Project Manager

What does a Project Manager do?

The IT industry is a very attractive area to obtain a career in because the salaries offered for different positions are usually substantially higher than for similar positions in other industries. The industry is quite broad, so you don’t necessarily have to choose only from different kinds of developers. In this article, we are going to talk about the Project Manager (PM) position - what you should learn, the main duties, and naturally, the salary range.

What is Project Management?

It is a methodology of planning, organizing, and implementing all activities related to a project. It is a practical tool that allows developing projects effectively and efficiently.

Who is a Project Manager?

It is a specialist whose main task is to lead the whole project from the stage of planning. He or she is accountable for prioritizing tasks, planning tasks implementation and deadlines, control over the development process, communicating between the team and the customer, and the solution of arising problems till the successful product launch. PM is not a technical role, but the majority of specialists are former developers and testers who decided to broaden their knowledge and responsibilities.

How to become a project manager in India?

• Analyse what skills you need to have

• Take a project management online course or complete a bachelor's degree

• Enhance your project manager resume and prepare for an interview

• Apply for entry-level positions in management

• Consider project management certifications

Project Manager role

The main PM's role and duty are to assure that the customer’s idea is implemented in the set timeframe using existing resources. For this, PM has to create a development plan, form a team, provide the team with terms of reference, and control their implementation. Besides, he or she is accountable for the good communication between the developers' team and the customer, solving any arising problems and misunderstandings, and controlling the quality and deadlines for the final product. 

The PM’s tasks can be divided into tactical and strategic. The first ones include the solution of the daily project issues and the elimination of any obstacles on the realization path. The second one implies the coordination of the overall goal of the project, the path to it, and the speed of movement.

Project Manager skills

• Good knowledge of the subject area, i.e., a certain business;
• Leader qualities;
• Experience in working with people, and managing teams;
• Good presentation and persuasion skills;
• Ability to negotiate, respecting the interests of different groups of people;
• Ability to politely and clearly communicate your ideas; Ability to see the whole picture by collecting it from the scattered facts;
• Good planning and organization skills, ability to use CPM (critical path method) scheduling;
• Experience in risk mitigation calculation and implementation;
• Knowledge of agile and classic development processes;
• Ability to implement administrative tasks.
• An experience in software development or testing is a big advantage.

Top Project Management Colleges in India

1. SIMS Pune - Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies

2. Jain University, Bangalore

3. Alagappa University, Karaikudi

4. Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai

5. PIBM Pune - Pune Institute of Business Management

6. Singhania University

7. COEP Pune - College of Engineering

8. Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur

9. CMJ University, Shillong

10. NITIE Mumbai - National Institute of Industrial Engineering

Project Management principles

To assure that the project is successfully realized, PM should observe the following 12 principles:

1. Set exact project goals and tasks.
2. Establish the criteria for the end result/product.
3. Establish and maintain organizational alignment.
4. Set precise roles and duties for each of the team members.
5. Create a comprehensive strategy for initiation and realization.
6. Ensure careful budgeting and scheduling.
7. Before starting the project, define priorities and milestones.
8. Set and define accountability and responsibility for all team members.
9. Create a communication plan, i.e., establish the channels of messaging email, chat, etc suitable for everyone.
10. Ensure project transparency, i.e., that all team members have access to all information, implementation progress, etc.
11. Implement comprehensive risk analysis and mitigation.
12. Ensure comprehensive monitoring and measuring of the progress through key performance indicators (KPIs) budgets, timelines, and quality expectations.

Project Manager certification

In order to apply for the PM positions and get the job, you don’t need special certification. However, many specialists, who have been already working as PM for some time, think about receiving a valuable certificate. It is usually not a requirement but is an additional advantage that can help get a higher salary and become a decisive factor if a specialist with an internationally recognized certificate and one without it compete for a job in a leading IT company such as Google, for example.

The certificates you can obtain are:

• Project Management Professional (РМР). This certificate requires 3.5 years of practical experience. The preparation for the exam lasts three months. The obligatory condition is training in an accredited centre for at least 35 hours. The exam includes 200 questions and lasts 4 hours.
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAMP). It is an analogue of the first-mentioned exam but for the young specialists with minimum experience or without it at all.
• Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) and Program Management Professional (PgMP). These are considered the most difficult certificates to obtain. To apply for the exam, a specialist needs 6000 hours of PM practice.
• Risk Management Certification (RMP). This exam is designed for specialists who assess project risks. Usually, it is a separate position demanded in large-scale companies. You can pass this exam in addition to PMP or any other certification.
• PMI-SP. This is a certification for PMs specializing in scheduling. It is also preferably should be obtained as an addition to the main certificate.
• PMI-ACP. This certification includes the assessment of such skills as proficiency in Agile, Scrum, Kanban, XP, Lean, and others. It is a worthy alternative to various Agile certifications.

Project Manager Salary in India

Now let’s talk about salaries offered to PM professionals. In India, Project Managers, on average, receive an annual salary of ₹1,500,000 or $20,000. A young specialist is paid yearly a median salary of ₹660,000 or $9,100, and a senior position is rewarded with ₹1,700,000 or $23,500 a year.  According to the Payscale platform, salaries by city:

• Average project manager salary in Bangalore - ₹1,532,087 / year

• Average project manager salary in Mumbai - ₹1,222,302 / year

• Average project manager salary in Pune -₹1,484,217 / year

• Average project manager salary in Hyderabad-  ₹1,512,066 / year

• Average project manager salary in Chennai-  ₹1,437,049  / year

The major IT companies offer the following salaries for PMs: Microsoft pays PMs from $38,115 to $177,071 a year or $110,000 on average, and ₹1,600,000 or $22,000 in India. Google pays PM from $40,283 to $250,000 a year or $110,400 on average, and ₹2,158,000 or $29,700 in India. Amazon pays PM from $33,346 $165,559 a year or $98,360 on average, and ₹1,600,000 or $22,000 in India.

Top companies in India for project managers

• Wipro

• IBM

• Accenture

• Tata Consultancy Services

• Cognizant Technology Solutions

• Infosys

• Capgemini

• Tech Mahindra

• DXC Technology