What Is Technical Project Management?
All project managers must possess organizational prowess, leadership capability, and communication skills to be successful. When it comes to IT projects, you can add technological knowledge and expertise to the equation. Technical project management is a unique branch of the field that comes with its own challenges and opportunities.
Technical project management is the process of managing IT or IT-related projects. Technical project managers are critical to the conception, development, and execution of these projects. In addition to understanding the technical content of the project, they must handle all the duties normally ascribed to project managers, such as:
- Planning
- Scheduling and timeline maintenance
- Execution
- Managing the budget
- Communication with stakeholders
- Ongoing maintenance
Anyone interested in technical project management will need to balance a high level of technical capability with soft skills such as leadership, time management, and big-picture thinking.
What special skills are needed for technical project management?
Anyone in technical project management will need to have some training and experience in hardware and software installation, upgrades, and internal and external site maintenance. Experience in the development and rollout of new websites, upgrades, and features would be helpful. Familiarity with popular and relevant technologies, applied methodologies, and development models within the organization’s context are also critical to a technical project manager’s success.
Certifications in technical project management
Obtaining a certificate can help IT professionals move into the technical project management space. Some relevant certifications include:
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- CompTIA Project+ certification
- PRINCE2 Foundation/PRINCE2 Practitioner
- Project Management in IT Security (PMITS)
- Certified Project Manager (CPM)
Further reading:
Artem Gurnov
Artem is a Director of Account Development at Wrike. He previously held the role of Project Manager, overseeing a team of customer success managers (CSMs). Over the years of building teams and scaling business processes, he has successfully deployed multiple projects, from automating client outreach to setting up work prioritization tools for sales reps and CSMs.