Why Is An IT Project Manager Role Essential To Your Business?
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Why is an IT Project Manager role essential to your business?

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By Patrycja Krakus

Strategist, scheduler, risk asseser, partener – all these skills in one person – the IT PROJECT MANAGER. Find out why you should have one!

Think of project coordination as solving jigsaw puzzles with numerous pieces and a time limit. Why use this metaphor? Like in jigsaw puzzles you need to put all the pieces together and consider each one before being able to complete the picture. When applying this to a website or an online store, these pieces are the project phases, the timeline, and the service functionalities.

 

What exactly does Project Manager do during online service development?

The success of the project largely depends on the PM. He is responsible for the work of each department and liaising with the client. His domain is to plan and forecast every step. He understands the ever-changing nature of projects and can adapt to any new situation. Knowing how to react before something happens, he can ensure that nothing jeopardises the success of the realisation.

A hand in a suit places a red-orange puzzle piece into a three-piece gradient puzzle. The background is light gray.

A PM duties

Let’s get back to our metaphor. Comparing the PM duties in web service implementation to the solving process of jigsaw puzzles.

  • Before implementation begins, the Project Manager first familiarises himself with the project, examining each piece of the puzzle and the client’s expectations of the final product.
  • He creates a strategy for the process flow and plans each step of the realisation.
  • Next, he needs to assemble a team, choosing people with the skills best suited for the job and assigning them tasks and responsibilities.
  • His constant supervision throughout the implementation helps keep all the elements in place. If something gets out of hand, he reacts quickly and puts everything back in place.
  • He stays in constant contact with the client and at the end of each phase of the project, the client is asked to sign off and test it. Before the team moves on to the next phase, PM consults with the client and provides feedback back to the team;
  • Throughout the implementation phase, he remains vigilant. Ensuring no factor disturbs or affects the “puzzles” that have already been created, such as a sick team member, or a module being tested incorrectly, which could trigger an avalanche of errors in the following phases (check how to take care of WordPress security in a few steps).

Everything we just mentioned is just an outline of PM responsibilities. Sure it sounds like a lot for one person, right! But if you enjoy working with people and are not afraid to take on new challenges, every day is a breeze.

 

PM and the others members of digital agency team

Even the most effective Project Manager will not be able to do much without a competent and integrated team. Collaboration and support between them is essential for project success in line with understanding client needs. Regardless of the situation, each team member knows it is better to keep PM informed of everything. With a relationship built on trust and open feedback, we can ensure smooth project implementation.

Imagine a situation where the PM is not involved in the project. One of the developers makes a mistake in the module code on which other functionalities of the online service are based. In the most pessimistic scenario, you can expect the following course of events:

  • The faulty module is not being tested, so the error won’t be noticed at the early stage.
  • This means that all other parts that use defective code will not work correctly.
  • And this will be noticed after the service premiere under the official domain, when users ( customers ) will not be able to order and buy your products…

ok, but let’s get our project back on track.

 

  • The service developer sends parts of the project to the PM and the rest of the implementation team for testing.
  • If there is a problem, they can figure it out at an early stage.
  • Any changes or modifications are scheduled by PM as soon as possible. This way we can prevent replication of bugs in other elements.
  • Because of that, the implementation will be running on time and within budget.
  • Finally, your e-commerce is published at itโ€™s official web address. It works perfectly and brings the expected profit.

Similar situation: one of the designers involved in your project has a creative block and cannot overcome it. His work will take more time than he estimates, and he does not communicate this to the Project Manager. Your contract with the agency is based on an hourly rate fee. Any delay in implementation will cost you additional money. There is also the possibility that you may not like the final effect. Likely there is a way to avoid such situations. With trust and an honest conversation between the Project Manager and the designer. If it happens, the Project Manager will be able to find a replacement for your project. Someone who can perform 100% that day; and help the other designer find something less demanding.

Project Manager – success ranger

As you can see, for every action there is a PM reaction! And that is exactly the core of his role in online development projects. No project implementation can be safe without good coordination. PM helps put all those puzzle pieces together; he is the link between you and the project team. Thanks to his experience, you can be sure that the project will be completed on time and accurately. You will always be up to date on the project progress and the team; whose skills are tailored to your needs.

At Osom, we assign a dedicated Project Manager to each project to keep it on track and at your convenience. This way, you do not have to contact every department throughout the process to make sure everything is going according to plan; that is the PM’s job.

If you want to learn more about the importance of the PM role in the online service implementation process, check out our next article! We will talk about it in more detail there.

And if you are looking for a new website or online store, contact us today ๐Ÿ‘‰ office@osomstudio.com

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Benefits of having a Project Manager on the project

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By Patrycja Krakus

7 min read

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