Project management has become an increasingly important skill for employees to possess. Many of our organizations are project driven in today’s business world. When it comes to IT projects, the increasingly complex IT environment makes managing IT projects efficiently and effectively much more difficult. This is why it can be a smart move to outsource your IT projects to an IT consulting firm. Finding a professional who focuses on managing IT projects can give you peace of mind. Choosing the best IT Project Management partner can be a challenge, however. You want to make sure your IT project management partner will meet all of the needs of your unique case while staying on time and under budget. Consider these 10 factors before you choose an IT project management partner:
1. Experience
It takes years of experience to become a well-rounded expert in the field of IT. Experience like this just might not be available with your current staff, especially if you take into account the ever-changing nature of the IT environment. An IT focused professional with solid experience will be able to handle all aspects of an IT project and manage the process from initiation to close out even if the work for your project is done in-house.
2. Communication and Timeline Management
Your IT project management team should take charge of communication about the evolution of your project. They should keep you entirely in the loop when it comes to how the project is moving along. The timeline management should be created and maintained by them once you have communicated your goals and needs for the project.
3. Project Scope
This should be provided to you by the IT partner you choose. This will detail all it will take to get to the end goal you have in mind. This goes hand in hand with the project timeline.
4. IT Implementation
Implementing the IT necessary to complete your project can get costly. Find a partner that will minimize cost when it comes to IT implementation with creative solutions that benefit your organization.
5. Risk Management
The materials and time your IT project will take can be handled by a lot of IT firms, but not all of them are willing to take the time to assess risk management. This is an essential piece of the puzzle. Minimizing the impact of project threats and proactively planning can result in money in your pocket.
6. Methodologies
There are a lot of ways to go about project management. Different methodologies are used by different organizations and can be altered on a project by project basis. Your IT partner should be willing to walk your through their methodologies and what has worked in the past for them. This will be a point of reassurance for you and a point of pride for them.
7. PMP Certifications
Project Management Professional Certifications are a recognized as a high standard of excellence. At GadellNet, we hire PMI certified employees to ensure we are providing the best IT Project Management teams in the industry. If your IT project partner has PMI certified team members, you can rest assured that your project will be handled in the best way possible.
8. Exceeding Project Goals
When you hire a project management team, the bare minimum they can do is meet your project goals. An IT consulting firm that looks to exceed your project goals to add value to your organization is the firm you should partner with.
9. Track Record of Success
A successful IT project management team with good experience should be able to provide success stories. Ask for examples of successful projects managed in the past to get a feel for the quality of work provided by any particular IT firm.
10. Unique Approach
Find a vendor who is willing to make sure your unique project needs are met with a tailored strategy. One size fits all is not what you’re looking for because each project and each organization has specific, unique needs. A flexible, powerful framework will help your IT project be a success.
