Essential skills for information technology project managers

IT Project

Which skills do you think are most important for an information technology project manager? Can a project manager learn all of these skills, or are some innate?

The most obvious requirement for an information technology project manager is a familiarity with the technology he or she will be dealing with, over the course of the project. A broad range of knowledge and technical fluency is essential to understanding the task at hand, and any complications that may ensue over the course of the project. But to succeed as a project manager, it is not enough to merely be technically knowledgeable. One must also possess "strong interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills," because managers are required "to interact not only with their staff, but also with other people inside and outside their organizations." ("Computer and Information Systems Managers," 2006, U.S. Department of Labor)

In other words, an information technology project manager must also have finesse when managing people, delegating a heavy workload, negotiating different personalities on a work team, and explaining complex technical detail to clients who may only possess a layperson's knowledge of technology. Thus an information technology project manager must be a leader and a team player, and exhibit a balance between the introverted orientation of some IT personnel and a manager's desire to work with and help others. He or she must be calm in a crisis, and be able to analyze different worker's personalities as well as a project's technical needs.