What does hiring an IT project manager entail?

Need to hire a project manager

There are many situations in which companies choose to hire an external project manager:

• Lack of internal resources: The company does not have enough experienced project managers to staff all current initiatives.
• Specific project requirements: The project being implemented requires unique competencies or experience in managing a specific type of project (e.g., large ERP implementations, R&D projects, international projects) that internal PMs lack.
• Temporary needs: The need for project management is limited in time (e.g., an implementation project of several months) and does not justify permanent employment.
• Emergency: The need to quickly replace an absent project manager or immediately start a new, urgent project.
• Objective view: Willing to bring an outsider into the project to bring fresh insights, new methodologies and an objective assessment of the situation.

Responsibilities of the hired project manager

A hired project manager usually assumes the full range of responsibilities for managing an assigned project, operating within the client’s structures. His or her responsibilities include defining the scope of the project, creating the schedule and budget, managing the project team (including potentially other contractors), managing risk, communicating with stakeholders, monitoring progress, reporting, and ensuring that the project is delivered as intended (time, budget, scope, quality).

Cooperation model

The cooperation is most often carried out in a body leasing model, where the client pays the supplier for the working time of the hired project manager (e.g. on a daily rate or monthly lump sum). The project manager works under the substantive supervision of a designated person on the client side (e.g., IT director, project sponsor). It is crucial to clearly define responsibilities, decision-making authority and expectations for the hired project manager.

Benefits of hiring a PM

Hiring an IT project manager brings a number of benefits to companies:

• Quick access to experience: Ability to immediately recruit an experienced manager with a proven track record of success.
• Flexibility: Possibility to engage a PM only for the duration of the project.
• Specialized knowledge: Access to expertise in managing specific types of projects or in specific industries.
• Cost optimization: No need for full-time staffing costs, especially for temporary needs.
• Focusing internal resources: Ability to offload internal managers and focus them on other strategic tasks.

Requirements for the supplier

The effectiveness of this service depends on the quality of specialists offered by the provider. A reputable PM hiring company should have a database of vetted, certified and experienced project managers with a variety of competency profiles, and apply rigorous processes for their selection and vetting.