Software project manager skills and responsibilities vary depending on the organization and position. However, it is possible for all software project managers to learn the skills they need to succeed. Here are some of the basic skills that are required for a software project manager.
What does a software project manager do? If you’ve ever wondered how to become a software project manager or what is the salary of a software project manager; this post is for you. You can read all about software project manager responsibilities and essential skills.
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.
Activity and resource planning
Planning is instrumental in meeting project deadlines, and many projects fail due to poor planning. First and foremost, good project managers define the project’s scope and determine available resources. Good project managers know how to realistically set time estimates and evaluate the team’s or teams’ capabilities.
They then create a clear and concise plan to both execute the project and monitor its progress. Projects are naturally unpredictable, so good project managers know how to make adjustments along the way as needed before the project reaches its final stages.
Organizing and motivating a project team
Good project managers don’t get their teams bogged down with elaborate spreadsheets, long checklists, and whiteboards. Instead, they put their teams front and center. They develop clear, straightforward plans that stimulate their teams to reach their full potential. They cut down on bureaucracy and steer their teams down a clear path to the final goal.
Controlling time management
Clients usually judge a project’s success or failure on whether it has been delivered on time. Therefore, meeting deadlines are non-negotiable. Good project managers know how to set realistic deadlines, and how to communicate them consistently to their teams.
They know how to effectively do the following:
- Define activity
- Sequence activity
- Estimate the duration of activity
- Develop a schedule
- Maintain a schedule
Implementation and Monitoring
Implementation of the project’s activities includes delegating different activities and ensuring their completion on time. Executing the plan of action and ensuring that it is monitored along the way is a key responsibility if his. A project manager must set out the project boundaries and scope for the project which them formulates itself into a plan of action and assists in successful completion of the project.
Setting Goals
He must set measurable goals that should define the overall project’s objective.
For example: Complete the project within six months from start date in the budget of xxx amount.
It is concise, crisp and outlines the objective clearly.
Cost estimating and developing the budget
Good project managers know how to keep a project within its set budget. Even if a project meets a client’s expectations and is delivered on time, it will still be a failure if it goes wildly over budget. Good project managers frequently review the budget and plan ahead to avoid massive budget overruns.
Ensuring customer satisfaction
In the end, a project is only a success if the customer is happy. One of the key responsibilities of every project manager is to minimize uncertainty, avoid any unwanted surprises, and involve their clients in the project as much as is reasonably possible. Good project managers know how to maintain effective communication and keep the company’s clients up-to-date.
Analyzing and managing project risk
The bigger the project is, the more likely there are to be hurdles and pitfalls that weren’t part of the initial plan. Hiccups are inevitable, but good project managers know how meticulously and almost intuitively, identify and evaluate potential risks before the project begins. They know how to then avoid risks or at least minimize their impact.
Monitoring progress
During the initial stages, project managers and their teams have a clear vision and high hopes of producing the desired result. However, the path to the finish line is never without some bumps along the way. When things don’t go according to a plan, a project manager needs to monitor and analyze both expenditures and team performance and to always efficiently take corrective measures.
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, also known as software project leader, is a role where you’re in charge of one or more software projects. There are many companies and organizations that need help with their projects and usually the one who ends up in this position is the one with knowledge and experience in job related to it. The software project manager job description, however, may vary depending on the industry and company where you’re working.