Software Project Manager Job Description. Software project manager definition. This is not a job description for a software project manager but it can be used as a sample project manager job description. A software project manager has all the usual responsibilities of a project manager with the added necessity of understanding the technical details of the project at hand and being able to communicate these to his team members for a collaborative effort of success.”
Today, more and more software project manager is required. So, if you are searching for software project manager job description or want to understand better what they are doing? Take a look at this post.
Project managers in software provide consistent leadership and technical expertise to help their teams complete projects correctly and on time. During the software development process, project managers help their teams design, execute, monitor and finalize their work so clients receive high-quality content.
Software project managers typically work full-time hours in an office environment and oversee both the production of the deliverable and the employees performing the work. Because of their leadership responsibilities, software project managers may work extra hours to help employees meet deadlines and finalize project details.
The Software Project Manager manages projects. The Software Project Manager responsibilities include the coordination and completion of projects on time within budget and within scope. Oversee all aspects of projects. Set deadlines, assign responsibilities and monitor and summarize progress of project. Prepare reports for upper management regarding status of project. The successful candidate will work directly with clients to ensure deliverables fall within the applicable scope and budget. He or she will coordinate with other departments to ensure all aspects of each project are compatible and will hire new talent as needed to fulfill client needs.
The Software Project Manager will play a critical role in advancing the capability and effectiveness of the total supply chain to meet the organization’s growth and productivity targets. This person will be integral in the development of strategies and projects. Success will require forging a partnership with all cross functional areas across the company to reinforce and improve upon existing project and program methodologies that meet customer objectives, while creating value for all parties.
Deliver software engineering projects in organization.
Track outstanding deliverables, milestones and change requests.
Manage software release content with key stakeholders like SQA and other project managers.
Set up development milestones and entry or exit criteria.
Develop product development schedules.
Interlock schedules as plans with participating teams.
Follow project status and modify to mitigate risk and ensure success.
Present regular project status upgrades to executive management.
Study and become expert with LifeSize video conferencing systems.
Classify teams, track schedules and resources for every project.
Track external dependencies and alert customers of issues on missing external dependencies.
Handle multiple enterprise level software projects through entire lifecycle.
Monitor and enhance software development, troubleshooting and QA process.
Liaise between company, customer and several third parties.
Communicate between customer’s management groups and development teams.
Scope Definition
One of the chief responsibilities of a software project manager is to define the scope of the project. Software development won’t be successful without a clear delineation of timelines, schedules, project styles to use, projections, available resources, and overall goals.
It’s the responsibility of a project manager, with the help of a capable team, to set these clear terms at the beginning, at regular intervals, and to revisit the terms at the end of the product development life cycle.
Project Coordination
A project manager is expected to be able to coordinate company resources and that of third parties to ensure that the project is carried out perfectly.
The scope of this involves making sure that all projects are delivered on schedule while ensuring that the expended resources keep with the scope of the project and that expenses remain within the budget.
Resource Allocation
To successfully manage resources, a project manager has to be able to delegate resources efficiently to maximize output while minimizing waste. Part of the responsibilities of a project manager in software development is expert resource allocation.
Change Management
Expectedly, there will be unforeseen circumstances that make changes to a project plan necessary. It is a project manager’s responsibility to spot those changes early and address them. This requires some level of foresight, and the ability to be flexible and adapt to necessary changes, even when these changes are not the most convenient option.
Project Execution
And of course, a project manager is expected to be able to execute a project. It’s the combined responsibilities of a software project manager, which is to ensure that a project comes to a successful close.
Roles of a Project Manager in Software Development
Planning and Organizing
A project manager both plans and organizes the software development process. While this is never a one-person job and the help of a team is always required, a project manager remains at the center of all the planning and organizing that goes on during the periods leading up to and in the course of any project.
Coaching
As mentioned earlier, a project manager needs to know a little bit about everything. This is because you may sometimes have to onboard new developers to a project and explain where the last person left off. You also need to know what their job entails to be able to stand in as a coach and lend them a helping hand or serve as a guide.
Motivation is also a big part of running any project successfully. On average, projects often carry on for weeks, and sometimes, even months. In that time, employees are likely to get frustrated or demotivated, especially if the project is running into roadblocks. Like any coach, a project manager would also have to stand in as a source of motivation to bring morale back up.
Supervising
A project manager oversees all the operations going on across all the departments during a project life cycle. This means a lot of coordination across teams. Front end, back end, design and quality assurance all need alignment. The PM is often the one to make sure it happens. Strong supervision skills are an important criterion for hiring any project manager.
Staffing
Staffing is the process of recruiting workers by assessing their knowledge and skills before onboarding and delegating tasks. A project manager needs to have human resource and personnel management skills to serve in the capacity of staffing, this means they must understand the required skills to fill certain roles and what traits to look out for in each recruit.
Project Management
It is a no-brainer that a project manager should know how to manage projects. It is the overarching innate ability of a skilled project coordinator to be able to oversee each cog that makes up the wheel of a project by managing human, time, and financial resources efficiently. This is the ultimate role of a project manager — to see a project out to completion.
Conclusion:
Software project manager job description is in high in demand in the industry. It’s in demand because of the complexities in managing product development in very different phase in an organization. A software project manager has to manage the requirements of the client, plans, implementation and testing.