Being a Project Manager is not an easy task and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Project Manager is the person that is responsible to oversee a product from start to finish.
In this segment of #BeTechReady, we are diving into the world of project management. Teona Rusia, a Project Manager from our Tbilisi office shares everything you need to know about the process of creating a product.

Without further ado, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of project management.

Defining IT project management and basic responsibilities

First, I would like to make a brief introduction, to what IT project management is and the basic responsibilities a Project Manager has.

The Project Manager is responsible for managing the whole project cycle from the idea till its delivery to the client. It includes planning, scheduling, execution, monitoring and reporting.

Main duties and responsibilities should be described as the follows:

• Having a strong understanding of the project requirements;
• Negotiating with different stakeholders to clarify requirements;
• Defining the risks and mitigation steps for each potential risk item;
• Creating a clear and transparent plan which is agreed to all involved parties;
• Having strong time management skills in order to deliver each iteration and the whole project on time.

Challenges of the Project Manager

 IT Project Managers might face many challenges, such as:

Setting clear goals and objectives

Setting clear goals and objectives is crucial for each involved party. This is done to have a relevant understanding of what needs to be done and what are the expected outcomes.

Communication

Communication is key with different stakeholders, such as vendors, clients, and other teams of an organization. Usually, each stakeholder has separate requirements. Dealing with specific processes is challenging and proceeding with the appropriate communication is extremely important.

Changing priorities

In project management, frequent amendments are feasible. The concept, scope, requirements or even number of tasks that need to be completed in a single sprint might keep changing.

Dependencies between components

Making changes in one component may cause bugs and unexpected behaviors for other components. Therefore the dependence between them must be evaluated and defined in advance.

Lack of resources

Insufficiency of coworkers’ resources is common in this industry. Team members are frequently assigned different tasks at a time, which causes mass in a daily routine. To finalize a project, efficiently and effectively, there should be defined priorities and everyone should be oriented accordingly.

My duties and responsibilities

My duties and responsibilities start from one brand new request. Which usually involves all the steps I need to put in place.

For each project, management iterations are the same, but each of them needs a diverse approach in management as there are different stakeholders involved.

Requests coming from the clients might be various, such as integration of the new provider, implementation of the new feature, change or improvement, etc. Besides these initiatives are coming from the team members concerning the code refactoring or functional improvements regarding projects.

Before working on the project, it is important to set up the plan and follow it to achieve the goal. Beforehand the team starts working on the project, I arrange meetings/calls with all the stakeholders, where every phase and approximate deadlines are agreed upon in advance.

All members who participate in the project must have a strong understanding of the requirements. I ensure that each of them has got appropriate materials and that there is no impediment which may cause any delay. I am always ready to assist developers in case of any queries and collaborate with the QA team to create test plans.

My daily routine which takes a significant part of my time is communication with vendors and clients to gain all the necessary information from them. Besides, I cooperate with other teams and ensure that the product is well prepared for release.

Once the implementation phase is complete and the final project is delivered to the client, the follow-up phase is taking place, which means that all the work coming after the project delivery including questions from App support or the client should be clarified and explained. Any issues that are assigned to the product team should be fixed and delivered in time.

Conclusion

The Project Manager is fully involved in the project implementation from initiation to launch. That’s why she/he must have a strong awareness of particular requirements and solutions. The Project Manager faces obstacles that may arise during the project life-cycle.

However, if:

• You set clear objectives,
• The communication proceeds in the right way,
• The risks are predefined and
• Individuals are assigned appropriate tasks,

The set goals will be achieved, and the project will go live successfully.

Are you looking for innovative and exciting projects to work on? Do you thrive in a dynamic environment and want to create #Outstanding results. Look no further we’ve got the place for you. Check out the available positions and apply to start your own #SingularStory.