From concept to completed project - what does a Project Manager in a software house do?

Do you face the decision to create an online store or maybe you want to participate in the development of such projects in a software house? In any case, a lot of doubts may arise in your mind.How will the division of labor between different teams look like? How to manage time most effectively? What to do if failure occurs at some stage? Project management in the IT sector is a challenging and complex task, and a key place in this process is occupied by the Project Manager. What is his function, how does he contribute to the success of the project and why is he so important in the entire implementation process? You will learn about all this (and more) in this article!

Who is the Project Manager?

The management of complex projects has a long history, but in recent years their number, complexity and prevalence have been increasing significantly. This was first recognized by Microsoft in the 1980s. During the implementation of one of its projects, the market giant noticed that specialists from different business fields were involved in its creation. Coordinating their various responsibilities became a challenge, so the company decided on a simple solution. One person was chosen to take responsibility for organizing the new project. This is how the role of Project Manager (PM) was developed. What exactly is the PM responsible for in an organization?

The PM is the leader who coordinates and manages all aspects of the project - from the stage of understanding the business needs through planning, execution, control and completion. Throughout the process, the Project Manager ensures that he or she is in constant contact with the client and understands his or her needs and delivers the highest possible quality of final services. People in this position are a kind of bridge between the client's expectations and the technical capabilities of the team. In a nutshell - they make sure that ideas are properly transformed into code.

Project Manager in a software house - what is his role?

Designing online stores, redesigning platforms or implementing additional functionality and innovative tools requires a holistic approach. On a daily basis, teams of developers, graphic designers and testers, among others, work on the success of such projects. The multi-phase nature of these projects requires the Project Manager to move seamlessly through many areas of the business. The PM's tasks, can be divided into several areas:

• Contact with the client - The Project Manager primarily connects the client with the team. His task at this stage is to fully understand the business needs, select the best solutions and transform them into a realistic plan.
• Project planning - the next task is to develop a project plan. It should include such elements as goals, schedule, budget, resources needed for implementation and methods for monitoring progress.
• Team management - the manager coordinates the work of the project team, according to the previously created plan. This mainly means: delegating tasks, monitoring progress and managing possible conflicts. Importantly, the PM should also ensure that each team member understands his or her role in the project and feels motivated to perform.
• Communication - effective communication is a key element in the success of any project. It is the Project Manager's own responsibility to maintain constant contact between all involved.
• Risk management - an important task of the PM is also to identify potential risks and minimize the risk of their occurrence during the project.
• Monitoring progress - in addition to managing the daily work, it is also important to monitor the progress of the project. If the results achieved differ from the intended plan, the Project Manager should take appropriate steps (making necessary changes, for example) to get the project back on track.
• Finishing the project - once the project is completed, the PM's work does not end. After that, he is responsible for, among other things, summarizing the results, conducting a post-mortem analysis (i.e., analyzing cooperation on the project in terms of strengths and weaknesses) and communicating the results to all stakeholders.

Agile, Scrum, Waterfall - how to manage a project quickly and effectively?

Dynamically changing realities of the IT world, innovative solution and the need to work with technical teams are the daily routine of a Project Manager when working in a software house. Successful management of complex and advanced projects requires choosing the right work methodology. Agile, Waterfall or Scrum are the most popular project development methods used in practice. Learn the differences between them and find out why they are the ones most often chosen by Project Managers.

Agile

Agile methodology uses agile programming. This means that the work of the teams is divided into so-called "sprints", i.e. short and iterative cycles during which individuals work on a particular stage of the project (plan, design, develop, test, release, feedback). After each sprint, the team evaluates progress and adjusts the plan for the next cycle. The flexible approach allows the project to be modified on an ongoing basis to best fit the needs of the client and the expectations of the end users.

Waterfall

Waterfall is a classic project management method. Its greatest advantage is its clear structure. Under this method, a project is cascaded into implementation phases. Each phase should be executed in succession according to a specific pattern - starting from requirements analysis, through design and testing, to implementation and maintenance. Due to limited flexibility, the idea of Waterfall is often combined with other methodologies, providing more room for modification and improvement of the project.

Scrum

Scrum is one of the ways to implement the Agile methodology. Its main feature is the division of work into 1-4 week sprints. Each of the short phases begins with a planning meeting, during which the team decides on further work. An important role in the process is played by a PM acting as a Scrum Master, i.e. a mentor who understands the individual competencies and skills of team members.

Tools and technologies that support success - how does a Project Manager work?

What is behind successful project team collaboration? Many factors are responsible for success - experience, knowledge of the industry or interpersonal skills of the Project Manager. It also turns out to be important to choose the right tools to support the work - a survey conducted by PWC indicated that the use of good project management software significantly increases the efficiency of the team (77%). What tools do Project Managers use most often?

Asana

It's a tool that helps teams organize, track and manage work. It allows you to assign tasks to individual team members, set deadlines and priorities, and monitor progress in real time. Asana is very flexible - it can be used within multiple methodologies (such as Agile or Waterfall). What's more, it offers integration capabilities with external tools (e.g., Trello, Gmail, Slack), allowing even more customization of the environment to meet individual team needs.

Jira

Jira is a platform developed by Atlassian. It was originally aimed at development teams working on an Agile basis (although it is now used for other methodologies as well). Like Asana, this tool allows you to create tasks that can be assigned to individual team members, and then monitor their status and track their progress. Jira is particularly popular for its additional features related to bug reporting, issue tracking and sprint planning within the Scrum methodology.

Confluence

Confluence is another offering created by Atlassian - it enables document management for team collaboration. It allows you to create, organize and share documents such as project plans, product specifications and meeting notes. It's worth mentioning that Confluence is integrated with Jira, making it easy to link project information with related documentation.

Figma

Unlike previous tools, Figma is used for platform interface design and user experience and interaction (UX&UI design). It is mainly used by designers to create prototypes of websites or applications. Figma provides a platform for communication between the software house and the client to review graphical proposals for specific points in the project and exchange feedback between the parties. With the ability to make designs available for viewing, Project Managers often use this tool to present the results of their work to clients.

Project Manager & Advox - how do we do it?

The role and scope of the Project Manager's tasks can vary depending on both the specifics of the project and the management culture within the company. What distinguishes our approach? At Advox, we focus first and foremost on comfort and superior customer service. When executing our projects, we provide:

• A dedicated contact person - comprehensive knowledge of the specifics of the project by one person eliminates the need to transfer information between different people and shortens the communication process each time.
• Substantive support - thanks to their technical knowledge and experience, our Project Managers PM's are also able to answer technical questions and concerns of customers in many cases on their own.
• seeking the best solution - at Advox, the PM's competence goes beyond just taking care of the customer. His job is also to analyze needs, gather information and tailor solutions to individual expectations.
• full care and control of the project - the PM is in constant contact with the client, constantly monitoring the schedule, budget and scope of the realization of assumptions. Depending on individual project needs, the PM can also coordinate cooperation with external entities such as SEO or SEM agencies.
• SLA care - in case of an agreement that includes an SLA (Service Legal Agreement), the Project Manager takes over its coordination, delegating selected tasks to appropriate sub-components.

Is it worth it to become a Project Manager?

It is now difficult to imagine the successful completion of a complex project without the involvement of a person who oversees every stage of the project. From recognizing the client's needs, to understanding the individual competencies of the team, to translating the expectations of all parties into actual results, achieving the above goals is largely due to the Project Manager. A PM is an organized and goal-oriented individual who uses the passion, creativity and skills of teams to create success-focused projects.

The role of Project Manager in a software house requires an understanding of the specifics of the IT industry, knowledge of the latest market trends and consumer preferences. To manage technological ventures, it is also necessary to know the tools used to develop them and to specialize in specific technologies. Today's eCommerce platforms increasingly include integration with multiple external systems in addition to basic software, and knowledge of these systems becomes invaluable in a Project Manager's portfolio. In this way, he is able to respond to the changing needs of clients and ensure the highest quality of cooperation during project work.