roll out.

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