Hire a Project Manager: Check The Basic Hows and Whys

When you will be noticing that you are missing out on something really essential in a project that concerns you doesn’t it? There is a lot of areas where you can be missing out like falling short on budget. Even though you planned it properly before you started with the project there are many things that need to be taken care of. And this is the best time to concentrate on how to hire a Project Manager.

You alone will not be able to do everything by yourself and you will miss out on the small things that the project requires. So you need to hire a project manager who will be able to do these critical jobs for you. When we start off with a project we make sure that our project managers at Vyrazu labs are free or not.

We can proceed with a task only when there is an available project manager to manage the task for all the parties. The project manager is someone who is made responsible from the beginning of the project until it has been dispatched. He will also check if the project is performing excellently as is was meant to perform.

You will be able to attain complete satisfaction from the project if you have a good project manager in your team. S/he alone will take it on them to complete the project on time as well as with complete usability. If that is not the case the project manager alone will be penalized for the task going wrong.

Who is a Project Manager?

Yes, as the name suggests “project manager” someone who is involved with managing the project. Let us further break it down to the set of tasks that a project manager has to perform in order to meet his job profile. A project manager is responsible for the project from the start to the end. That means it is on the project manager to look after the project being executed: 

• According to the plan 
• The project is completed on time
• Managing the people involved in the entire scenario
• Gathering resources 
• Determining the scope of the project 

The project manager that you hire should be capable of creating clear and attainable objectives and to wave goodbye on completion of the project. It is the project manager’s duty to complete the project assigned to another company for dispersal. The project manager’s task will end only when the project is complete.

It can also be a semipermanent job for a specific time frame or previously established period of work, in a project’s stage or schedule of completion. There are certificate courses for the project managers which help them to execute their job efficiently. The certifications are: 

1. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
2. Program Management Professionals (PgMP)
3. Project Management Professionals (PMP)

Why Hire a Project Manager?

There are plenty of reasons why you need to hire a project manager. You might think that if you do not hire a project manager you can save some money on the development of the project. However, often do you miss out on the basic “why” factor. It is completely up to you if you want to hire a project manager initially or not.

But think about the time when your business will grow and the essentials will be too many for you to remember. You will look back to when you are stuck with a huge problem just because of a very small mistake? This is when a project manager will come to your rescue. A project manager is well trained to look after the smaller things so that it does not end up to be a bigger problem. 

10 reasons why you should hire a project manager:

• Check the scope of the project– The scope of the project in the area of work that the team is supposed to do. The set of instructions they will follow when they do it. The project manager will be responsible for checking if the scope is being addressed or not. Through the entire project by regular checks and balances on the project, this will help you to save money and time for the project.

• The insight and direction of the project– The project manager works to identify the aim and perspective of the project, gives directions and clears the purpose of the project. This means that he is responsible for maintaining healthy communication with all the parties, i.e. the stakeholders, the team of developers and the customers. He will collect the necessary information and deliver it to these three departments.

• Cost manager– The project manager will be responsible for managing costs. To deliver the project on time without hampering the budget as well as maintain both internal and external resources without changing the budget.

• Employee productivity– The project manager is responsible for explaining the task which has to be done so that the project can be completed on time with the necessary measures that have to be taken to complete the project.

• Time management– The project manager will be responsible if the project is not being completed on time by keeping a check on the project by conducting examinations regularly reminding the key dates to the team members, see if they are following the path that was set for them, throughout the project.

• Resource collection– The project manager is responsible for the attainment of the products and services from outside sources. The project manager will be responsible for collecting the resources and managing them according to their requirements.

• Work schedule– When a set of work is given to the developers it is very important to plan out how the work will proceed. The project manager looking at the recent requirement of the client will prepare the set of work the developers have to do. The project manager will make a schedule for the work so that the work can be completed on time without any errors.

• Potential risk handling– The project manager will be responsible for identifying the upcoming risks of the project or any loophole in the project. They will also have to recognize the consequence that either of the parties will face and carefully bring out a solution for those deficits.

• Communicating with the stakeholders– At the snap-end of the project, the communication with the team and the stakeholders becomes very difficult. The project manager has to take it on them to look after the communications being smooth and uncomplicated. Hence, a regular conversation is a healthy conversation.

• Ending the project– The project has been completed and it is performing as desired by the customers. The project manager is responsible for making documents and reviews on the project stages with the stakeholders evaluating the project. 

How Can You Hire a Project Manager who will Best Fit your Job?

When you are on how to hire a Project Manager, that means that you are deeply in need of one. This is the time when you should determine the set of tasks that you the project manager to do. The project manager is often chosen in the age-old manner which is no more applicable. When choosing a project manager there are certain things that you have to keep in mind or else it will cost you the entire project. (Taking the example of a social media development.)

• Hire a Project Manager: Determine “your” needs first
  If you fail to understand what is your requirement you will fail to hire a project manager. The project manager is someone who will be taking care of the entire project. This means that the project manager has to understand the exact requirements of the project. When you identify the project’s requirements you will be able to understand which project manager, with what specialization will fit your requirements. 
  
  Suppose your project is about building an app. You might need a person who has a better understanding of that particular app even though they are not engineers. Your job description should suppose it is a social media app then it should look like, “someone with an in-depth understanding of social media and how it works”. A person who fits this requirement and a set of other requirements that you will provide will be the perfect match for your project. 

• Hire a Project Manager: Don’t stick with the age-old job description
  The description that is found online looks like descriptions coming from a guide book. If you figure out a way to change the approach depending on the job that actually has to be done. Then asking for a project manager who can communicate smoothly, is a good leader, is a team player, etc. When you will be seeking out a project manager asks for the skills that are really necessary for the task that you have been given. 
  
  Let us take the example of the social media app and see what are the key skills. That you will want from the project manager who will be working for the project. You can ask for whether the person is well educated about how social media works, what are the functionalities of social media, does he understand the technical terms which the clients will provide for the developers, etc.

• Hire a Project Manager: You can follow a specific methodology if you want
  When hiring a project manager the often asked question is, “Which methodology do you follow?”. The project manager is not entitled to say a specific methodology that they will follow. As the set of instructions will be given by the clients or the company concern with who they are working for.
  
  If you want the project manager to use Kanban or Lean Methodology just say so in the job description itself. The project manager is someone who has earned a degree in their specialized subjects so they know the methodologies you will just have to ask them to follow it depending on the job that you have for them. 

• Hire a Project Manager: Remove the essay question
  When you set up the questionnaire for hiring a project manager to avoid asking open-ended questions. Often it is observed that there are types of questions that need a lot of answers. Suppose you are looking for a project manager and you ask whether they are a good leader or not?
  
  When they answer such questions how authentic do you think the answers will be? If you are talking with that person face-to-face there is still a chance that you will be able to properly interview that person and get the answers out of them spontaneously. 
  
  However, if you ask a person to explain his experience with the previous project explaining the entire lifecycle of the project. It will end up being a huge answer and you will not be interested to read the entire thing then judge the project manager. You would say there are too many applicants, it is impossible to go through all the answers.
  
  So why ask those huge questions in the beginning than ask questions that will actually benefit the task that you have in hand? Often it is observed that the project manager that would really fit in for the job has not even applied for a job in the first place.

• Hire a Project Manager: Censorious projects require stalwart project managers
  It is important to manage costs, hence hiring a project manager will aid you with these issues. The project manager has to deal with a lot of things that everyone else will avoid like cutting corners. The project manager has to deal with the entire team and if there is any problem or extra people in the team.
  
  The team manager will have to take care of that as well. If you have a small project it is not as big of an issue as having to handle many small projects at the same time. The project manager is someone who will have to do everything that is necessary to lead the entire team. So if you ask them to do a task like building server racks that will rather be a funny encounter.
  
  Why will you want someone who will be leading your project to do something that does not fit in their job? On the contrary, the project manager is the person who will save you from critical situations. If you have a critical project a stalwart project manager is a requirement without the project manager’s sincerity your project will be doomed. 

How to hire a Project Manager: Check Credentials and Skills

When you are hiring a project manager for IT there are certain things that you will require. Like how much knowledge a person has on IT and how well will that person able to fit in the job that you are offering? When it comes to hiring a project manager you have to have a keen eye towards the one who is the perfect match. But how will you determine which project manager will best fit your job role? 

The Credentials that you will Look for Before you Hire an IT Project Manager:

• You can ask if the project manager has a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification or not. It is based on PMBOK hence, the subject for study is exactly related to what it takes to be a project manager. 
  
• Many companies can ask the project manager for either a technical or an organizational degree as both fields fit a project manager’s job.
  
• You can also ask the project managers if they have learned or experienced the methodologies that are followed for their job role. Methodologies like Waterfall, Scrum, Kanban, etc.

When you hire a project manager make sure that they know the basics of all the above-mentioned points, however, it is not mandatory for a project manager to know everything, even Newton said that all he did was, “collecting pebbles on the shore of the sea called knowledge.” Hence, don’t load your project manager just ask for the credentials that they are best at if it sticks to your job well and good, or just keep the search up for longer until you find someone who will fit exactly in the job role that you are offering.

The Skills of an IT Project Manager:

With these credentials, the project manager will only be eligible for the job but will they be applicable for the same? To find the answer to this question we will need to know what skills the project manager should have to fit themselves in an IT project.

• The project manager should be capable of identifying risks, managing those risks, monitoring the progress of the project, and capable of change management.
• Planning software development projects and scrutinizing specializations for those projects.
• Managing the software lifecycle.
• Quality assurance and testing the software.

These are the key skills that a project manager should possess for becoming a perfect candidate for the job. The project manager should have a basic knowledge of how website redesign works. Then they will have to interpret technical terminologies that will be required for the project. The project manager is responsible for taking care of the project and looking after the task being over on time with persistence.  

To Hire an IT Project Manager the Experience Required:

It is quite evident that if you are a smaller company you will look for inexperienced people so that you can pay them less and eventually grow together. But if you have a bigger company with bigger job profiles that is when you will have to hire a project manager. They will be capable of handling all the office work even with you having to teach them anything. They will just be able to understand the job by reading the detailed description provided to them. 

• The project manager is basically responsible for everything that will be happening in the project. Hence, they will need many years of experience so that they could handle the task given to them. Now, when you are hiring a project manager for an IT company or IT needs then you will obviously want the project manager to be experienced in the IT field for several years so that they do not face any difficulty with the tasks.
  
• The project manager is responsible for cost control, making the budget and managing the risk at hand, for which he will have to have job experience which has taught them over the years how to deal with the risk and manage the tasks that are given to them. 
  
• Experience is something which makes a person a specialist in something hence, if the project manager is experienced with excellent communicating used over the years to keep up with the clients, companies and the team it will definitely help him to manage the tasks with the technologists and the array of business managers.

The project manager should be concerned with detail, must be extremely organized and tenacious for being able to see the corners to anticipate the issues that arise. These are the basic experience that the project manager needs to handle the risks of IT and to manage the tasks given to them for directing the entire team of engineers with their jobs.

Do you Want to Hire a Freelancer Project Manager?

The freelancer project manager will have the same project management tasks as the professional project manager who is already connected with a company. It might be so that both the personnel have the same degree down their bags. But the major difference is that one works for a dedicated company that is responsible for taking care of a lot of tasks at the same time.

The professional project manager will have to take care of multiple small projects at the same time not being able to give their time on a particular project completely. However, the project managers are very efficient as the entire company depends on them. They will try not to make any mistakes that concern the company. They are the ones who protect the company from any harm.

On the contrary, they make themselves busy with a lot of tasks while a freelance project manager will be dedicated to the task that you give them. As they will be doing that particular task until the task ends, afterward take the payment and disappear for eternity. Suppose you have something that relates that particular project that you had a freelancer project manager did for you.

You will not be able to ask that project manager about anything that concerns the project as by that time he might have forgotten or had left all the data in your company itself. If that had not been misplaced you would be able to do a manual search and find it out yourself. If you have a dedicated project manager and anything that arises from a previous project. You will be able to ask them and get the answers.

As they would have the records ready and would be able to produce with any information that you want. Even though there are fewer chances of a project to come lurking back. But, if it does what will you do? Will you hire a person who will keep track of the work the freelancer project manager does? There will be a new one coming in all the time. That is cost consuming and illogical. 

However, there are certain benefits that you can get out of a freelancer project manager. If you hire a freelancer project manager, as I said earlier will just take up one job at a time and finish your job with efficiency. By devoting all the time to that project and also spend all their energy behind the particular project. They will be responsible for identifying:

• Redundancies
• Troubleshoots
• Delegate jobs
• Keeping the task on schedule

This is a critical task and the client will not be able to do it by themselves. If you hire a freelancer project manager they will take care of the tiniest risks and the smallest of detail that concern the project. The importance of which the client may not understand and often considered as not useful. When you hire a freelance project manager they will have a distinctive experience. From working in different companies and having to face numerous difficulties.

Hence, they will be able to produce an experience-rich task which the native project manager might not be able to manage, in given situations.

Cost to Hire a Project Manager

When you hire a project manager there are certain areas that have to be addressed to understand the exact cost of a project manager. The first thing is that the project manager is responsible for drafting the description according to the project. If you already have the description listed then it will not be a problem. But, if the description is missing it is on the project manager to take care of the description.

The other area of concern will be the experience of the project manager. If that person has been taking up IT jobs they will know what are the tasks that go under in an IT company. Hence, their experience will count and add up for the payment. If the project manager has the certifications for his role then he will be a certified project manager. While he will have both technical knowledge and the experience that a project manager should have to add up to the cost. 

If you hire a project manager with basic knowledge i.e. the fundamentals of project management soft skills (cost/task/risk/MGMT, leadership, writing, etc). Along with Microsoft office jobs, Google docs management, maybe one project management tool like Jira, Trello or Asana with basic experience. Then this project manager will cost you $20-70 per hour.

If you are looking for a project manager with intermediate and advanced technicality then it will cost you $50-120 per hour. This project manager will have an experience of more than two years will have knowledge that exceeds the basics. This project manager will have the knowledge of a project management methodology, will know a framework, will have a well to do track record for getting the key industry-specific metrics.

A certified project manager will cost you $90-150 per hour. The project manager has a lot of degrees like PMP, CSM, PMI-ACP and other such certificates. With a fair amount of experience will be the pro player among all the project managers hence, costing you a bit more than any other project manager.

Conclusion:

I hope this article was useful and you were able to understand:

• How you can hire a project manager 
• Why hire a project manager 
• Hire a freelance project manager 
• Hire an IT project manager 
• The basic details that you should know before you hire a project manager 

If you have found any errors please comment or leave feedback which will be the critical acclamation for this article. We are a leading software development and design company that will be able to meet with your any kind of software needs. If you are thinking about hiring a project manager you can come to talk to us about that so that we can provide you with a project manager according to your requirements. If you are looking for a consultation just pick up the phone and start chatting with us right now!