Guidance.help

Information Technology Project Managers

In the Information Technology Project Managers occupation, workers plan, initiate, and manage information technology (IT) projects. The job can ask you to manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope. With a code of ECI, this is mostly a job for people drawn to leading, persuading and making business decisions. Conventional interests also help, rated 5.3 out of 7. Plan on a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience; O*NET labels this considerable preparation. Strength in critical thinking, writing, and time management helps most here. Expect to confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems. If you want leading, persuading and making business decisions, keep it on your list. If you need hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, it may feel thin.

What they do

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.

Main 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.

Skills

  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing
  • Time Management
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Coordination
  • Active Listening

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
  • You are comfortable relying on critical thinking and writing.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.7 out of 7 here.
  • You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECI takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.

Preparation

Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Cloud Product Director
  • Cybersecurity Project Manager
  • Data Center Product Director
  • Information Systems Project Manager (IS Project Manager)
  • IT Manager (Information Technology Manager)

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with ECI and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.