Record what the launch must include
Sit with the customer and tech lead to record the agreed features and the test everyone will use.
Career profile
IT Project Manager
IT project managers carry a technology change from a plan everyone approved through to delivery.
Before a software release, people settle what it must do, who finishes each piece and what happens if testing slips. You keep those promises linked.
A day in the life
Reset the schedule after testing slips
Trace tasks stuck behind late testing, redo the timeline, then talk through a realistic date with those affected.
Price a new request first
Get the team's estimate for a new request, revise the budget proposal and show the cost before approval.
Hand the system to support
Coordinate the move into daily use, check promises still open and record lessons to improve the next rollout.
Quick facts
Bachelor's degree is typical
United States
$116,580 broader-group median
United States · May 2025
5.1% broader-group growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor's degree is typicalRelated experience also matters; employers differ in how they combine education and experience.
Pay
$116,580 broader-group medianMay 2025 median for Computer occupations, all other, equivalent to $56.05 an hour. Pay is not reported separately for this title.
Outlook
5.1% broader-group growthProjected for Computer occupations, all other during 2025–2035. An IT Project Manager projection is not reported separately.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like turning an unclear request into a plan people can follow.
- You are willing to follow up when someone misses a commitment.
- You enjoy explaining how a technical delay affects another person's work.
Things to weigh
- You may have to explain that a requested feature will cost more or move the deadline, even when people dislike the answer.
- You need cooperation from people outside your reporting line. Persuasion and difficult conversations are part of getting the work finished.
Where AI may help
Artificial intelligence (AI) features in tools such as Jira can summarize task discussions and draft descriptions, reducing some update-writing work.
What people still lead
You still work out whose needs take priority, question estimates, and get agreement on changes to the plan.
What we can’t predict yet
How much planning teams will delegate remains unsettled. A useful summary does not necessarily capture an unspoken concern or a commitment that has changed.
Pay in context
Earnings
National pay is not reported separately for IT Project Managers. The nearest official figures cover the broader group Computer occupations, all other.
A national reference point
That group's median was $116,580 a year, equivalent to $56.05 an hour, in May 2025.
A wide spread
The group's 10th-percentile wage was $55,940 and its 90th-percentile wage was $188,470 annually. These describe the wage distribution across several kinds of computer work, not starting pay and a promotion target.
Openings across the broader group
Employment is projected to grow 5.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 27,000 openings annually, including replacement needs. Those openings are not all IT project management jobs.
Getting started
Combine college with related experience
- What the route involves
- Complete a related bachelor's degree and build experience on technology work that requires planning and follow-through.
- What it can lead to
- This can meet the preparation threshold for a first project-manager role. Colorado Springs specifies a related bachelor's degree plus one year of related professional experience.
- What to check
- That employer permits education-experience substitutions; other employers set their own requirements.
Enter a guided project-manager role
- What the route involves
- In an entry training role such as Colorado Springs' IT Project Manager I, coordinate project tasks and communicate progress with guidance.
- What it can lead to
- You gain direct experience carrying a technology project from requirements through implementation.
- What to check
- You must still meet the employer's education and experience threshold. An entry-level title does not mean entry straight from high school.
Plan to build both technical understanding and experience coordinating work. Even a first project-manager title can require related professional experience.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Become dependable on a first project
Keep task records and schedules current, and make sure people hear about a problem before it becomes a missed commitment.
Handle more moving parts
Coordinate work across technical teams and vendors, then carry the project through release and handoff to operational support.
Move into a more complex project role
A next step can be IT Project Manager II, taking on more complex initiatives with greater autonomy. Progress depends on demonstrated capability and the employer's structure.
Where you can work
City technology departments
You coordinate departments and outside contractors on technology changes. Getting time from shared city staff can require negotiation with their managers.
- Office
Hospital systems
On clinical-system implementations, you work with clinical and operational staff as well as technical teams. Data conversion and connections between systems add work that must fit the rollout plan.
- Indoors
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
On paper, plan a small club website launch. List the work, who would do it, and what must finish before testing can begin. Then imagine testing needs two extra days: revise the plan and explain your choice to a friend. Notice whether you enjoy sorting out the consequences.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Information Technology Project Managers — 15-1299.09. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 national Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — supplied facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2, 2025–2035 — supplied facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- City of Orlando. IT Project Manager I — Job Profile AEM25. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- City of Bend. IT — Project Manager II. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- City of Colorado Springs. IT Project Manager I — Class 12705. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- City of Colorado Springs. IT Project Manager II — Class 12704. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- Atlassian. Rovo AI features in Jira. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- CommonSpirit Health. IT Epic Sr Project Manager. Accessed 2026-10-11.