Project management means applying skills, knowledge, processes, methods and experience into achieving specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters.

Project management is required in almost every organization and it comes with quite a number of benefits including prioritize business’ resources and ensure their efficient use.

Here we will talk about Project Management in IT based companies.

What is an IT Project?

IT (Information Technology) project is any project that deals with information systems, computers or IT infrastructure such as web development, software implementation, hardware installation, database management, software development, mobile app development, network configuration, and IT emergency recovery.

Managing these projects properly will ensure the realization of the desired results while maintaining the acceptable project criteria and parameters.

What is IT Project Management

IT project Management is the process of applying knowledge and skill of project management on an IT project toward actualizing the purpose of the project.  It can also be define as the process of planning, scheduling, execution, monitoring and reporting of IT projects.

There are six phases of an IT project which are based on the six phases of project management namely:

  1. Initiation: at this stage the objectives of the project must be identify. Questions such as “why is this project needed?” must be answered. Then, a project proposal and a business plan must be written as well as carrying out a thorough feasibility study of the project.
  2. Definition: a project plan must be created at this stage. Also the objectives of the project are finalized and the requirements for a successful project are identified.
  3. Design: This phase of an IT project includes creating multiple designs and prototypes, and then a suitable design must be chosen as well as creating specifications for the development team.
  4. Development: the goal of this phase is to make the entire plan as clear as possible in order to avoid issues in the next phase. At this stage tasks are assigned, project management tools are selected, technicalities are outlined and raw materials are made available.
  5. Implementation: this is the longest period of an IT project where the final deliverables are developed be the project developers while the project manager monitors and controls the work, resources, cost, quality and risk.
  6. Closing: this includes everything that comes up after deliveries have being made to project stakeholders.

Since IT projects are often wider in scope compare to other projects, IT projects require more than just the typical project management tools and skills.

There are a lot of IT Project Management Software available in the market specifically design for managing IT projects.

IT Project Management Software

IT project management software is used by project managers to organize and control the processes of their IT projects with the aim of increasing efficiency. Some of the available software includes:

  1. Microsoft project
  2. com
  3. Smartsheet
  4. Workzone
  5. Wrike
  6. Asana
  7. Jira
  8. LiquidPlanner
  9. Trello
  10. Basecamp

When choosing IT project management software, it is advisable to bear in mind the following must have features:

  1. Gantt Charts
  2. Reports
  3. Dashboards
  4. Workload Management
  5. Timesheets
  6. Alerts and Notifications

Project management is important in IT because it ensures what is being delivered is right, is of quality and it brings leadership and direction to projects.

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