Guide to Technical Project Management

Introduction

A Comprehensive Guide to Technical Project Management

Technical project management is a distinctive branch of the project management field. It is the project manager that manages the conveying of stakeholders from technical or non-technical. This implies the role and responsibilities required in a project like initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and closing the project. In short, it is the project life cycle handled by a project manager.

So project management in the tech industry means a tech project manager must have standard technological knowledge and skills in managing IT and its related projects.

What is Technical Project Management?

Technical project management deals with managing the communication of technical and non-technical stakeholders. The major role of a project manager is to lead a project through the overall phase of the project cycle. Likewise, this role must redeem a high level of technical skills, leadership, strong communication, problem-solving, and being optimistic.

With getting a better picture of the technicality of the project, the main activities of project managers involve,

Planning

Scheduling

Execution

Budgeting

Time-Management

Communication with stakeholders

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The Information Technology Project Manager initiates planning, implementing, and managing Information Technology (IT) projects. They cater as a bride to the business and technical aspects of a given project.

Steps to Become a Technical Project Manager

In the developing advancement with various products, complexity, and challenges arise and technical project managers are in demand even more than before.

We have pinpointed the steps below that will aid your career in the space of technical project management.

- A candidate with a master's degree in the relevant field or in project management.

- A professional certification in project management.

- Have a high level of analysis, effective time management, problem-solving, and other skills.

- Obtain professional credentials like experience in managerial, technical, and project management.

- Create a strong technical project manager resume

- Make preparation to answer technical project manager interview questions.

- Seek and apply for technical project manager positions.

Also cover related blog: Project Manager Resume Guide

Career Path and Salaries in Technical Project Management 

Tech project managers with more than 10 years of experience can choose opportunities for senior management-level positions or even become the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in an organization.

As per the Glassdoor report, the average base salary for technical project managers in the United States is $1,12,890 per year. The tech project manager salaries increase by years of experience and depend on the type of organization.

Some of the technical project management career paths as per the professional levels are mentioned below:

Entry-Level Jobs

Project Coordinator

Project Assistant

Project Scheduler

Project Management Support

Assistant Project Manager

The lowest to highest salary for an entry-level tech project manager in the United States can range from $42k- $108k per year.

Mid-Level Jobs

Project Manager

Program Manager

Portfolio Manager

IT Project Manager

Implementation Manager

The lowest to highest salary for a mid-level tech project manager in the United States can range from $57k - $135k per year.

Senior-Level Jobs

Senior Technical Project Manager

Senior Project Manager

Director of Projects

Head of Projects

Project Management Office (PMO) Director

The lowest to highest salary for a senior-level tech project manager in the United States can range from $62k-$143k per year.

Roles and Responsibilities in Technical Project Management

The roles of tech project manager are:

- define project scope

- gather the requirements

- document management

- project planning

- identify and allocate resources

- leadership and inspiring team members

- budget maintenance

- time-schedule maintenance

- allocate tasks and activities

- track and monitor project status

- risk-taking and solutions to problems

- delivery and control

- quality assurance and control

- change control

- attend and conduct meetings

- prioritize features

- project closure

- reviews checklists

There are some technical methods that tech project managers use regularly. For example, Asana, Slack, Smartsheet, Trello, and Wrike are some of the tools and software mastered by Tech Project Managers.

There is a close similarity in the role between a project manager and an IT project manager but has its own challenges and factors. In this case, the technical project manager's responsibilities in a brief detail involve;

- set up DevOps tools, standards, and processes,

- initiate software engineering tools with their standards and processes,

- demonstrate QA tools, standards, and processes,

- manage technical risks,

- to remove roadblocks with project management tools, standards, and processes,

- track and report on metrics and project progress to stakeholders,

- to use application or enterprise architecture principles,

- planning and organizing the project activities,

- responsible for overall project processes and deliverables,

- accountable for maintaining the project schedule, maintaining project issues and risks,

- manages board engagement and coordinates with the technical team,

- identify, take part, and connect with team and stakeholders,

- working with the project's sponsor

- develops and maintains project management documentation per methodology,

- communicate with other business center managers and stakeholders that is business and process organization, IT leadership, information security, enterprise architecture, finance legal, and others, involved in the project,

- risk identification and mitigation,

- deployment of resources,

- management information systems,

- quality control and safety.

Skills in Technical Project Management

A few of the key skills required for a Technical Project Manager are:

- Budgeting

- Business skills

- Core competency of a project manager

- Knowledge of the transfer process

- Leadership skills

- Meeting facilitation

- Planning and forecasting

- Project management methodologies

- Quality management

- Risk management

- Subject matter expert

- Tracking and monitoring

Best Certifications in Technical Project Management

Achieving certifications definitely gives IT professionals higher chances to enter dream jobs in the field of technical project management. Here are a few of the relevant certifications to opt for:

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Certified Project Manager (CPM)

CompTIA Project+ certification

PRINCE2 Foundation/PRINCE2 Practitioner

Project Management in IT Security (PMITS)

Generally, the entry-level role for a tech project manager position does not require compulsory certification. But, it is always beneficial to obtain certification that helps in qualifying for the higher professional level.

Entry level Certifications

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

Professional in Business Analysis (PBA)

Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) 

Mid and Senior-Level Certifications

Certified Project Management Practitioner (CPMP)

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

Takeaway

Tech project management plays an integral part in the overall round of the project cycle. This field requires a good amount of understanding in hardware and software installation, upgrades and tools maintenance, internal and external site maintenance, technical level analysis, and more.

To advance in this field, which is a popular leading profession in the world, get a PMP Certification Training Course. Aside from the unlimited opportunities with a higher salary and bigger job titles for tech project managers, skills in technical levels are even more demanding and challenging. 

Getting certified by a recognized training provider like Sprintzeal will help you achieve your career goals and aid you with the course advantages.

We also offer project management training courses:

PRINCE2® 6th Edition Foundation Certification Training Course

PRINCE2® 6th Edition Practitioner Certification Training

For more certification-related details, you can chat with our course expert. If you’re looking for other training and certifications to enhance your career, you can explore all courses offered by us and request a trial.