Tech Managers Should Consider Themselves Project Managers

When you think of a project manager, any number of possibilities come to mind. It could be someone that oversees the construction of a new building, the creation of a new product, or the implementation of technology typically in the IT realm. The one constant you might consider is that all of these projects are big and expansive. Tech managers often don’t consider themselves project managers, but they should.

Just because you’re outfitting a single conference room with AV equipment doesn’t mean you’re not managing a project. You’re in charge of justifying costs to stakeholders. You’re in charge of setting a schedule and updating it as the project progresses. You’re in charge of ensuring all relevant parties are aware of their duties to the project and timeline. You might even be in charge of communicating with and overseeing third parties, like an AV integrator installing the system.

I recently did a podcast interview with Dr. Robert Marshall, a PMP with decades of experience. He’s managed projects with multi-million dollar budgets that span entire sky rises. What struck me most about our discussion, however, was that his tactics can be applied on a much smaller scale. If done that way, the methodologies of project management apply directly to tech managers implementing a new technology into their business.

It’s worth doing the research to learn how project managers plan, schedule, and track their projects to apply to your own. Often SMBs won’t have the resources or scale to require hiring a project management firm to oversee the project. Those duties will fall to the IT staff most likely – the tech managers already under employment.

What I’m advocating for is that tech managers take their roles seriously and apply true project management strategies to every project. It will bring more success and impress the higher-ups. That way you can take on bigger projects and expand your capabilities in your company and possibly the larger job market.

We’ll be providing more coverage on project management practices to help you, so keep checking in on TechDecisions.

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