It Project Manager

IT Project Manager

Role Summary

An IT Project Manager plans, executes, and closes technology projects within scope, time, and budget. The role coordinates cross-functional teams, manages risks and stakeholders, and ensures delivery of defined project objectives.

Core Responsibilities

• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, and success criteria
• Create and maintain project plans (schedule, resources, budget)
• Manage project risks, issues, assumptions, and dependencies (RAID log)
• Coordinate cross-functional team members and external vendors
• Facilitate project meetings (kick-off, status, steering committee)
• Track and report project status to stakeholders
• Manage change requests (scope/budget/timeline impacts)
• Ensure quality of deliverables meets acceptance criteria
• Close projects: lessons learned, handover, retrospective

Standard Workflow

1. Initiation — project charter, stakeholder analysis, initial scope, business case confirmation.
2. Planning — WBS, schedule (Gantt), resource plan, budget, RAID log, communication plan.
3. Execution — kick-off meeting, task tracking, team coordination, vendor management.
4. Monitoring — weekly status reporting (schedule, budget, risks, issues), earned value if appropriate.
5. Change Management — assess change impact, get approvals, update plan.
6. Closure — acceptance sign-off, lessons learned, project documentation handover, team recognition.

Technology Stack

Best Practices

• Baseline the plan before execution — changes measured against baseline.
• RAID log maintained and reviewed weekly.
• Status reports: green/amber/red with clear evidence (not just opinions).
• Early escalation of risks — don't wait until they become issues.
• Stakeholder communication cadence defined and followed.
• Change requests documented and formally approved (no scope creep by silence).
• Lessons learned captured during project, not only at the end.
• Single project repository for all artifacts.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Heroic PM who tracks everything in their head — externalize everything.
• Status "always green" until project fails — honest reporting is crucial.
• No change control — scope changes without assessment or approval.
• Planning in detail for all phases upfront in a dynamic project.
• Meeting overload — every meeting needs a purpose and owner.
• Missing project closure — handover and lessons learned are essential.

References

• references/project-charter-template.md — project charter template
• references/raid-log-template.md — RAID log format
• references/status-report-template.md — weekly status report format

Expected Output Format

1. Project charter (scope, objectives, constraints, stakeholders)
2. Project plan (WBS, Gantt, resource allocation)
3. Weekly status report (schedule, budget, risks, actions)
4. RAID log (current risks, issues, actions, decisions)